Herefordshire County council has begun its sell-off of farmland, with the first notice being served on Friday (29th January).

This comes just two months after the local authority’s Cabinet agreed to the sale, a decision that will affect 45 farming families working on almost 20km2 of land. In response to the move, the NFU has urged Herefordshire Council to honour its duty of care to its tenant farmers, whilst the Tenant Farmers Association has called on the Council to engage with farmers’ representatives.
 
Late last year the Council announced it would be selling off its tenanted farms, which led farm unions to accuse the local authority of “pulling the ladder” from beneath the next generation of local farmers and stripping the county’s assets for short term gain. Farming unions have also claimed the Council Cabinet’s decision goes against recommendations of its own Scrutiny Committee, and that a report from consultants Fisher German was withheld until the announcement was made in late November.
 
On Tuesday (2nd February), NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said, “We are deeply concerned for those farmers who have been given notice to quit their businesses so soon after the initial announcement.”
 
The NFU Vice President argued that the council should be completely transparent with its tenants and said, “We urge the council to give further assurances regarding tenant welfare; do more to help their tenants through this process and express an understanding of the profound impact of receiving these notices just two months after the initial decision was made.”

The NFU is providing tenants with advice and urging those affected to seek independent support for negotiations with the local authority.
 
NFU tenant group chairman Graham Clay added, “I would like to know whether the Cabinet’s policy is to just allow the tenancies to expire and leave the tenants to navigate their own way, or do they intend to provide support in the form of meeting with tenants to establish their priorities? Are they going to provide mentoring advice and support for the individuals and families affected and is there a timetable for the sell off?”

Responding last week to reports that the council will serve Notices to Quit on five farming families in early February, TFA Chief Executive George Dunn said “The Council is steamrolling ahead with no regard for the impact of its actions on farm tenants and with no clear plan. The TFA has been trying to engage with Cllr Harry Bramer, the member responsible for County Farms, but so far he has been unwilling to meet us.”

Although council spokespeople initially claimed that tenants would have “the opportunity to make offers for their properties and the council would sell to them,” TFA’s George Dunn said, “There is no evidence of the council engaging with tenants on purchases.”

He continued, “It is now clear that the Cabinet had no intention of allowing these tenants the option of having a new landlord, it simply wants to evict them.”