Swinton Estate in North Yorkshire is offering a new Farm Business Tenancy (FBT) opportunity, running from October for fifteen years.
Highfield House Farm is a 605 acre livestock farm located on one of the largest privately owned estates in England.
The new tenant will work alongside the landlord to jointly deliver a sustainability strategy on the farm, in the heart of Nidderdale.
Swinton Estate has been in the ownership of the Cunliffe-Lister family since the 1880s and covers 20,000 acres in total.
The estate stretches from the River Ure through lowland and hill farming country up to the open moorland, where it borders the Yorkshire Dales National Park
Its tenancy agreements promote environmental sustainability and nature-friendly production as the key to thriving post-subsidy farming.
The long term FBT will run from October 2023 for fifteen years, with the productive grassland extending to 245 hectares (606 acres).
The farm also benefits from 128 sheep grazing stints on the neighbouring Ilton Moor.
The hefted flock of Swaledale sheep is to be bought by the incoming tenant with the stints reserved exclusively for the seasonal grazing of the flock.
The tenancy agreement will contain a joint 'sustainability statement' to set out the guiding principles by which the parties will work together during and beyond the agricultural transition period.
The letting also benefits from an existing Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier Agreement which began on 1 January 2023, which includes a range of grassland revenue options and capital items.
The farmhouse is currently undergoing significant investment in preparation for the arrival of the new tenant.
There is also a range of modern farm buildings at the farmstead that have been structurally overhauled to create a blank canvas for the incoming Tenant.
Guy Coggrave, managing director of letting agent GSC Grays said: “Highfield Farm presents a rare opportunity to rent a first class expansive livestock farm from a progressive landlord and to assist Swinton Estate in its commitment to helping the environment.
"An opportunity to rent a farm as sizeable as this on a long term FBT in such a desirable location does not come around often.”
The land is all productive grassland with a mixture of meadow, pasture, rough grazing and moorland.
The majority of the holding has been in Higher Level Stewardship for the past 10 years and has been managed extensively on a low input, high nature value system.
The land has been let on short term grazing agreements over winter 2022-23 and summer 2023.
Tenders must be submitted to GSC Grays no later than 12 noon on 20 July 2023.
