Agricultural Law
Newtons’ agricultural solicitors are dedicated to achieving the best legal outcomes for farmers, landowners and rural businesses across Yorkshire, Cumbria and the North East.
Our professional, compassionate team is available to support you and your family through challenges affecting transactions, tenancies, agreements and succession. Whatever your circumstances, our agricultural law experts will stay at your side throughout the legal process.
What Is Agricultural Law?
Agricultural law, or farming law, encompasses the rights, responsibilities and regulations that apply to agricultural businesses. Farming law is distinct from rural law, which covers the broader legalities of the countryside, including residential, commercial and tourism activities. Solicitors specialising in agricultural law provide legal advice to farmers and rural landowners to protect farms as businesses, homes and family assets.
Agricultural solicitors are experts in issues relating to land and property transactions, tenancies and business agreements, as well as succession planning. When legal matters arise and jeopardise the future of your farm, you need support and guidance from qualified agricultural lawyers who can advise and represent your side. For the best outcome for you, your family and your farm, choose Newtons Solicitors.
Newtons’ seasoned farming solicitors are experienced in many areas of agricultural law, from farm partnerships to diversification. Whatever your position and situation, we support all manner of cases with clear and confident advice on the best course of action. Our intimate understanding of real-world challenges facing farmers and rural landowners enables us to protect your personal and business interests with empathy and honesty.
As an agricultural law firm, we offer the following services:
Farming Law Services
Agricultural Tenancies & Occupation
At Newtons Solicitors, our team of farm tenancy solicitors offers expert guidance on drafting, reviewing and negotiating agreements, ensuring landowners benefit from robust terms tailored…
Divorce in Farming
At Newtons Solicitors, we guide divorcing farmers and their families through the process, working to achieve fair outcomes while protecting the viability of farming businesses,…
Agricultural Sales & Purchases
At Newtons Solicitors, we provide specialist farm legal advice throughout the process, guiding buyers and sellers through every stage of an agricultural transaction, managing risks…
Farming Partnership Law
At Newtons Solicitors, our agricultural team is intimately familiar with the nuances of farm partnership agreements and can draft robust documents that will protect your…
Farm Succession & Inheritance Planning
At Newtons Solicitors, our team of agricultural solicitors understands the legal and financial mechanisms involved in farm succession planning and can support farming families to…
Grazing Licences
In the UK, a grazing licence (also known as a grass keep licence) is a legal agreement between a rural landowner and a grazier. Common…
Land Promotion Agreements
A land promotion agreement is a legal contract between a landowner and a land promoter. In this partnership, a landowner enlists a land promoter to…
Specialist Rural & Land Issues
Specialist rural and land issues relate to agricultural law niches, which general residential and commercial property solicitors are not equipped to manage. Rural landowners need…
Trading Standards & Animal Welfare Law Prosecutions
A Trading Standards prosecution is a criminal legal action brought against a farmer for breaking agricultural laws related to animal welfare, movement, food safety and…
Farm Inheritance Tax: APR and BPR Changes from April 2026
Starting 6 April 2026, the rules around Agricultural Property Relief (APR) and Business Property Relief (BPR) have undergone a significant change, affecting the way inheritance tax applies to farms in the UK.
Previously, qualifying farms could pass from one generation to another with 100% relief from inheritance tax. Now, 100% relief is capped at £2.5 million per person for combined agricultural and business assets, and any excess value receives 50% relief. Since standard inheritance tax is 40%, this creates a 20% tax rate on the value above the allowance.
However, it should also be noted that unused allowances can be transferred to a surviving spouse or civil partner, meaning a married couple can pass on up to £5 million farm assets tax-free before the 20% rate applies.
These rule changes affect different farms in different ways. The government has estimated that most small to medium family farms claiming APR will pay no inheritance tax under the new system; if the qualifying value is under the £2.5 million individual threshold, or the £5 million couples’ threshold, the transition remains tax-free. Larger or high-value farms, however, will pay 20% of the excess value in inheritance tax.
To help farmers adapt, Newtons can review specific circumstances and advise whether it is most effective to gift land to the next generation early or to restructure ownership to spread the £2.5 million allowance across multiple people. Our farm inheritance tax experts can also rewrite older wills that still rely on the old unlimited tax exemptions.
Who We Help
We are agricultural solicitors in Yorkshire, Cumbria and the North East, committed to helping farmers and rural landowners navigate the complexities of the law surrounding transactions, partnerships and succession. Whether you are a tenant farmer, owner, landlord or expect to inherit a farming business in the future, Newtons can help. Our past clients include:
- Tenant farmers and landlords negotiating leases
- Farming families navigating divorce and death
- Farmers approaching retirement and planning succession
- Landowners who have been approached by a developer or energy company
- Farmers looking to diversify their business
- Farmers facing investigation or prosecution for agricultural law violations
- Young and new farmers exploring partnership and tenancy options
Talk to Agricultural Solicitors Near You
At Newtons, we are proud to provide agricultural law services throughout the North of England, including: Knaresborough, Harrogate, York, Ripon, Darlington, Richmond, Stokesley, Thirsk, Wakefield and Penrith.
We are among the most successful and respected agricultural solicitors in the UK, and are always prepared to uphold your rights and protect your best interests. For more information about our services or to arrange an initial consultation, please contact us today.
FAQs
We know that managing legal issues can feel overwhelming, especially in a specialist area such as agricultural law. This page answers some of the most common questions we receive, covering everything from basic definitions to detailed processes.
Also known as farming law, agricultural law encompasses the legal rights, responsibilities and regulations that apply to agricultural businesses and rural landowners. It covers areas such as:
- Land sales and purchases
- Land tenancies and occupation
- Land promotion agreements
- Land diversification
- Business and partnerships
- Trading Standards prosecutions
- Grazing licences
- Farm ownership in cases of divorce or succession
With the agricultural sector facing increasing legal complexities, expert advice is essential for navigating modern farming challenges and remaining compliant at all times.
Although they are often used interchangeably, agricultural law and rural law practice are not the same. Rural law covers the broader legalities of the countryside (including residential, commercial and tourism activities on rural land), while agricultural law focuses specifically on farming (including land use, crop growth and livestock).
An agricultural solicitor advises on legal issues relating to rural land and property transactions, tenancies and business agreements, and farm succession planning. Landowners and farmers primarily need their expertise when seeking to avoid or resolve a dispute in an area of agricultural law.
Farm conveyancing is a specific area of law which handles the transfer of land and property for agricultural purposes. It is an intricate process that requires a thorough understanding of property law, agricultural tenancies, environmental regulations and historical land use patterns.
At times, you may need to ascertain where your boundary limits lie, such as during a farm conveyancing process. To learn what land you own, search the HM Land Registry for your property title. For unregistered land, you will need to check the original title deeds. Alternatively, you can instruct a farm conveyancing specialist to search on your behalf.
Under the Agriculture Act 1947, the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976 and the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, land is legally considered agricultural when used for growing crops, grazing livestock, or storing feed or farming machinery. This legislation has implications for agricultural tenancies, land diversification, tax relief and development planning. If you are uncertain as to whether the legal definition applies to your land, it is important to seek specialist advice.
It depends on the type of agricultural tenancy agreement you hold. Some carry statutory succession rights for close relatives (e.g. Agricultural Holdings Act tenancies) while others do not allow automatic succession and require the landowner’s explicit consent (e.g. farm business tenancies). When undertaking farm succession planning, it is important to consult your landlord and a specialist agricultural solicitor to act within the terms of your lease.
From 6 April 2026, 100% APR and BPR are capped at £2.5 million of combined qualifying farming and business assets per person. Any such assets now receive only 50% relief, resulting in a 20% farm inheritance tax charge on the excess value. However, any unused portions of the £2.5 million allowance are transferable tax-free to a surviving spouse or civil partner, enabling a married couple to shield up to £5 million in 100% relieved assets.
Please contact our Agriculture and Rural Law Team
Our key contact is Sonia Hunter whose details are featured above. We look forward to hearing from you.
