TFA delighted after Defra confirms tenant commissioner role

The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) has welcomed confirmation from Defra that it will appoint the first commissioner for the tenant farming sector in England, describing this as “a shaft of light in an otherwise dark week”.

Defra farming minister Daniel Zeichner confirmed at the Northern Farming Conference in Hexham on Wednesday 6 November that the government will recruit a new commissioner to oversee England’s tenanted sector.

The identity of the new commissioner will be announced next spring following an open competition.

See also: Baroness Rock dropped from Defra’s board of directors

This development comes after Baroness Kate Rock, author of the Rock Review into tenant farming, had her role as a non-executive director within Defra terminated in September, a move that was met with disappointment by the TFA and tenant farmers.

This new role, which will be the first of its kind in England, aims to bring much-needed oversight, fairness, and advocacy to the tenant farming sector.

Responding to the latest announcement, TFA chief executive George Dunn said: “In what has been an extremely dark week for farmers considering the October Budget, the announcement of the appointment of the commissioner for the tenant farming sector offers a shaft of much-welcome light.”

Defra says key aspects of the commissioner’s role will include improving collaboration between tenant farmers, landowners, and their advisers, ensuring fairness by investigating and resolving complaints, and providing leadership and advocacy.

The commissioner will also work to enforce the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice, while offering confidential support to tenants, landlords, and advisers facing poor behaviour or unfair treatment.

“Following the publication of the recently agreed code of conduct for landlord/tenant relationships within agriculture, it was vital that the government took the extra step of appointing a commissioner to oversee that code,” added Mr Dunn.

“This appointment will give that code additional and much-needed teeth.”

With a recent TFA survey concluding that 30% of tenants felt bullied or harassed by their landlords and 37% by their landlords’ agents, Mr Dunn said there is “some very important work to do” to improve landlord/tenant relations in England.

CLA view

Country Land and Business Association (CLA) president Victoria Vyvyan said it was crucial for the healthy future of the farm tenancy sector that the commissioner is independent from Defra, and is fair and balanced for landlords, agents and tenants.

“The commissioner must be a well-respected neutral party with a good understanding of the agricultural world, and have the resources to properly assess any cases that reach them,” she added. 

The idea for the appointment of a commissioner came from the recommendations of the Rock Review into agricultural tenancies, conducted by Baroness Rock in 2022.

That recommendation was accepted by the previous Conservative government which announced that it would proceed with the appointment of a commissioner this year.

However, although the idea to appoint a commissioner attracted cross-party support, the general election in July put that on hold.