Farming or not?

I understand that in Wales the eligibility for claiming annual payments under the single farm payment scheme will change from 2019 onwards so that only an ‘active’ farmer will be able to claim the single farm payment. This means that a farmer who lets out land will no longer be able to claim.

My question is whether or not a farmer who has transferred his trade to a limited company and continues to own the land and property (all machinery quota stock livestock etc. having been transferred to the company) will be treated as an active farmer for single farm payment purposes.

These arrangements usually have an FBT (farm business tenancy) agreement between the company and the landowners (who are one and the same).

Some farming agents are very concerned about this issue. Given the spate of tax motivated farm incorporations over the last few years...