Debt collection: a self-help guide for farmers
This guidance is intended to be used for general information purposes, is not intended to be a definitive guide to the law and cannot be a substitute for independent advice. NFU members get free initial legal and professional advice from NFU CallFirst on 0370 845 8458.
There is no way to guarantee debtors will pay their outstanding bills. However, there are some questions which you may consider asking yourself to limit the risk of default or, where there is default, to maximise the amount that you can legally recover.
Debtors normally fall into two categories, those who will not pay and those who cannot pay. The strategy of recovering needs to be tailored depending on which type of debtor is not paying. There are many considerations including processes, costs and time. There may be other factors that are not as obvious, such as potential reputational damage or the debtor avoiding enforcement.