Using slurry as fertiliser and making silage clamps safe: maximising the tax relief

The spreading of fertiliser including ‘slurry’ and the question of who spreads it can be very important as part of the portfolio of evidence for proving trading activity and the act of ‘agriculture’ and farming for a number of tax reliefs. For the trading activity see ‘Focus on trade’ Taxation 13 July 2023. Such matters can be questioned by HMRC in agricultural income tax loss claims and agricultural property relief (APR) for inheritance tax (IHT). How the fertiliser/slurry is kept can be very important for claims for capital allowances.

Farm slurry is created from cow manure and water providing a fantastic natural fertiliser that farmers can use to encourage the growth of grass and other agricultural crops. It is usually stored in slurry tanks or slurry pits (lagoons) before it is applied to farmland as fertiliser and these can have beneficial tax reliefs....