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Straughans Services To Agriculture

Why choose Straughans as your Agricultural Business Advisors?

The Industry

• Arable Farms
• Beef Farms
• Dairy Farms
• Farm Suppliers
• Mixed Farms
• Pig Farms
• Poultry Farms
• Sheep Farms
• Horticulture

Although the area devoted to the cultivation of crops in the UK has showed little change since the mid-1980s, new crop varieties and the use of agro-chemicals have significantly boosted crop yields. The amount of beef and veal produced in the United Kingdom has generally been in decline since 1987 as the level of domestic consumption has fallen. The beef industry has also been affected in recent years, by the foot and mouth crisis and adverse world trading conditions such as the collapse of the Russian economy and the continued strength of the Pound. Following the United Kingdom joining the EC in 1993 the growth of the dairy industry was encouraged and throughout the 1970s dairy cow numbers and milk yields per cow increased.

Production soon began to outstrip demand and the EC determined to curb milk production. Since the de-regulation of the milk industry, dairy companies have become more powerful in the whole production process and with the collapse of the market for dairy calves in 1999 many farmers were left in desperate financial straits.

The EC sheep meat regime introduced under the Common Agricultural Policy in 1980 encouraged the industry at the expense of New Zealand imports. The recession of the early 1990s was detrimental to the financial performance of many sheep farms and the adverse trading conditions experienced in 1998 had a similar effect. Margins generally fell in 1999 and 2000 with the outbreak of foot and mouth in February 2001 having a crippling effect on this sector.

The amount of pig meat produced in the United Kingdom remained relatively static since the mid-1980s. Consumption declined resulting in loss production and in the last three or four years the pig industry declined severely. The industry in mid-2000 like farming in general was badly affected as a result of the foot and mouth outbreak.

The knock-on effect of the foot and mouth outbreak on other sectors of the farming industry such as mixed farms, farm suppliers and horticulture has also been detrimental. Never before has the agricultural industry been under such attack from both within and without the UK.

Our team of farming specialists is ideally situated to advise in relation to all aspects of your farming and other business activities. We can of course provide you with accounts but what good are these without the following:
• Easily understood financial forecasts and interpretations.
• Specific accounts layout for your particular industry sector.
• Regular briefing in relation to all matters relating to agricultural business and taxation matters along with quarterly briefing notes on general financial matters and an annual report on tax and other financial strategies downloaded from our website.
• Strategic advice in relation to Capital Gains Tax, Inheritance Tax, VAT and succession planning.
• Helping to plan new business development with emphasis on diversification and profit maximisation.


     
Reproduced from CCH Business Focus with the kind permission of CCH Information. For more information on CCH Business Focus please go to www.cch.co.uk or telephone CCH Customer Services on: 0870 241 5719.
 

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For further information or to become a part of our winning team contact us at:

Hadrian House, Front Street, Chester Le Street, Co. Durham, DH3 3DB
Te: (0191) 388 3377  Fax: (0191) 387 1745   Email: straughans@straughans.co.uk
Straughans Limited (trading as Straughans) is a limited liability company registered in England and Wales under No 0354727. Registered office: Hadrian House, Front Street, Chester le Street, Co Durham, DH3 3BB