Scottish farmers staying put, says FPDSavills

13 November 1998

Scottish farmers staying put, says FPDSavills

SCOTTISH farmers are staying on the land, despite the widely touted expectation of a sales rush, according to Charles Dudgeon of agent FDPSavills.

With 231 farms advertised for sale in Scotland this year, against 199 last year, there was no sign of a “mass exodus”, he said.

Mr Dudgeon reckons Scottish arable land is 10% cheaper than this time last year, compares with a 23% fall in East Anglia and Lincolnshire, as reported by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.

He sees no sharp changes in prices over the next few months, even though land prices are expected to dip lower in the New Year. The attitudes of the mortgage lenders will be critical.

• The Herald 13/11/98 page 27