The food and farming sector is vital to the nation’s economy. The shifting regulatory landscape and increased threats to food safety, integrity and security mean that our clients face increasingly complex challenges.
For over 60 years, our food and agricultural lawyers have provided leading sector insight and unrivalled expertise on all aspects of food and agricultural law; from health and safety, dispute resolution, environmental issues and planning to renewables, commercial contracts, food regulation, employment and wealth and tax planning.
Our food and agricultural lawyers understand the commercial drivers and challenges facing the industry. We work with our clients, which include farmers, national institutions and rural businesses, to help them achieve their business objectives, protect existing interests and maximise opportunities.
As the food and farming sector evolves, our services continue to evolve with it, ensuring our clients can compete in the wider commercial world.
We have published The Pink Book 2, Burges Salmon’s legal 'bible' for landowners and farmers. The book covers topics as diverse as buying, selling and developing farmland, estate planning, trusts and partnerships, planning and employment law and is free to download.
Areas of Focus
Our agricultural law expertise includes the following:
- Property – land sales, purchases and mortgages.
- Food and drink regulation – food safety, food labelling, product recall and regulatory enforcement issues.
- Dispute resolution – including contractual disputes, land occupation and ownership, partnership and trust disputes and product liability.
- Corporate – governance, mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, fundraising and private equity.
- Environmental and regulatory – compliance issues, contaminated land and water.
- Health and safety – civil, criminal, regulatory and insurance issues.
- Planning and CPO – issues relating to properties for acquisition or development.
- Tax, estates and wealth structuring – succession planning, transactional tax, land tax, wills, probate and matrimonial issues.
- Commercial – advice across the full spectrum of the food chain; including contractual arrangements and protection of rights.
- Renewable energy – investment development and financing, including wind, solar, biomass, biofuels, EfW and AD.
- Finance, restructuring and insolvency – including taking and enforcement of security, drafting charges over assets and advice to distressed businesses.
- Employment – including redundancies, restructuring, executive severance, disciplinary procedures, discrimination, tribunals and High Court litigation.