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A change of mindset towards tenancy agreements is needed among many landowners and farmers in the UK, according to National Farmers’ Union (NFU) vice president Stuart Roberts.
“We need to stop thinking about this as a transaction and as landlord versus tenant,” Roberts said at a NFU fringe event at the Oxford Farming Conference on Wednesday.
The arable and livestock farmer from Hertfordshire said that many farmers need to build better working relationships with their landlords and openly discuss long-term plans for their own farm business and the landowner’s land.
Roberts farms 370 acres, half of which he rents from several different landowners across a range of tenancy agreements.
“Every single one of those landlords has bought into our aspirations,” he told the NFU fringe event in Oxford.
Problems
However, he admitted that not all farmer-landlord relationships ultimately work out, even with efforts to build transparency and communication.
A 20-year tenancy agreement that Roberts had for 650 acres of land ended with a previous landlord last year, just five years into the agreement.
Roberts said that there was initially a “bitter taste” when the land was sold at the first get out clause in the tenancy agreement, but the change was ultimately for the best.
“It allowed us to consolidate on to the home farm and drive debt out of the business,” he said.
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