Rural economy suffers decline in confidence Market round-up

Countryside businesses are facing a significant drop in confidence and investment, according to the second-quarter findings of the Country Land and Business Association (CLA)/Smiths Gore Rural Economy Index.

Confidence among the farming sector for the next 12 months has fallen dramatically by 25% from a net balance of +26% to +1% compared with the first quarter.

Investment for non- agricultural businesses remains a significant issue with a decline of 15% in net balance from -2% in the first quarter to -17% in the second quarter.

Please enable cookies in your browser to display the rest of this article.