Tenant farming in the spotlight at national conference

The tenant farming sector will come under the spotlight next month at a national conference organised by the NFU.

The NFU Tenant Farmers’ Conference 2013, at the Pavilions of Harrogate on the Yorkshire Showground, will look at national issues as well as opportunities to invest and grow businesses.

The conference, titled ‘The Realities of Delivering a Prosperous Future for Tenants’ has attracted some of the industry’s leading figures including newly appointed Defra Parliamentary Under Secretary of State, George Eustice who will speak alongside NFU President Peter Kendall. The focus will be on government strategy for the tenanted sector, including the implementation of CAP.

NFU Vice President Adam Quinney, who is chairing the conference, said that the calibre of the speakers attending underlined the crucial role the sector plays in the farming industry, and the value tenant NFU members have to the organisation.

“The tenanted sector is an important, dynamic and productive part of British agriculture, and we are delighted to have experts from across the industry present to share their considerable expertise in tenant issues,” he said.


“The NFU represents thousands of tenant farmers and is deeply committed to the sector, offering an unrivalled level of service to its members. This conference will try and help shape the future of the tenanted sector – one that is a vital driver for growth in productive agriculture in the years ahead.”

Other speakers will include Hugh Fell from George F White, James O’Brien from Brown & Co and Alick Jones from Lloyds who will speak in a technical forum addressing some of the challenges faced by tenants including farm business tenancies, rent arbitrations and overcoming hurdles to secure finance.

John Varley from Clinton and Devon Estates and John Macmillan from Cambridgeshire County Farm Estate will highlight how landlords and tenants need to work together and the importance of county farms to the tenanted sector. Guy Poskitt, chairman of the NFU horticulture board and tenant farmer from Yorkshire will talk about his own farm and the opportunities that tenants have to take.