You simply had to get your books checked and verified and you needed an accountant to do it for you.

Balance sheets and profit and loss accounts had to be put together. Invoices, chits, payment books all had to be collated. Add to that an image, portrayed very funnily by the Monty Python team in the seventies, of men in suits who longed to do something other than accountancy with their lives and the overall impression of the role was not favourable.

However, much has changed in both farming and the world of accountancy in the past 30 years and many accountants are now seen as pivotal points of contact when debating the future prosperity of farm businesses.

One of the UK's leading specialists in agricultural accountancy is Berwick-upon-Tweed-based Greaves, West & Ayre – and they have been around for a lot longer than thirty years having been established in 1919.

They serve all manner of business in addition to agriculture but specialise particularly in owner-managed concerns such as farming enterprises and have been one of the forerunners in assisting farms when they have been planning diversification schemes.

Andrew Ayre is one of the nine-strong team of partners and tells of their ongoing commitment to the farming industry: "We believe in traditional values of looking after our clients and their ever-changing needs. The farming industry has changed irrevocably in recent years and it is now more important than ever that business and family decisions are entered into with the fullest knowledge of financial matters."

Every farmer and farming family knows only too well just how much the paperwork associated with agriculture has increased in recent years, and Greaves, West & Ayre have made it their mission to understand not just the matters of taxation, pensions and farm legislation but also agriculture itself.

They now produce accounts for and advise over 340 farming businesses and have their own dedicated Farm Accounts Department within their 60-strong staff.

Picking your way through budget announcements, new regulations on tax liabilities, environmental management schemes and of course the nightmare that became the Single Payment Scheme, which has put much undue pressure on many farms' cash flow projections can be treacherous at the best of times and that's why Greaves, West & Ayre have invested so greatly in time and resources to such an extent that today they attract specialist farm accountancy staff to Berwick as a direct result of their growing reputation.

They host regular tax seminars throughout Northumberland and Berwickshire and specifically highlight not just taxation but planning for diversification and retirement. Their specialisation and concentration on farming finances and legislation means that they have a far greater understanding of current issues that farmers face than most.

The Greaves, West and Ayre approach is proactive-based, providing farmers' businesses with an answer to a problem before the farm business sometimes knows it has one.

Recent areas which they have focused on are that of the Single Farm Payment whereby careful choice of year end for accounts can make a significant difference to tax liability management.

They believe that SFP reorganisation is now settling down, but clearly they also believe their knowledge relating to occupancy periods can help (if you would like further information on this you should contact Greaves, West & Ayre immediately).

Other areas such as Inheritance Tax Relief and the new rules regarding Pension Schemes are subjects that they believe farmers should be far more aware of - especially when the changes could effect plans that farms have for their families' futures.

When diversification enterprises from the regular farm business are undertaken they are usually meticulously planned, but there are those who forget about the tax implications. Greaves, West & Ayre will always ensure that VAT and income tax planning are taken into account from the start, as failure to do so could have a very detrimental effect on the fledgling business.

Greaves, West & Ayre have advised many of their farming businesses in this respect and have seen just how their clients could easily have lost tens of thousands of pounds in their first few years. Their active tax planning, understanding the issues and setting up the appropriate systems, has ensured that their clients have avoided this pitfall.

They also fully understand the need for every client to be looked after to the best of their ability and that's why every client looked after by Greaves, West and Ayre comes under one of the now nine partners, including the latest addition to their number with Craig Little (pictured here), so there is never any doubt just how important the client is to them.

Each partner is also backed by qualified staff and trained assistants. As well as accounts and taxation they also offer advice on investment solutions and are authorised by the Financial Services Authority as Independent Financial Advisors.

Such is their breadth of knowledge and experience that they also offer support and assist the legal profession in litigation matters including cases requiring expert witness reports, loss of earnings/profit claims, divorce proceedings and professional liability claims.

Practising what they preach is also part of the Greaves, West & Ayre philosophy too. Four of the partners have farming backgrounds with some having on-going active involvement in farming businesses today.

"Like other farmers I have also had to plough through and get my head round the plethora of paperwork, rules, new regulations and schemes that we have all had to face in this most recent reform of support for the agricultural sector. I know how difficult most of it is to understand, especially if you are understandably more keen on actual farming than the paperwork side."

Greaves, West and Ayre's commitment to the industry is as strong today as it has ever been and they are able to cope with everything from a straightforward set of accounts, with paperwork still completed on farm by pen and ink, right through to the most complex of farm businesses, involving all manner of enterprise.

Their reputation is also such that they now handle farm accounts far beyond what was once a 60 mile radius and their partners also sit on various national and regional committees. At Greaves, West & Ayre they are no longer 'the accountant' of yesteryear, but now a vital resource for today's farming generation. It might well be worth your while talking to them and seeing how much they can save your business with the benefit of their experience.

Greaves, West & Ayre, 1/3 Sandgate, Berwick-upon-Tweed, TD15 1EW
Tel: 01289 306688/ Fax: 01289 307189
www.greaveswestayre.co.uk