Farming and the rural business sector are under tremendous pressure right now – and need careful, balanced policies if they are to remain viable. That's according to the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers (CAAV), which recently hosted 80 influential guests from across the sector in a bid to foster greater understanding of the issues being faced.

"There was a real range of discussions and a lot of quiet diplomacy," says Jeremy Moody, secretary and adviser to the CAAV. Food security is an immediately pressing issue, with arable farmers in particular operating with long-term losses and facing soaring costs due to the Gulf war. "That has taken 20% of the supply of almost everything off the world's markets; higher costs will affect every sector. We need the Government to be aware of the implications, and to consider whether farmers should become a priority for access to fuel."

The reception brought together guests covering the wide range of organisations the CAAV works with, reflecting the breadth of topics members cover. Represented organisations included Defra and other Governmental departments, farming and professional and farming organisations, regulators and utilities, environmental bodies, the Upper and First Tier Tribunals, universities and the press. 

"Discussions ranged from compulsory purchase to farm productivity, and environmental issues to inheritance tax," says Mr Moody. Guests also chatted about artificial intelligence, valuing land for renewable energy, access to labour and the threats from the Government's proposal to transfer rule-making for the food chain to Brussels.

"Rural land is changing faster than many realise," says Paulo Barros Trindade, chairman of The European Group of Valuers' Associations (TEGOVA), who came over from Portugal. "It is adapting to structural shifts in land use, energy policy and generational change. And valuation must change with it. Ensuring that valuers remain central to these transformations is more than a professional responsibility: It's a matter of market integrity."

Change is also an opportunity, says Julie Liddle, president of the CAAV, who hosted the event. "And it's where you need trusted advisers to deliver whatever that opportunity is." Fostering understanding and exchanging knowledge with the wide range of people who are impacted by – or have influence over – the rural sector is therefore vital. "We're trying to make the profession more visible to more people – as well as using our Route to Rural campaign to attract new entrants to the sector. It's an exciting time."

Bringing influential organisations together to cultivate mutual understanding also helps to create stability and balance for farmers and rural businesses, notes Mr Moody. "Supply chains are changing and fracturing, family businesses are trying to manage profitability and succession planning, and farmers are dealing with climate change and weather extremes alongside environmental improvements.

"We need to engage with everyone who has influence over that, to arrive at the best answers we can and to give the best support that we can."

·                 For more information visit www.caav.org.uk.