A Professional Basic Payment Scheme Claims Service for Farmers in the South West

Chris Salisbury

Chris Salisbury graduated from Seale Hayne College in 1988, he and Sarah married the same year, then entered practical farming via on a contract farming arrangement for a private landlord near Yeovil, growing a wide range of arable crops including cereals, potatoes, sugar beet and daffodils, establishing a farm shop and pick your own enterprise.

In 2000 they moved to Taunton to take on a Crown Estate AHA tenancy and herd of 200 milking cows from Chris’s father. The dairy herd was sold in 2006 and Chris continued to farm beef, sheep and arable. Sarah ran a successful British Eventing horse trials for several years on the farm, alongside a sizeable livery business. In 2015 they negotiated and accepted an offer from the Crown Estate Commissioners to leave the farm prior to the impending sale of their Taunton estate.

Chris was introduced to Mike Eastman through a mutual friend in early 2016 and was delighted to be offered the opportunity to work with Mike at Eastman Farm Consulting. Chris and Sarah moved to Devon in March 2016 buying Eastman Farm Consulting from Mike and Jane in May 2017.

Chris is a FACTS qualified advisor, he holds current WAMITAB qualifications, acting as Technically Competent Manager for a local waste to land business, Chris is also a certified Red Tractor Auditor for the Dairy, Beef & Lamb and Crops Schemes.

Shanti Smallwood

Shanti Smallwood has a degree in Oceanography and Marine Biology, and spent 2 years undertaking scientific research before moving into Business Consulting within the mobile telecommunications sector. She returned to Devon in 2001 and joined Eastman Farm Consulting in 2012 assisting with farm business management and advice. Shanti supports our clients with their Single Farm Payment claims, DEFRA, RPA and NVZ regulations and forms, and agri-environment scheme applications. Shanti also works for Devon Wildlife Trust as a Culm Grassland Advisor.

Mike Eastman (retired)

Mike and Jane Eastman met at Wye College, they then worked for a large multinational agricultural company in the UK and abroad for several years before starting farming on their own account, specialising in pig production, whilst running a technical farm consultancy business alongside the farm. Mike and Jane left practical farming and established Eastman Farm Consulting in 1992, Mike has built up the business since then, becoming a limited company in 2003 and gradually expanding and consolidating the client base whilst providing a high quality specialist service to farm businesses, in Devon, Cornwall and Somerset.