News - Townsend Chartered Surveyors

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.

30.6.2021 – THE SUSTAINABLE FARMING INCENTIVE

The Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, long-awaited successor to the Basic Payment Scheme will at first take the form of three new schemes. These are the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery. Of these, the SFI is intended to be the most applicable to the majority of farmers. The Sustainable Farming…

26.5.2021 – Western Morning News – Devil in the detail as plans for retirement payments unveiled

On the 19th May the Government gave more detail of what we have been calling the “exit support scheme”. This will provide a lump sum payment to farmers meeting a set of criteria which the Government considers to constitute retirement from farming. Details of “delinked” payments after 2024 have also been given. This information is…

25.05.2021 – DELINKAGE, BPS RETIREMENT LUMP SUM AND NEW & YOUNG FARMERS

19.05.2021 – GOVERNMENT BOOSTS SUPPORT FOR WOODLAND PLANTING AND CARBON TRADING

The Forestry Commission have recently announced a range of new grants aimed at encouraging Woodland Creation. English Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) This scheme is set to replace the Woodland Carbon Fund (WCF), which was closed to new applicants on the 31st March this year. Both schemes fund the capital cost of planting new woodlands, plus…

31.03.2021 – Western Morning News – Increasing interest in CS scheme as BPS subsides

The UK’s departure from the EU has led to a variety of changes to the Countryside Stewardship (CS) scheme. This has brought both limitations and new opportunities, which are important to new applicants and existing agreement holders alike. New Capital Items As part of a drive to improve air quality, two new capital items have been added to the Scheme as…

26.03.2021 – Farm Facts 2021

Our 12th edition of Farm Facts is out now – a handy pocket reference for farmers, solicitors, accountants, farm agents and all types of agricultural adviser. “I’ve been in receipt of Farm Facts for a number of years now and find it excellent.” “Its amazing what you have packed into such a useful guide.” “I…

24-03-2021 – Western Morning News – New and Young Farmer Entitlements – The Time Could Be Now

The RPA have recently confirmed that they are consulting on whether this will be the final year for national reserve entitlement allocations. This may then be many farmers’ last chance to gain an asset of some value for relatively little expense. When a farmer or landowner meets certain criteria, they can claim free BPS entitlements from the…

23.03.2021 – Farmers Weekly – Entitlement values firm in first year of BPS reduction

Brokers are starting to see more activity in the market for Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) entitlements, with prices marginally higher than at the same point last year, despite 2021 being the first year reductions will take effect. Read more

17.03.2021 – Western Morning News – Incentive offers options for level of commitment

Details of the pilot of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) – the next step in the Government’s landmark plans to reward farmers and land managers for sustainable farming practices – were published last week. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has now opened for expressions of interest, which must be made by the 11th April, to…

15.03.2021 – ENGLISH ELM – SUSTAINABLE FARMING INCENTIVE – PILOT SCHEME TIER 1 – DEADLINE 11TH APRIL 2021

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) has now opened for expressions of interest, which must be made by the 11th April, to start an agreement in 2022. The payments will be on top of the BPS payment. The SFI is tier one of the Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme. We now know that the SFI combines…