Council backs plan to save Cornwall's county farms estate

Cornwall’s county farms estate is set to remain largely intact after councillors backed plans to protect the 10,000-acre network from a major sell-off.

Farm leaders and tenants welcomed the move after a Cornwall Council inquiry found there was no strong case for selling off the publicly owned estate.

The estate covers around 10,000 acres and includes 87 fully equipped holdings, according to Cornwall Council.

County farms are publicly owned agricultural holdings managed by local authorities and are often seen as one of the few realistic routes into farming for those without access to land or significant capital.

Concerns were raised last year after the possibility of selling parts of the estate prompted alarm among farmers, tenants and rural campaigners.

However, councillors on Cornwall Council’s sustainable growth scrutiny committee backed a plan to modernise the estate and improve its performance instead.

The inquiry concluded that the farms should be kept largely intact, despite wider financial pressures facing the council.

Rory Gow, who chaired the inquiry, said the estate should be treated as an important public asset.

He said the council should not “throw out the family silver just to make ends meet”, but should make better use of the land and holdings it already owns.

The Tenant Farmers Association welcomed the findings, saying the outcome had reassured tenants who had been concerned about the future of the estate.

Lynette Steel, from the TFA, said the group was “really pleased” that there would be “no fire sale”.

She also called for Cornwall Council to continue engaging directly with tenants as it develops its plans for the estate.

The review also found that dairy farming, which has long been central to the estate, would need to reduce in scale.

It said upgrading all existing dairy farms to modern standards would cost millions of pounds.

The review suggested some dairy holdings may be repurposed, but stressed that the land should remain in agricultural use.

Ms Steel said the changes reflected the pressures facing dairy businesses, including environmental requirements and the need to ensure remaining holdings are viable for the future.

She said councils still had an important role to play in protecting farming opportunities and supporting the next generation of producers in Cornwall.

The decision was also welcomed by tenant farmers who had faced months of uncertainty over the future of the estate.

Josh Nicholls, a dairy farmer from Scorrier, said there was “definitely a sense of relief that they don’t plan on selling off yet”.

However, he warned that any future changes should be considered carefully across individual holdings rather than applied as a blanket approach across the whole estate.

Mr Nicholls said county farms remained “completely vital” for young farmers and new entrants trying to establish themselves in the industry.

He said buying land was increasingly out of reach for new farmers, making rented holdings one of the only realistic routes into agriculture for those without access to land or large amounts of capital.

The council’s approach is now expected to focus on modernising the estate, improving its performance and keeping county farm land in agricultural use.

For new entrants such as Mr Nicholls, the decision means county farms remain one of the few realistic ways into an industry where buying land is increasingly difficult.