Farming minister rules out IHT change

There is “no likelihood” that the UK chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce any amendments to proposed changes to inheritance tax when she delivers her autumn budget on 26 November, a DEFRA farming minister has said.

Speaking on the BBC Farming Today programme last Friday, DEFRA Minister Angela Eagle quashed rumours that the government was considering increasing the proposed new £1m threshold for agricultural and business property relief (APR/BPR) to apply from April 2026.

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“We have been in discussions, the Treasury have made their announcements and they aren’t going to move,” Eagle told the BBC.

It means that the only possibility left for farm organisations is that they get enough MPs on-side to amend the UK Finance Bill, which is the vehicle for renewing taxes, as it passes through Parliament. Given Labour currently has a working majority of 156 seats, that will not be an easy task.

Loughry to host NI poultry conference

The NI poultry industry conference organised by the Poultry Industry Education Trust is to take place as planned at CAFRE’s Loughry campus on Tuesday 28 October, with registration from 9.30am.

The opening address will be given by DAERA chief vet Brian Dooher, with other speakers including Jim Uprichard, Trouw, Anne Richmond, Pilgrim’s and Mark Williams from the British Egg Industry Council.

To view the conference programme and book a place, go to https://poultrytrust.com/.

DAERA clarifies Muir’s A5 intervention

Stormont’s agriculture committee has received clarification about how Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir plans to intervene in a legal case about the A5 road.

In June 2025, a High Court judge ruled against plans to build the road, citing a lack of evidence to show it would be compliant with current NI climate change legislation.

Infrastructure Minister Liz Kimmins then announced her intention to appeal the judgement, and Minister Muir later said his department would formally intervene in the appeal.

“The basis of the intervention will be to clarify the interpretation of the climate change act 2022 so it can be fully implemented as intended,” reads a new briefing from DAERA sent to Stormont’s agriculture committee.

DAERA considered changing 80% grassland rule

Officials in DAERA considered changing the rule which requires farmers that operate under a nitrates derogation to have 80% of their land in grass.

Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir said his staff assessed evidence for lowering the 80% grassland rule ahead of the recent Nutrients Action Programme (NAP) consultation.

“Analysis of current derogated farms found that the vast majority had above 85% grass coverage, and only a small number had between 80 and 85% grass coverage. Therefore, the benefit from a reduction to 70%, was determined to be negligible,” he said.

In response to a written question from Sinn Fein MLA Declan McAleer, Minister Muir said there could also be “unintended adverse consequences” if the rule change led to more maize being grown on derogated farms.

“These crops require heavy applications of slurry in the spring and are harvested late in the year. Consequently, there could be an increased risk of surface run off with nutrients and sediment to water ways,” he said.

However, Minister Muir said DAERA was open to “a more flexible derogation” and proposed changes could come through the new NAP stakeholder task and finish group.

Muir pressing on with CCTV law for abattoirs

Legislation is being drafted within DAERA which will make it compulsory for all slaughterhouses in NI to have CCTV cameras.

In March 2026, DAERA published the proposal in a public consultation which aims to bring the law in line with the rest of the UK.

However, the majority of abattoirs in NI have had CCTV in place for over a decade, as it has been a long-standing requirement for supplying the likes of UK supermarkets.

In response to a written question from DUP MLA Jonathan Buckley, Agriculture Minister Andrew Muir confirmed that legislation is being drafted to implement the proposal.

“I am pleased that the public consultation, on proposals to make CCTV mandatory in slaughterhouses, was favourably received,” Minister Muir said.

In-calf heifers sell to £9,200 at Swatragh

A sale of in-calf heifers by Northern Counties Co-operative Enterprises sold to a top price of £9,200 at Swatragh mart on Friday.

The highest priced lot was an August 2022 born Limousin heifer that is in calf to the Limousin bull Edenvale Ivor and is due in late February.

Other top prices included £8,800 for a May 2023 born Limousin heifer due to calve at Christmas and £8,200 for a May 2023 born Belgian Bull-Limousin cross heifer that is due in late November.

Overall, 61 heifers sold to an average price of almost £5,200. Another sale of in-calf heifers from the co-op is scheduled for January 2026.