CLA Rural Business Uncovered

With countries and organisations all in a race to achieve net zero emissions, carbon markets are projected to increase 15-fold, with most of that growth estimated to come from nature-based solutions: tree planting, peatland restoration and – potentially – soil carbon. This opens up a huge opportunity for landowners and farmers across England and Wales.   In this podcast, Alice Ritchie, C...

In this week's episode we explore the role of agri-tech in improving productivity and sustainability, the opportunities for the future, and advice for CLA members looking to implement the use of technology within their rural business.    Claire Hodge, Head of Crops at the Agri Epi Centre, shares with us how new technology is trialled and tested, and how we need p...

In this episode we will discuss the threats and challenges of rural crime and how you can better protect yourself, your family, and your business against criminals trying to exploit you for their own personal gain.   CLA Rural Adviser Libby Bateman highlights the three key challenges land and business owners face in rural crime: cybercrime, wildlife crime, and machinery theft.    Re...

This week we are joined by CLA member Caroline Lowsley-Williams who has diversified her beautiful family home and country estate, Chavenage House, into a location for TV and film productions including the BBC1 series Poldark and The Pale Horse.    Caroline shares with us how they started out as a film location, new business ventures filming has brought with it to the...

As people in Wales head to the polls on Thursday 6 May it is worth reflecting on what comes next for rural Wales. In this podcast we explore what the Senedd needs to do over the next five years to grow the Welsh rural economy.     CLA Cymru’s Chair Rory McLaggan, who runs the Merthyr Mawr Estate, shares with us his thoughts on what would make operating&...

It is predicted that due to climate change, all areas of the UK will continue to get hotter and drier, with 2021 projected to be one of the hottest years on record. Combined with an estimated population increase of six million people in England and Wales by 2043, many areas will be facing significant water shortages by 2050.    In this podcast  Alice Ritchie, CLA...

In this episode we explore how rural businesses can tap into the staycation trend.    As foreign travel this summer remains uncertain, the demand for domestic day trips and staycations is rising. With creativity and flexibility in mind can businesses capitalise on this opportunity? Will the trend and pent-up demand continue?    Charles Trotman, CLA Seni...

To kick start season two, we delve into a concept that is increasingly coming to the fore in business - responsible capitalism, which encourages you to promote your good business practices.    Julian Richer, Founder and Managing Director of Richer Sounds, shares with us how this idea prompted the launch of a scheme called the Good Business Charter....

In this episode,   Sophie Dwerryhouse, CLA National Access Adviser, gives insight into the management responsibilities of farmers and landowners where rights of way are concerned, and explains why the CLA are campaigning for the Countryside Code to be taught in schools.   We are also joined by CLA member Phil Rowbottom who shares with us how he manages the rights of w...

In this week’s episode, CLA member Emily McVeigh of the Kenton Hall Estate in Suffolk shares with us how the pandemic has affected her wedding venue business, and the importance of a government roadmap to re-opening this forgotten industry.    We are also joined by Dr Charles Trotman, CLA Senior Rural Business and Economics Adviser, who gives us an insight into t...

This week we are joined by CLA member Jonny Crickmore, a third generation dairy farmer and owner of Fen Farm Dairy in Suffolk who shares with us his diversification story. Jonny and his wife Dulcie saw an opportunity and started producing a specialist cheese. Identifying a gap in the market, Britain's first brie was launched in 2013: Baron Bigod.    Today they supply&...

This episode focuses on the challenge of decarbonising rural homes.   For the UK to meet its 2050 net-zero target, greenhouse gas emissions from buildings need to be eliminated. The minimum energy efficiency standards for privately let households are being tightened from 2025, while oil heating is being phased out from 2028. In order to meet these tougher requirements, rur...

In this podcast you will discover how important the UK’s peatland is for climate change, biodiversity, water quality and more.   Carbon-rich upland and lowland peatlands   make up 12% of the UK’s land area. Currently storing 20 times as much carbon as the UK’s forests, they give the UK a significant advantage in the fight against climate change. However, muc...

Part one: Trees   ‘David Attenborough’s recent Netflix documentary did an incredible job making the case that the key to solving climate change is right in front of us: nature. Nature is our biggest ally, inspiration and the best, most cost-effective, shovel-ready technology we have to tackle the climate crisis.’   In this podcast we focus on how the UK’s significant...

This week’s podcast will explore why soils are so important for the climate, environment and food production. Karen Fisher, a Farming Adviser at the Soil Association tells us about what they mean for climate change goals and how healthy soils can also help adapt to climate change and tackle the biodiversity crisis.   We are also joined by Georgie Bray, who shares with us the practices she has...

We’ve had vegan sausage rolls, Meat Free Mondays, impossible burgers… the list goes on. But while there’s been a polarising focus on meat eating vs veganism, we might be missing the wider point – that good quality meat and dairy produced to high environmental and animal welfare standards can and should exist in a healthy, balanced diet. But are we currently eat too much?   Alice Ritchie, the...

This week we are joined by father and son John & Tom Homfray, owners of Penllyn Estate Farm near Cowbridge in Wales who share their diversification story with us. We hear what prompted the family to diversification in the first place, the challenges they faced & their advice for members considering pursuing new opportunities now or in the future.   To find out more about Penllyn Estat...

Rural tourism has taken the brunt of the Covid-19 pandemic. Businesses have endured forced closure through two lockdowns, and the sector has resiliently met the challenge of ever evolving public policy head on, with consumers recognising the vital role rural businesses play in supporting local communities. Testing times remain however the coming months will prove critical in determining whether so...

With Brexit, the loss of direct support under the Basic Payment Scheme and the impact of coronavirus, diversification has never been more important to the rural economy and the planning system plays a central role in enabling or obstructing rural development. In the fourth and final podcast for Rural Powerhouse Week, we speak to CLA member Hugh Broom about his diversification into battery storage....

The UK government has ambitious climate change targets and these come with pretty big implications for those who own or manage land in England or Wales. On day three of Rural Powerhouse weekwe hear from Lord Zac Goldsmith, Minister for the Environment, about the government’s plans to harness nature-based solutions like tree planting and peatland restoration. We are then joined by Jason Beedell, Di...

Day two of Rural Powerhouse Week focuses on the risks and opportunities for rural businesses in trading with markets outside of the UK. In today’s episode CLA Public Affairs Manager Eleanor Wood provides the inside track on the politics of the negotiations between the UK and the EU. This is then followed by a lively discussion between economist Julian Jessop, and CLA Chief Economist Charles Trotma...

The new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme will launch in England in 2024, with national pilots beginning next year. However, Defra has already been testing some of the elements of the new scheme with farmers and land managers through a programme of 'tests and trials’ over the last two years. This is an important opportunity for farmers and land managers to put forward and test their...

CLA Rural Powerhouse Week begins on 23rd November 2020, hear 4 exclusive podcast discussions here! Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.