England has appointed its first Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector, giving a substantial part of the countryside a dedicated champion and one more official title to explain before anybody is allowed to discuss the rent.
Alan Laidlaw has taken on the new role after more than 25 years in agriculture and land management. Tenant farmers manage over a third of England’s farmland, so his office enters a sector tied to food production, environmental recovery and the national queue of conversations beginning, “It is not personal, but the lease…”
The commissioner is intended to be an impartial point of contact for tenants, landlords and advisers. He will investigate complaints, track trends, offer guidance and report on relationships between the people who farm the land and the people who own the paperwork explaining why farming it has become a group exercise.
This is a sensible response to a sector where “good communication” can mean anything from a useful meeting to receiving a 47 page document at 4.58pm on a Friday afternoon. The new office will promote the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice, giving everyone a shared standard for conduct while preserving the traditional freedom to interpret “fair” as whatever survived the last meeting.
“Tenant farmers need a clear voice,” said Cyril Hedge Agreement, the fictional Deputy Keeper of the Lease. “We are delighted to provide one, provided it submits its concerns in PDF, plain English and a format compatible with agricultural weather.”
The appointment may improve dialogue between tenants and landowners. It may also expose how much work the phrase “stronger relationships” has been doing while everyone waits for clarity on rent, investment and what happens when five years of uncertainty is advertised as a dynamic opportunity.
At the commissioner’s first meeting, the fictional National Forum for Practical Talking reportedly asked everyone to begin with the rent, move carefully to the hedge and avoid calling a gate that refuses to close a stakeholder alignment issue.
The role cannot repair every lease or settle every dispute. It does give tenant farmers an impartial voice, which is progress. The remaining question is whether that voice will finish speaking before another consultation asks it to choose the preferred shade of rural beige, preferably in triplicate and signed by the gate.
Real story: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.
