County council offers chance for budding farmers to take first step on agricultural ladder

Five county farms are looking for new tenants as part of Cambridgeshire County Council’s re-letting programme which opens to tender on Friday.

More than 995 acres of the council’s 33,000-acre estate – the largest of its kind in England and Wales – are up for grabs and range from bare land to root cropping operations.

Successful applicants, including first time farmers, will be offered five-years farm business tenancies from next October.

Kate Barlow, Principal Surveyor at Cambridgeshire County Council said: “This is a valuable opportunity for motivated and enthusiastic first-time farmers to get onto the farming ladder, and those looking to progress to larger holdings.

“Last year we received a lot of interest in the four holdings that were available and the standard of applicants was very high.”

“We anticipate that interest will remain high this year despite current uncertainties in the agricultural sector and Brexit.”

The farms will be available to view on February 13 and prospective tenants will be required to provide a business plan as part of their application to be submitted by March 8, with interviews taking place from March 18-20.

Tenancies will start in October for five years.

Full details about the farms, and the application process, can be found on www.cambridgeshire.gov.uk/countyfarms.