Council farm consultation goes live

Farmers and residents in the Welshpool and north Powys area are being urged to have their say on the future management of the county’s council-owned farms.

Powys County Council has launched a six-week consultation on its new Farm Estate Policy – Supporting Sustainable Rural Futures, which will replace the existing 2018 policy and delivery plan.

The rural estate includes a number of council-owned farms in the north of the county, many around Newtown, which are let to tenant farmers. The farms have long been seen as an important entry point for young farmers, giving them a start in the industry at a time when buying land is often out of reach.

In recent years, concerns were raised locally that some of these farms could be sold off as part of wider council cost-cutting measures. Those fears have continued to surface during discussions about the estate’s future.

Council Leader Cllr Jake Berriman insisted the new draft policy was not about selling land but about strengthening the role of the council’s farm estate.

“The policy aims to ensure that the estate is a dynamic, resilient, and forward-looking asset, which supports the council’s broader ambitions set out in our Stronger Fairer Greener Corporate Plan,” he said.

“It is categorically not a route map or programme of asset sales. It seeks instead to rationalise our assets, dispose of liabilities and retain land wherever possible to maximise new opportunities to support resilient local food networks and farming, and to create a productive and inclusive rural estate that nurtures the land, supports communities, and contributes to a prosperous, sustainable rural economy.”

Cllr Berriman said he and the Farm Estate Advisory Group had already been engaging with farming unions and would be meeting the Tenant Farmers Association, but he stressed the consultation was open to everyone.

“We are keen to hear from young farmers and all those with a genuine interest in the estate and its future,” he added.

The consultation runs until Sunday, October 12, and full details can be found at: www.haveyoursaypowys.wales/farm-estate-policy.