Shropshire Council is currently inviting the public’s opinion on what should be done with its 410-hectare agricultural estate, currently let out to many farmers taking their first steps into business.
One of the options is to sell the land on the open market, which Shropshire chartered surveyor Paul Madeley believes could put the future of the farms in jeopardy.
Another is for the council to maintain ownership – a costly measure at a time when savings must be made across the public sector.
The third option is for the estate to be transferred to a ‘preferred organisation’, which would maintain it and secure access to farming for future generations.
Mr Madeley, founder and director of Madeleys Chartered Surveyors in Much Wenlock, said it was vital that farmers in the county involved themselves in the consultation.
“The consultation is taking place right now and I urge our agricultural community here in Shropshire to make its views known to protect farming for future generations,” he said.
“In my opinion council farms should be retained in some way and made available, as it is a vital route for new entrants to farming to gain a step on the business ladder.
“Selling off the farms may generate income and, given ongoing repairs required on the farms, the budgets may stack up better but if that route is taken, it no longer offers what council-owned farms should be used to achieve.
“Council-owned farms should be a way of giving aspiring farmers who do not have the family connections to take on or the capital to privately rent a holding a way into farming and a career in agriculture.
“If they succeed on a council-owned farm, they then have the scope and opportunity to grow their business and move on to larger council holdings or even private farms, which makes good business management and sense.
“I believe it should be the council’s aim and policy to encourage this sort of behaviour, which is the view taken by other counties not too far away from here.”
Mr Madeley said none of the three options were ‘ideal’ for farmers but that option three – for the farming estate to be transferred to an organisation who would maintain it to secure farming for future generations – seemed to offer the best compromise.
“If the smallholdings are retained and the correct objectives and policy for renting them out is maintained by the new owner, then this will hopefully remain successful in encouraging new tenants into farming,” he added.
Keith Barrow, Leader of Shropshire Council, said a consultation was currently under way to gather opinion on the options available to the authority with respect to the 410-hectare estate.
“This consultation sets out a number of options available,” he added. “They’ve been drawn up after much deliberation and we’ve sought to outline the options we’re considering, and identify the key advantages, disadvantages and potential impact of each option.
“We’ll consider the responses to the consultation and take its outcome into account before making a final decision.
“Following the consultation, we’ll prepare a paper to be presented to full council on December 18, with a recommendation on the future direction of the estate.”
The Shropshire Council Smallholdings consultation can be found at http://new.shropshire.gov.uk/get-involved/smallholdings/, where the public can add their views to the proposals.
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