If the CLA Rural Business Conference was a sandwich, it was the sort you unwrap with curiosity. Plenty of good ingredients, a few surprising layers, and the occasional bite that made you pause and check the menu again.
The theme was “driving rural growth”, a title enthusiastically championed by the Secretary of State, the right honourable Emma Reynolds. Her speech was strong on rhetoric and noticeably lighter on anything you could describe as action. Think of it as the top slice of bread. Looks good, smells promising, but when you bite down you realise it is mostly air.
Her commitment to replacing the SFI scheme by 30 June 2026 felt like the perfect example of this government’s agricultural policy. Big talk about stability and long term thinking, delivered against a backdrop of constant uncertainty. The pitch sounded like a chef’s special, but the execution was pure Subway where the fillings get changed halfway through and you walk away not quite sure what you’ve ended up with.
A phone rang mid-presentation, and the minister seized the chance to joke about improved rural connectivity. It landed with all the grace of a sandwich falling butter side down.
Thankfully, the bookends of the conference held up better than the middle. Roy Cox of Blenheim Estates and Annabelle Farbon of the Eaton and Halkyn estates delivered genuinely compelling insights on engaging communities and stakeholders to navigate difficult development and project conversations. Now that was an appetising crust. Something we highlight to our own clients when delivering projects.
Washed down with a lesson in English whisky, with additional fillings from HS Energy on rural energy solutions and Dogtooth on production robotics. A varied and genuinely interesting mix, the sort of sandwich where every bite gives you something new to think about.
Final Thoughts
In short, the CLA served up a memorable conference. A mix of good intentions, contrasting flavours, and the occasional bite of brilliance. Our team left full of ideas but still slightly hungry for clarity.
If the government could season its policy with the same conviction shown by Blenheim, Eaton and Halkyn estates, rural growth might actually be digestible.
If you’re grappling with your own “rural business sandwich”, balancing policy uncertainty, evolving markets, and new opportunities, our team is here to help you make sense of it all.