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For over 38 years, Hugh Townsend has been the country's "go-to" commentator on farm quotas and intangible assets sold off-farm. 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.In 2016, BBC1 interviewed Hugh Townsend on the future of farming following the Referendum, click here. In 2021 he published the first book of its type “the UK Environmental Credits User Guide” , and more recently in 2024 ITV filmed at one of our BNG Habitat Banks which was broadcast on Monday 3rd June (click here) To view the uncut footage of the interview click here
Hugh Townsend developed the most creative arrangements to promote an efficient market in farm quotas, in the early eighties, including leasing milk quota without land, before the Milk Marketing Board introduced leasing for a part of the milk year. He has represented clients in leading court and arbitration cases successfully defending transfers of milk quota, and developed the new system of second TQ1 forms protecting the transfer of quotas with land.
In 1991, Farmers Weekly published the first sale price index from Hugh Townsend, countrywide, and started to publish farm quota sales and leasing graphs, which can be seen on our Milk Quota & Entitlements pages. Prices for intangible assets are still published weekly from this UK leading Brokerage House.
On BBC television, he has defended dairy farmers who have been taken advantage of by unscrupulous individuals in the farm quota market, and was again on television to comment on the "footballers buy milk quota" rumpus.
In 1990, the firm held the first auction of sheep and beef quota making the market in these new intangible assets and is still the leading BPS entitlement broker in the UK regions following England abolishing their scheme in 2023.
The firm also now sells Biodiversity Net Gain and Nutrient Neutrality units, Woodland and Peatland Carbon, in addition to Water Abstraction Licenses, and holds National Sales by tender every six weeks.
14.3.2025 – LinkedIn – Entitlements Market Update 13 March 2025
We are currently seeing activity in all areas of the UK still trading BPS entitlements – Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland. The deadline for trading Scottish entitlements is the 2 April 2025. As this deadline draws close demand is picking up, particularly for Region 1 entitlements. The deadline for trading both Welsh and Northern Irish…
Read More 14.3.2025 – LinkedIn Post – DEFRA’s Budget Breakdown
DEFRA has released a breakdown of the £5 billion budget allocated to farming for the years 2024/25 2025/26: Scheme Funding (£m) Delinked Payments 1,050 Live existing agreements (Higher Level Stewardship and Countryside Stewardship) 1,800 Sustainable Farming Incentive 1,050 Other environmental land management schemes 350 Farming grants (one-off payments to help improve the environment or increase…
Read More 11.3.2025 – LinkedIn Post – Government Spending Review Hovers Over SFI and Other Farm Schemes
Last night DEFRA announced that they will not be accepting new SFI applications. With SFI now joining Capital Grants on the list of funding awaiting review, and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier on an invitation only application basis – funding for farmers is looking thin on the ground as we move into spring. Those with an…
Read More 12.3.2025 – LinkedIn Post – Part 3 Development and Nature Recovery
Initial notes summarising key areas of Part 3 of the bill with more to follow. Watch this space. Part 3 may affect the delivery of Nutrient Neutrality (and other environmental policy), reducing the impact of the mitigation hierarchy with ramifications for the delivery of local environmental improvement. It does not explicitly affect the requirement for…
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26.2.2024 – TCS Article – Defra Announces Grant Updates For 2025
As of 26th February, DEFRA’s blog has published a number of updates on the funding available to farmers, growers, and land managers. CAPITAL GRANTS Capital grants offer funding for capital items such as fencing, concrete yard renewal, roofing, etc. Following the unexpected closure of Capital grants on 27th November 2024 DEFRA have now confirmed sufficient…
Read More 17.2.2025 – TCS Article – The Biodiversity Net Gain Market Update
BNG has been in effect across all Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) for a year following its introduction nationally on the 12th February 2024 to cover major developments in all LPAs in England. It was expanded in April 2024 to include small sites. As of November 2025, BNG will also include Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects. Approximately…
Read More 31.1.2025 – TCS Article – Proposed Nature Restoration Fund
In December the Government released a Policy paper; Planning Reform Working Paper: Development and Nature Recovery, aimed at ‘getting Britain building again’. The proposals made in this paper are likely to have significant implications for both developers trying to get planning permission and landowners looking to sell Natural Capital by providing mitigation projects on their…
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29.1.2025 – Farmers Weekly – New approach on nutrient mitigation to help development
The Chancellor has a solution she hopes will speed up development. The developer pays and it is the Government who mitigates the ‘Nature’ damage done by purchasing offset mitigation from landowners elsewhere. BNG remains unaffected. Click here to read a Farmers Weekly article by Suzie Horne on this new approach.
Read More 28.1.25 – BPS ENTITLEMENT 2025 MARKET UPDATE
BPS ENTITLEMENT 2025 MARKET UPDATE – 28.1.25 SCOTTISH Trade has started at £135-145 per entitlement for Region 1. Region 2 has had a slower start, trading at below £30 per entitlement. Region 3 has not yet started trading but we are expecting to sell at around £10 per entitlement. These prices for regions 1 and…
Read More 17.1.2025 – TCS Article – Biodiversity Net Gain – On-Site Mitigation: Can it Work?
On-site mitigation is thought to be frequently used on larger developments. However, concerns have been raised as to the ecological practicality and longevity of on-site mitigation when used indiscriminately. There are now suggestions that in some cases on-site mitigation proposals can be ecologically dysfunctional and are over-positively represented by the statutory metric. Furthermore, concerns over…
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