Half of county farms sold off by cash-strapped councils

HALF of all council-owned farms across England have been closed down, despite campaigners telling authorities that they could profit from selling the produce.

The farms, set up at the end of the 19th century to encourage young people into farming, are in “terminal decline”, according to the Campaign To Protect Rural England (CPRE). Now, cash-strapped councils are shutting them down, with more than 15,000 acres of farmland lost in the past decade, 60 per cent of which was sold off in the past two years.

This is despite campaigners arguing that they have a “huge potential to generate income, provide an opportunity to promote innovative farming methods and deliver environmentally sustainable farming” as well as being carbon sinks, tackling the climate emergency.

A report from CPRE in conjunction with the New Economics Foundation, Shared Assets and Who Owns England found that more than 50 per cent of county farm estates have disappeared over the past 40 years.

It found that austerity, coupled with a sense that county farms are “a thing of the past”, and an unwillingness by some councils to innovate to develop new income streams, is decline of county farms.

Whitehall Farm is an example of how these farms can make money, and will be featured on Countryfile on BBC One tonight. The 100-hectare farm is owned by Cambridgeshire county council and managed by Stephen Briggs on a 15-year tenancy, along with over 300 hectares of other land. Mr driving the

Briggs has interplanted arable crops with 4,500 apple trees that provide an income and protect soil and crops from extreme weather. Wildlife are also flourishing in the farmland.

Mr Briggs and his wife Lynn have opened a farm shop that sells fruit and vegetables from the farm as well as locally sourced meat and produce.

Graeme Willis, from CPRE, said the charity “is calling on the new government to introduce legislation to stop the sale of county farms” and a package of measures and new funding to enable councils to invest in their estate.