UK Agriculture Payments: A Mixed Bag of Promptness

Payment practices within the UK agricultural sector in 2022 present a fairly unremarkable picture, with significant disparities between the best and worst payers. While overall performance beats the UK average, digging deeper reveals a sector that’s far from universally prompt.

The Numbers

• Companies analysed: 76
• Average PaymentCheck Score: 62.7/100
• UK average: 50.0/100 (Agriculture is 12.7 points above)

What Stands Out

That overall average of 62.7/100 is decent, putting agriculture comfortably above the UK average. However, the difference between the top and bottom payers suggests that prompt payment is not a given in this sector, and suppliers need to do their due diligence.

Best Payers

1. THE AGRICULTURAL MORTGAGE CORPORATION PLC - 95.6/100
2. IAN MOSEY (LIVESTOCK) LIMITED - 92.98/100
3. VITERRA UK LTD. - 92.6/100
4. AB AGRI LIMITED - 92.1/100
5. WACKER NEUSON LIMITED - 90.9/100

Worst Payers

1. BALTON CP LIMITED - 13.5/100
2. CHARLIES STORES LIMITED - 26.7/100
3. MOLE VALLEY FARMERS LIMITED - 29.1/100
4. VOLAC INTERNATIONAL LIMITED - 30.65/100
5. ERNEST DOE & SONS LIMITED - 35.3/100

Regional Patterns

London-based agricultural companies lead the way with an average PaymentCheck score of 77.3/100 across nine businesses, followed by the South East at 72.6/100 for ten businesses. The East Midlands, North West and Yorkshire and the Humber lag, with averages of 68.0, 66.8, and 65.7 respectively, but only have a combined 17 data points, making those regional averages less reliable than London and the South East.

Suppliers should be aware that late payments can negatively affect their own cashflow. Use a late payment calculator to understand the impact of slow payments on your bottom line.

In 2022, suppliers to agriculture companies in London were, on average, 63.8 points more likely to get paid on time than suppliers to Balton CP Limited.