County council campaigns for new farming opportunities
Warwickshire County Council is lobbying the Government for better opportunities for farmers.
As other local authorities continue to sell off farm estates, Warwickshire County Council is determined to retain and enhance its smallholdings portfolio.
Cllr Alan Cockburn, the county council’s Portfolio Holder for Environment and Economy, has written to Caroline Spelman MP, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to ask for suitable industry incentives.
Cllr Cockburn, who is an urban fringe farmer himself, is concerned that farmers are being prevented from making the next step from smallholdings to larger farms because they are not being let on the open market.
“Warwickshire’s county farms continue to provide what are increasingly rare opportunities for new entrants into the industry,” Cllr Cockburn said. “But prospects for tenants to scale up to privately let medium-sized farms are few and far between.
“I am asking the Secretary of State to consider introducing a mechanism and incentives to encourage private landlords to offer farms to let on the open market. If the status quo remains, I fear that we will see the industry stagnate and it will have a detrimental effect on farming in this country. It is vital to offer a new generation of farmers a chance to grow their business.”
Cllr Cockburn has also petitioned Defra Minister Jim Paice MP and Sir Donald Curry at Defra, who has previously championed the role of county farms.
Warwickshire’s neighbouring authority Gloucestershire recently decided to sell off a large number of its tenanted farms. In contrast Warwickshire County Council has this year adopted a new strategy for county farms and smallholdings which at its heart contains a commitment to make a major contribution to local food and farming by supporting existing tenants and providing opportunities for new entrants into agriculture.
Warwickshire County Council’s smallholdings are an important part of the Warwickshire landscape and they are a significant source of high quality local food.
The first smallholding was leased by the county over a century ago, in 1909. Northfields Farm in Priors Marston extended to 198 acres and cost £5,674. This farm is currently being re-let.
The county council’s smallholding estate now covers some 2,000 hectares. Twenty farms are in Stratford district, 13 in Rugby, six in North Warwickshire, five in Warwick and two in Nuneaton and Bedworth.
The county farms and smallholdings estate provides opportunities for careers in agriculture and rural enterprise. The estate can also contribute to ‘community growing’ by the provision of new allotments, horticultural strips and opportunities for community farms.