Tenancy system fails new entrants

28 December 2000



Tenancy system fails new entrants

by FWi staff

A GOVERNMENT review expected next year could show that the system of renting land to producers is failing to attract new entrants to farming.

A review of the Farm Business Tenancy system is due in 2001, according to George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association.

“We have a review of Farm Business Tenancies, which was promised five years ago by Labour, and I think that will be a big one for us, he said.

It will underline that the tenancies have not been as successful as we hoped especially for new entrants.

We will have to look carefully at what we can change without undermining the confidence of landowners.

With farm incomes still in the doldrums, Mr Dunn said the Tenant Farmers Association would be stepping up lobbying for an early retirement scheme.

We hope that the minister will react favourably to us and a scheme will start being talked about, he said.