News
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.
Fact Sheet 4 – Woodland Carbon – Pre-planting options
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Read More Carbon Trading after Covid-19
Governments around the world are focused on economic recovery after the devastating impact of coronavirus. A ‘green recovery’ is very much the buzz phrase. Potential carbon taxes are mooted and those looking to establish woodland, and trade carbon units may benefit from establishment grants. The UK is set to launch its own Emissions Trading Scheme…
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BPS errors and penalties
Many BPS applicants will not start to consider the payment they hope to imminently receive until the autumn. This may also be a useful time however, to review what has been submitted this year and check that everything is still correct. Here we look at how the penalty system works. Errors Obvious Errors If whilst…
Read More Pocket Guide – Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
Introduction to Nitrate Vulnerable Zones A Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) is an area at risk of pollution from nitrates due to agricultural activity. The areas are designated by DEFRA and include approximately 55% of land in England. If your holding is in such a zone then the use of nitrogen fertilisers and storage of organic…
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22.04.2020 – Western Morning News – Crucial to assess risk of run off (NVZ2)
As part of the current farming rules for water enforced by the EA, it is an offence to let fertiliser enter surface water. The risk of run-off from your fields must be considered, and if there is risk then you must not spread. Once the fertilisation plan and field records are complete then, if spreading…
Read More 15.04.2020 – Western Morning News – Up-to-date records are key for NVZ compliance
As we all cope with the impact of Covid 19 along with all the usual Spring tasks on the land, there are also some very important farming deadlines to meet that cannot be overlooked. These include Basic Payment and Stewardship claims, but also NVZ records need to be completed by the 30th April. We set…
Read More 25.03.2020 – Western Morning News – Capturing carbon and trading
Over the past few years, Government policy has led to an increase in demand for woodland carbon projects with the Committee for Climate Change of 2019 building upon the Climate Change Act 2008. Stating a target of net zero carbon emissions by 2050, this makes the UK the pacesetter amongst the major world economies. All…
Read More 20.03.2020 – SPRING 2020 NEWSLETTER
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11.03.2020 – Western Morning News – Change to claim rules for Young Farmers
Under English BPS rules, there are only two circumstances in which new entitlements can be issued to claimants by the RPA, which are to Young Farmers and/or New Farmers. A New or Young Farmer can apply only once to receive entitlements equal to their total eligible land area minus the number of entitlements they already…
Read More 26.02.2020 – Western Morning News – Staying on the right side of the rules will ensure you get your payments
Countryside Stewardship (CSS) payments are ultimately based on your land/holding management meeting a set of rules. That means the RPA needs to be able to check that those rules are being met. One way do this is to send inspectors onto the holdings of agreement holders. A percentage of holdings are inspected at random each…
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