- Location
- Suffolk
But do you honestly believe any tenancies given up will go to new entrants . Our estate is mostly AHAs, but as soon as a farm becomes available, the land has been let on an FBT to the highest bidder or lately, one preferred tenant.
The agents told me that they envisage just two tenants eventually on the whole estate.
sadly in my opinion, there’s 3 farmsteads with houses lying empty, as the owners don’t seem bothered about spending on them to bring them up to legal letting requirements or selling them.
oh and there’s a few of my neighbours, past retirement age, that are still fit and active and very good farmers, despite paying rent . I remember one old retired tenant saying that being tenants made us better farmers, as we had to be to pay the rent.
No, I certainly don’t think that they would go to “new entrants”. Having grown up on a tenanted estate, my experience is much the same as what you are describing, hence I dropped everything, moved East and now run 700 ewes on fag packet arrangements in electric fencing from a semi detached house. however I have never completely given up on the hope that something in my area may come available. Washing out a livestock trailer on your garden, Cade lambs in the garage and a dead bin in a neighbours yard isn’t really where I want to be in 5 years time- therefore I am ever the optimist!! I suppose the bug bear is that whilst I personally know of some very good older farmers still turning a healthy profit on AHA tenancies, I also see (both at “home” and my current location) farmers who have mothballed their whole farm to see out their days, worse still in my eyes then sub letting (surely contravening their tenancy ag?!) I suppose my hope is that whether they go to “new entrants” or not,that they are replaced with someone who can progress their business now. This is what I hoped the loss of BPS would encourage