England has appointed its first Tenant Farming Commissioner in a landmark move to strengthen landlord–tenant relations and secure the future of a sector that manages more than a third of the nation’s farmland.
Alan Laidlaw will serve as an impartial voice for tenants, landlords and advisers, tackling poor conduct, encouraging fair practice and embedding the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice across the industry.
Working closely with Defra and the Farm Tenancy Forum, Laidlaw, a seasoned leader with over 25 years in agriculture and land management, will monitor trends, investigate complaints, issue guidance and report on the state of tenant–landlord relations.
Ministers say the appointment delivers on the Labour government’s Plan for Change and will help build a fairer, more profitable and sustainable sector.
The creation of the Commissioner marks a decisive step towards resetting relationships in the tenanted sector. Laidlaw’s early test will be turning broad support into tangible change — tackling poor behaviour, speeding up dispute resolution and promoting a culture of fairness that allows England’s tenant farmers to thrive.
Visiting a tenant farm this week, Defra Secretary Emma Reynolds described tenant farmers as “the backbone of food production” and praised their role in caring for the countryside.
She said: “Alan’s decades of experience in farming and land management make him uniquely placed to strengthen relationships and drive-up standards across the sector,” adding that the role will “provide an impartial voice between tenants and landowners to promote best practice and foster fair, collaborative relationships.”
Laidlaw, who spent more than a decade on the senior management team at the Crown Estate, said he was “honoured to be appointed as England’s first Commissioner for the tenant farming sector,” promising to support the industry with “the fair framework it needs to thrive.”
He argued that strong landlord–tenant partnerships can “drive innovation, resilience and shared success,” and pledged to work with all sides to promote best practice and tackle challenges.
The appointment was hailed as a breakthrough by the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), which has long lobbied for stronger protections.
Chief executive George Dunn said: “I warmly welcome the appointment of Alan Laidlaw… Having worked with Alan previously, I am sure that he will be thorough, diligent and impactful.”
He called the announcement “a crucial step forward in cementing the industry approved Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice in England.”
But Dunn also noted that the role is non-statutory and warned it would require determination to gain real influence. A TFA survey last year found 30% of tenant farmers felt bullied or harassed by landlords, rising to 37% when dealing with agents.
He said: “Bullying and harassment at any level in our sector is unacceptable,” stressing the Commissioner must highlight both poor conduct and examples of good practice.
The TFA has urged landlords to incorporate the Code of Practice into tenancy agreements and to accept the Commissioner’s adjudication on conduct issues as binding.
Dunn argued that some institutional landlords already do so, calling it an “easy win” to expand this approach. He also wants the Commissioner to address how disputes are resolved, particularly arbitration, which he described as too slow, costly and inconsistent.
Landowners also welcomed the move. Country Land and Business Association president Victoria Vyvyan said: “The CLA supports a vibrant tenanted sector and we welcome Alan Laidlaw into the role.”
She stressed the Commissioner must remain “independent, and… fair and balanced for landlords, agents and tenants,” with the resources to properly handle cases.
