Duchy sale plan leaves Devon farm tenants facing uncertainty

Tenant farmers on the Duchy of Cornwall’s Bradninch estate in Mid Devon are facing uncertainty after being told the Duchy plans to sell the estate’s farmland.

Farmers Weekly understands several tenants are affected, though none are commenting publicly. Details of which properties are for sale have not been disclosed.

However, sitting tenants have been offered first refusal to purchase their holdings, according to the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA).

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George Dunn, TFA chief executive, said: “We are aware of conversations currently live on the Duchy’s Bradninch estate involving the Duchy informing its tenants that it is selling that part of its portfolio and giving the tenants first refusal before doing so.

“Obviously, we are disappointed the Duchy is selling, but it is part of its current plans for rationalisation.

“And, in the world of the second best, we are at least pleased to see that sitting tenants are to be given first refusal on purchasing.”

Mr Dunn added that the TFA has received no reports of formal notices to quit.

He noted that where tenants hold farm business tenancies granting the Duchy the right to sell with vacant possession, notices could be issued if tenants do not wish to purchase the freehold.

“Where the tenant is unable or unwilling to purchase the freehold, there will be a major upheaval for their farm businesses, given their expectation to have been tenants on those farms into the long term,” he said.

The Duchy of Cornwall is a private estate of land and property across England and Wales.

It is owned by the Duke of Cornwall, HRH Prince William, and managed to balance financial, environmental and community objectives.

Duchy response

The Duchy says buying and selling property is a routine part of its estate management.

A spokesman said: “We are in the process of aligning and rebalancing our portfolio so that our places and assets deliver the greatest possible social and environmental impact.

“This means making careful, long-term decisions about where we focus our resources.

“The Duchy of Cornwall regularly buys and sells property, and any sale will, of course, be handled sensitively, with our farming tenants in most cases being offered the opportunity to purchase their property first, ahead of any other third party.”