News
Hugh Townsend has for 25 years been the country's "go-to" commentator on farm quotas and rural surveying issues affecting farmers. Having become the country's leading and most innovative quota agent he was broadcast to 3.8 million listeners on Radio 4's PM programme interviewed by Eddie Mayer on the 1st April 2015 – the Dawning of Europe without Milk Quotas, click here. More recently BBC1 interviewed Hugh Townsend on the future of farming following the Referendum, click here.
Hugh Townsend has over the years developed the most creative arrangements to promote an efficient market in farm quotas, in the early eighties developing leasing milk quota without land before the Milk Marketing Board introduced leasing for a part of the milk year.
He represented clients in leading legal cases defending transfers of milk quota and developed the new system of second TQ1 forms protecting the transfer of quotas with land.
In 1991, with Farmers Weekly he produced the first sale price index countrywide and started to publish farm quota sales and leasing graphs which are still published by Farmers Weekly and other publications and can be seen on our Milk Quota & Entitlements pages.
On BBC television he has defended dairy farmers who have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous inpiduals in the farm quota market and was again on television to comment on the "footballers buy milk quota" rumpus.
He regularly writes for Farmers Guardian and the South West's Western Morning News and our experienced team is sought after for their comments on farm quotas.
Western Morning News – 21.09.16 – Established nursery is a growth proposition
An unusual opportunity to rent an established garden nursery business on the edge of a quiet rural village with excellent transport links and connections to local markets. The nursery is 2 miles from the A30, 3 miles from Exeter and 5.5 miles from M5 junction 31 and is being offered on a five-year Farm Business…
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Western Morning News – 07.09.16 – Encouraging forecast for Non-SDA entitlements
As yet there have been no open market sales although we remain of the opinion that the market is likely to kick off at £200 per hectare as it did last year. We have vendors who are already prepared to sell at £200. The market this year, however, could well be more bullish than last…
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08.08.16 – SUMMER 2016 NEWSLETTER
FOR THE SUMMER 2016 NEWSLETTER PLEASE CLICK BELOW Summer 2016 newsletter
Read More Western Morning News – 27.07.16 – The land and entitlement market after Brexit shock
After the shock of the referendum and then the acute uncertainty in the weeks following the result, the significant, if not long-term benefits of the de-valued pound are starting to kick in. They are also providing some idea as to the type of environment farming will be operating in after leaving the EU, which will,…
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Farmers Guardian – 22.07.16 – The land and entitlement market after Brexit
After the shock of the referendum and then the acute uncertainty in the weeks following the result, the significant, if not long-term benefits of the de-valued pound are starting to kick in. They are also providing some idea as to the type of environment farming will be operating in after leaving the EU, which will,…
Read More Western Morning News – 29.06.16 – What next for farming in the UK?
So what next for agriculture? Plenty of uncertainty, but is it all bad news? A weaker pound Yes, a weaker pound may be inevitable, but this is good for exports. The pay-off of course is that imports will become more expensive, such as oil, seed, fertiliser, manufactured equipment etc, however this could be seen as…
Read More Western Morning News – 15.06.16 – Market price fluctuations like a ‘roller coaster’
We have for the first time produced raw data graphs of the market price fluctuations for the 2016 entitlement trading period. The market started at £190 at the end of August 2015, and by mid-September was at £200 per ha plus VAT. The price steadily rose through September and by mid-October was £220, and then…
Read More Western Morning News 04.05.16 – The price for entitlements is changing every day
We have seen great variance in the price for entitlements this season. The trading of Non-SDA entitlements started in August last year at £190 per hectare plus VAT, however the price rapidly rose to £240 in October, and by November was at £250. From the beginning of December the price declined slowly until the first…
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Farmers Weekly – 29.04.16 – BPS advice – keep screenshots and paperwork – COMMENT
Townsend Chartered Surveyors comment. To download/view article click here
Read More Farmers Weekly – 28.04.16 – BPS Bridging Loan Blow – COMMENT
Townsend Chartered Surveyors comment. To download/view article click here
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