Somerset farmers to be made ‘homeless’ by council farm sale

A farming family in Somerset are set to lose their home and their business within weeks after being told to pack up and leave their council farm.

Dairy farmers Sue and Andrew Morgan have until the end of May to vacate White Horse Farm in Over Stowey near Bridgwater and have been unable to find another farm to move to.

They say they are now forced to sell their dairy herd, putting an end to their raw milk business and their son Rob’s aspirations of taking on the farm.

See also: How dairy farm is controlling Johne’s while buying-in cows

Speaking to ITV West Country, Andrew said: “My parents moved here when I was about 10-years-old. We were lucky to take the farm on 2001 and we’ve been farming here ever since.

“We knew that you know we’d have to move on one day but there’s no help there.”

Somerset County Council – which sold the farm for £1.4m – responded by saying that the Morgans were advised over a year ago, that they would need to leave the farm once their tenancy ends.

A statement from the council said: “It is disappointing that they were unable to make alternative arrangements, but they were aware of the terms of the fixed term tenancy, from the point that they took it on ten years ago.

“The tenants at White Horse farm have been aware that they were required to leave, for well over twelve months before the end date of the tenancy and should have given possession on the 31 March.”