A new independent review has published its recommendations on how
landlords, tenants and government can work together to deliver a
resilient and productive agricultural tenanted sector.
The Rock Review was
commissioned by Defra in January to look at how to provide better
support to tenant farmers and tenancies as the government seeks
to drive growth and sustainability across the farming sector and
rural communities. The Tenancy Working Group, who produced the
report, consisted of stakeholders from all parts of the tenanted
sector including tenants, landlords and agents.
Published today, the review is clear on the essential role of
tenant farmers in delivering our environmental targets, food
security, and a growing rural economy. With tenant farmers being
stewards on holdings that cover more than half of farmable land
in England, this group of farmers need to have access to
government schemes.
The review makes a series of recommendations to government to
enable the tenanted sector to deliver sustainable food
production, meet the challenges of climate change, and improve
and enhance biodiversity. The recommendations cover a range of
areas, including public schemes, landlord-tenant relationships
and new entrants.
Environment Secretary said:
I would like to thank and her team for providing
their analysis of the issues and opportunities facing tenant
farmers in England.
The review is right to set out the importance of having a
thriving tenanted sector if we are to deliver growth in our rural
economy and unlock farmers’ potential to improve the environment.
We will be looking closely at its recommendations.
As we look at how we best deliver our environmental schemes, we
will make sure that the needs of tenant farmers remain central to
our plans.
Baroness said:
This review provides a clear vision for the agricultural tenanted
sector in England that Defra can and should adopt. The
recommendations, when taken together, actively move the sector
towards a position where tenant farmers operate resilient,
successful, and thriving businesses.
Some recommendations can be more immediately delivered by Defra
such as changes to scheme design that would expand the
opportunities for tenant farmers to access support for improving
the environment alongside producing food.
Other recommendations are more structural. These will put the
tenanted sector on a more resilient footing as we move through
the agricultural transition. They will encourage tenant farmers
and landlords to collaborate and invest in productivity, improve
the environment and drive growth in the rural economy.
The Tenancy Working Group was formed to provide tenant farmers
and associated stakeholders a further opportunity to make sure
the new environmental schemes work within agricultural tenancies.
The government will publish a formal response to the review in
due course.
