Louise Staples, NFU Senior Rural Surveyor explained how the NFU champion tenant farmers' interests by being an industry representative involved in many groups and frameworks that inform the tenanted farming sector. Here is what they work on:
Farm Tenancy Forum
The NFU contributes to the Farm Tenancy Forum by attending meetings and feeding issues back to the group. The forum is a joint industry group with Defra that works to ensure a thriving and collaborative tenant farming sector. The forum:
- explores issues
- provides feedback from Defra to the tenanted sector
- draft long-term tenancy guidance.
Law commission – agricultural tenancies
The commission examines the law governing tenancies of agricultural land and considers whether the existing law is good and helps to maintain viable businesses. They conduct reviews and meetings which the NFU will be a part of.
The Crown – environmental farm business tenancy
A new framework that sets out legally binding obligations, the farm green book where landowner and farmer aspirations are set out, and the the farm partnership book which highlights diversification.
NFU Tenants Service
The NFU provides the tenant farming sector with:
- NFU CallFirst
- Business guides
- Legal assistance scheme that offers professional guidance and support throughout a legal case
- Annual meetings
- Tenants' First Advice Service
NFU Mutual professional cover
The NFU Mutual can provide £20,000 of financial cover costs of negotiation and representation for rent arbitration and hearings.
See more from the NFU Tenant Farmers' Conference
