You don’t need reminding just how wet the last few weeks have been, but with a more settled spell showing in this week’s forecast, hopefully there’s a chance to dry out a little, catch up with jobs and get back on track.

February’s newsletter has a few really important updates for farm businesses – including the latest position on Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief following the Government’s decision to raise the 100% relief cap to £2.5 million, and what we currently know about how the Sustainable Farming Incentive will run in 2026. You’ll also find details of the Higher Tier Capital Grants  which are open to all holdings not just those in a Higher Tier scheme. There are some interesting events coming up and an extra FarmSafer training date available for those who missed out last time.

As ever, if anything in this newsletter sparks a question, a worry or an idea you’d like to explore, please just get in touch with one of the Hub team. We’re here to help make sense of the changes, opportunities and next steps – and to support you in whatever way is most useful for your business.

Upcoming Events

Hedgelaying 2 Day Course in Bromyard, Herefordshire

Thurs 5th - Fri 6th February

Bromyard, HR7 

Learn the skill of Hedgelaying.  These practical, hands-on courses are perfect for beginners.

For more information and to book click here 

Herefordshire Grassland Society: Winter Meeting

Grassland Soils - Health & Fertility with Luppo Diepenbroek

Thomas Bell & Sons Ltd - Fertiliser Imports - Meeting Sponsor

Herefordshire's Local Nature Recovery & Strategy - how you can respond & be involved. 

Tues 10th February 

6:30pm to 10pm

Grange Court, Leominster HR6 8NL

All welcome, more info click here

Forestry Commission: Creating New Woodland - Is it the right option for you?

Wed 11th February  

9am to 12pm

Peterchurch Village Hall, HR2 0RS 

Join the Forestry Commission Land Use Advisor for guidance and advice on how woodland and trees could work on your farm.

For more information & to book click here

AHDB Worcestershire: Know it to Grow it - Beef & Lamb Business Foundations - Two Day Course 

Tues 17th to Wed 18th February 

9:30am to 3:30pm

Practical course, ideal for farmers who want to improve their understanding of farm finances without being overwhelmed by complexity. 

For more information and to book click here 

'Regen' Potatoes: Taking a different root! Evening Event 

Tues 17th February  

6pm to 9:30pm

The Bunch of Carrots, HR1 4JR  

*Booking is Essential 

For more information click here , Book your place via email click here

WAFM - February Events

One Foot in the Grain - Farm Tour at Jamies Farm
Wed 18th February, Lower Wernddu Farm, HR2 0ED

Women What Farm - Hereford Market Breakfast
Mon 23rd February, Hereford Market, HR4 7AN

Free Mental Health Awareness Workshop  
Tues 24th February, 1:30pm & 6pm Duchy of Cornwall, HR2 8DA

Full details click here.

Herefordshire Meadows: Annual Forum - 'Healthy Grasslands, Healthy Livestock'  

Sat 28th February   

10am to 2:30pm

Clehonger Village Hall, HR2 9DR  

Guest Speaker: Dr Claire Whittle, vet & farmer followed by a discussion with Herefordshire livestock farmers: Dreda Darling, Kitty Stainsby & Ed Dickson. 

For more information & to book your place click here

Selling Nature? What farmers need to know about accessing private funding & nature markets - Advice Afternoon 

Thurs 26th March    

12:30pm to 4pm

Shell Store, HR2 6SR  

Join us for clear, impartial guidance & hear real farmer experiences. 

Please email to book your place

Hub Go-To-Businesses

The Government’s decision to raise the 100 per cent Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) cap to £2.5 million has been met with cautious approval from advisers working with family farms and trading businesses.

Elizabeth Roberts, Head of Tax, says the change delivers some reassurance, but it is also a reminder of just how essential Inheritance Tax planning is.

Funding & Schemes

Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) - Update for 2026.  

• June 2026  - open to small farms and those without an exisiting ELMs agreement. 
• September 2026 - Open to all farms. 

• A reduction in the number of actions available. 
• More actions having limits on the area that can be claimed. 
• A review of payment rates for actions that take land out of food production, such as winter bird food.

Higher Tier Capital Grants 2026 – What You Need to Know.

• Specialist livestock and water management infrastructure
• Woodland and habitat management works
• Grassland restoration activities
• Protection of historic and environmental features

• Be registered on the Rural Payments Service
• Have land parcels correctly mapped
• Speak with a Natural England adviser to agree suitable capital items

• Work must not start before approval
• All required permissions and consents must be in place

Regulation & Compliance

Bird Flu (H5N1) Update

The UK continues to see new cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza (H5N1), with several outbreaks confirmed in recent weeks. In response, a nationwide Avian Influenza Prevention Zone remains in force across England, including mandatory housing measures for many keepers. Anyone with more than 50 birds—or those who sell or give away eggs or meat—must now keep their birds indoors and maintain strict biosecurity.

Where cases are identified, 3 km protection zones and 10 km surveillance zones are established, and affected flocks are culled to prevent further spread. The overall risk to poultry is still assessed as very high, particularly for premises with weaker biosecurity.

All keepers are urged to stay alert, follow hygiene and disinfection guidance, monitor flock health closely, and report any signs of illness or unexplained deaths. Avoiding contact with dead wild birds and keeping up to date with local control measures remain essential through the winter period.

Total number of confirmed cases in the UK is currently 92.

For up to date information and guidance visit the goverment's bird flu (avian influenza) page.

Bluetongue Update

Defra has confirmed 282 cases of bluetongue across Great Britain since July 2025.

• England: 253 cases of BTV-3, 1 cases of BTV-8, and 7 case's involving both BTV-3 and BTV-8

• Wales: 21 cases of BTV-3

Temperatures continue to reduce and experts now consider the risk of onward spread by vectors  midges in the South East, East Anglia, South West, and North East to be negligible.
However, there remains a risk of animals becoming infected through already infected midges or infected germinal products.

The risk of incursion of bluetongue virus (including serotypes not currently circulating in England) from all routes remains at medium (occurs regularly) although the risk of airborne incursion is now negligible.

Farmers and livestock keepers are urged to stay vigilant, watch for symptoms, maintain strong biosecurity, and follow testing and movement rules.

⚠️ Bluetongue is a Notifiable Disease
Any suspected cases—including abortions or birth defects potentially linked to bluetongue—must be reported immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).

For full details on movement restrictions, testing requirements, and control measures, visit the government’s bluetongue guidance page.

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Training & Development

Following the success of the FarmSafer training delivered in 2025, we are pleased to confirm that sufficient funding has been secured to run one additional training date in 2026. 

Friday 10th April at HFYFC, Yfc Centre, Beech Business Park, Hereford HR4 9QJ
9am to 4pm

FarmSafer is made possible through the generous support of Herefordshire Community Foundation and the Jack Hughes Fund. This funding enables 48 farming businesses across Herefordshire to access the fully funded Emergency First Aid with Forestry training — a course specifically designed to address the serious injuries most commonly encountered in farming and forestry environments.

Please note that, initially, workshops are limited to one participant per business.

How to book:
To secure a place, please email with the following details:

• Name

• Address

• Contact telephone number

• Farm/business address (if different)

Apprenticeships, Training &
Short Courses available

• Animal care & welfare
• Farm Worker
• Forestry & arboriculture
• Welding
• Farriery

• Felling & processing trees
• Safe use of pesticides
• Tractor Driving
• Welding, metal work & fabrication
• Blacksmithing
• Chainsaw maintenance

The Jack Hughes Fund supports the cost of training for members of Herefordshire’s farming community.

Advice & Support

Regen Potatoes:
Taking a different root!
Evening Event

You are invited to an evening discussion on sustainable potato production, featuring talks from James Pick, Jade Prince and Patrick Levinge.

Date: Tuesday 17 February 2026
Time: 6.00pm – 9.00pm
Venue: The Bunch of Carrots, HR1 4JR

Speakers

• James Pick – A potato grower from Yorkshire and Nuffield Scholar. James will share insights from his research into regenerative practices in main crop potato systems.

• Jade Prince – Head of Soil at Farmacy. Jade leads soil health strategy across arable systems and will introduce the soil food web, discuss the current state of our soils, and outline practical ways to improve soil microbiology.

• Patrick Levinge – An independent agronomist providing strategic and technical advice by working closely with farmers. Patrick will speak about regenerative potato production from a grower’s perspective.

Cost: Free to attend (buffet included)

Booking
To book your place, please email hub@herefordshireruralhub.co.uk or call 01432 268428, providing:

• Farmer/Business name

• Email address

• Postcode

• SBI number

• Names of all attendees

Herefordshire Meadows Annual Forum -
Healthy Grasslands, Healthy Livestock 

Herefordshire Meadows invites you to their Annual Forum to hear about their work in 2025 and explore how diverse grasslands can support healthier livestock and farming systems.

Date: Saturday 28 February 2026
Time: 10:00am – 2:30pm
Venue: Clehonger Village Hall, HR2 9DR

Event Highlights

• Guest speaker Dr Claire Whittle, vet and farmer

• Farmer panel discussion with Dreda Darling, Kitty Stainsby, and Ed Dickson, sharing practical experiences from their farms

Topics include:

• Health benefits of biennial and perennial herbs for livestock

• Understanding and managing species-rich grasslands

• Links between diverse swards, livestock health, and human health

• Insights from local farmers on plants that feed their herds and flocks

Refreshments will be provided.

Booking
Tickets are available via Eventbrite or by emailing Herefordshire Meadows to reserve your place.

Farming with Nature 

Herefordshire Wildlife Trust supports customers with habitat and conservation advice including:

• Wildlife & Habitat Surveying
• Habitat Management Plans
• Biodiversity Net Gain

Find out more and get in touch via www.herefordshirewt.org/farmingwithnature

Species-Rich Grassland: Advisory Services from Herefordshire Meadows

• Advice & guidance regarding management or restoration of species-rich grassland.
• Grassland assessment for suitability of SFI options for livestock, soil health, flood and drought resilience and biodiversity.
• Grassland surveys e.g. assessing suitability for GRH6 option.
• Guidance regarding permanent grassland, floodplain and cultivated land.

Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) Support

CSF have four advisers working across Herefordshire: Alice Probert and Rob Edwards cover the Arrow, Lugg, and Frome catchments, Nick Hinchliffe covers the Wye, and Amy Stephens handles the Leadon.

CSF offers free, confidential and impartial advice. The team of local advisers can help you with: Nutrient, slurry and manure management, Soil health, Pesticide handling, Natural flood management , Reducing ammonia emissions,  Sustainable water use, Guidance on farming schemes and regulations,

Even though DEFRA capital grants are currently closed, CSF can still offer advice visits which can include discussions and potential approvals for any future capital grants windows.  If you are interested in applying for future grants we would strongly recommend getting in touch with CSF as soon as possible to ensure you have the right supporting documents lined up ready to apply in good time before the next window opens.

Booking a CSF Visit
To request support, email a completed Catchment Sensitive Farming Advice Request form  to  csf.severn@naturalengland.org.uk.

Herefordshire Natural Flood Management (NFM) Project:
Advice & grants available

• Bodenham Brooks (above Bodenham)
• Brimfield Brook (above Brimfield and Orleton)
• Cheaton, Cogwell and Ridgemoor Brook system (above Leominster and Frome)
• Dulas Brook (above Ewas Harold)
• Pentaloe Brook (above Mordiford)
• Tedstone Brook (above Bromyard)
• Red, Norton and Twyford Brook system (above Rotherwas, Hereford).

Consultations

To advertise events, services, training and job opportunities with us click here. 

Deadline for print copy 25th of each month.

Meet the Team

Kate Speke-Adams -
Hub Managing Director

For details about our projects & opportunities to work with us click here.

Sarah Starkey -
Hub Farm Resilience Project Manager

For info about any of our resilience projects click here.

Sue Powell -
Hub Finance Officer

For queries about finance & invoicing 
click here.

Jennie Hermolle -
Hub Wyescapes Engagement & Communications Manager

For information about our Wyescapes Landscape Recovery project click here 

We're proud to be part of the
Royal Countryside Fund's
Farm Support Group Initiative