Powys County Council calls halt to farm sell-off

Plans to sell county council farms in Powys to boost a £10m annual assets sale target have been scrapped.

The council came under fire in May when it made moves to sell the holdings, with tenant farmers, mid-Wales residents and farming unions calling for a moratorium to be put in place.

With 130 holdings and more than 4,000ha of land, Powys County Council’s farm estate is the largest of its kind in Wales and the fifth largest in the UK.

Considering the future of the estate, a meeting on Thursday (10 June) debated a cross-group motion calling on the council to stop selling its farm estate until a new farms management policy has been agreed.

See also: Tenant farmers urge Powys Council to halt farm sales

Motion passed

The motion called for Powys County Council to:

• Recognise the valuable contribution that council-owned farms play in supporting food production and enabling young entrants into farming

• Regret that selling council-owned farms risked reducing Powys food security and traditional farming practices

• Impose a moratorium on the sale of its council-owned farms, until a sound county farms management policy was agreed by the council

• Scrap its £10m/year asset sales target.

It passed by 27 votes to 20, with four abstentions, and was proposed by Cllr Gareth Jones, who said he hoped this will give tenants some confidence.

“While there is still much to be done, we are dedicated to bringing the county farms estate up to a standard that meets the needs of both current and future generations,” he said.

Montgomeryshire and Glyndŵr MP Steve Witherden said: “My hope going forward is that Powys County Council works with the farming community to produce a policy that protects farmers and their families.”

He added the policy needed to ensure future generations of farmers are allowed to work the land they love, allowed for the reinvestment of profits from the farm estate into upgrades into existing farms and dwellings, and must look after the mental well-being of the farming community.

Strategic approach needed

Plaid Cymru group leader Elwyn Vaughan, who seconded the motion, told Farmers Weekly that while common sense had prevailed, a strategic approach was needed going forward.

“The role of the farm estate is vital for our rural communities,” he said.

The council, Mr Vaughan added, needs to ensure that the rental income generated is reinvested into the existing properties, “many of which are in a dire state and a sad reflection of the lack of historical investment”.

Farmers Union of Wales Montgomeryshire county chair Wyn Williams added: “We hope this decision will be a catalyst that will help safeguard Powys’s council farms, and ensure we keep the farm gates open for the next generation.”

NFU Cymru county advisor for Brecon, Radnor and Monmouthshire, Stella Owen, said the union understood that council farm estates will evolve over time.

But, she said: “It’s crucial that we keep this avenue open for our local farmers and any further contraction of the council farm estate would naturally be of great concern.”