Tell us a bit about your career so far
My accountancy career started when I left school after completing A-Levels. I started working at a local agricultural accountancy firm where I gained a year’s experience in the sector and started studying Association of Accounting Technicians (AAT) under an apprenticeship scheme. I moved to Hazlewoods a year later to join the, then, Agricultural Team, (now Farms and Estates) where I completed AAT. Following that I studied Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), qualifying in 2005.
What is it like being an accountant in the agricultural sector right now?
The agricultural sector is always an interesting one! There have been big changes in grants available to the agricultural sector, in particular with the delinking of Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) and the new Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). The reduction of BPS has created cashflow and profitability concerns amongst the industry. There are incentives for farmers to join the SFI scheme to replace part of the lost income, but there has been a lot of uncertainty surrounding the impact this new stream of income will have on the inheritance position of assets used for these purposes.
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is continuing to be a popular discussion point amongst farmers and landowners. Any new agreements need careful review and consideration which is discussed in this publication.
Why Hazlewoods?
I started my career at Hazlewoods a few too many years ago to mention, and I am one of few people in the team that does not have an agricultural background. Working with so many people who have the industry knowledge has given me a huge insight into the agricultural world, where everyone pretty much knows everyone! The Farms and Estates teams is a really supportive team which is ever expanding; the team was a total of three when I started, now we stand at around 40.
The clients are also one of the best things about Hazlewoods. They bring lots of opportunities to challenge us, and are great people to work with.
