The TFA is delighted that the DEFRA Farm Tenancy Forum has issued new guidance encouraging landlords and tenants to look at the benefits of long-term tenancy agreements.

Given that farming is a long-term endeavour requiring significant capital investment, patience, good soil management and the ability to balance profitable years against the bad, the TFA has long advocated the need for security of tenure under Farm Business Tenancies (FBTs).

With over half of the land let within domestic agriculture covered by FBTs, it is far from ideal that the average length of term on new agreements is just over three years and that 80% of all new agreements are let for five years or less. Clearly, there is now wide recognition of the need for tenancy lengths to be routinely longer than they are and the TFA hopes that this guidance will help to move the dial on security of tenure as more people understand the need for levels of security that will deliver both farming and environmental benefits. To read the new guidance on long-term tenancies, click here.

TFA Chief Executive George Dunn said “Short term and restrictive tenancies are holding back progression, investment and sustainable land use. FBTs have been too short for too long and this situation must not be allowed to perpetuate. I would encourage all landlords to seriously consider the benefits to them and their farm tenants in offering longer term tenancies rather than habitually using short-term and restrictive agreements.“