Recently announced emergency tax relief for SMEs was certainly on the minds of those visiting Guttridge at shows across the UK and Ireland over recent months. The Guttridge and Carier show equipment and sales managers have had a busy schedule this summer with appearances on distributors۪ stands at the Balmoral Show in Ireland, the Suffolk Show, the Royal Norfolk Show and the Lincolnshire Show, and on our own stand at the Cereals event on the 12^th and 13^th June. Interest in the Guttridge and Carier ranges of grain and biomass handling equipment has been noticeably strong with many of our customers looking to take advantage of the enhanced capital allowances scheme that incentivises companies to make an investment.

This emergency tax relief has been introduced to encourage small and medium sized businesses (SMEs) to invest in areas such as factory expansion and machinery and will enable qualifying companies to enjoy a tenfold increase in the amount they can wipe off their tax bills for the next 2 years. So despite uncertainty in the agricultural industry caused by climate challenges and low levels of economic activity, we are still seeing a high level of interest and a steady stream of enquiries and orders, enhanced by our presence at recent events.

The show stands were busy and in general attendance was good across the board, despite dubious weather in some cases. Even the heavy rain on the afternoon of the second day at Cereals did not put people off, with a record breaking overall show attendance. The Guttridge promotional umbrellas and cup cakes went down very well!

We are continuing to attend shows throughout the rest of the year, so if you۪ve missed us so far why not come and see our equipment and/or have a chat with our sales team at any of the following events:

• The Saudi Agriculture Show in Riyadh in September
• EBEC (European Bioenergy Expo and Conference) at Stoneleigh, UK, in October
• UK Grain at Peterborough in November
• IAOM (International Association of Operative Millers) in Tunisia, also in November

We look forward to seeing you there.