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.

Crown v Wakley – What lessons are there for tenants?

Judgement in the case of The Crown Estate Commissioners v Wakley and Wakley was handed down on the 15th December 2016, where the Crown was found to be in breach of a Farm Business Tenancy and having misrepresented the condition of the farm to the incoming tenant. The Tenant was awarded £1.75 million in damages. The case…

27.09.17 – Brexit – Can we rely on fallback option of WTO rules?

Mrs May’s speech in Florence on the 22nd September has thrown future trade arrangements back into the spotlight. The WTO fall-back option There are currently a plethora of articles (and MPs) suggesting that, should the UK be unable to negotiate the special customs arrangement it wishes with the EU (or agreement that we could remain…

Western Morning News – 20.09.17 – Countryside Stewardship payout is worth the work required in applying

As the application deadline for the Countryside Stewardship (CSS) Mid-Tier rapidly approaches on the 30th September 2017, those who are still umm-ing and ahh-ing about whether to complete their application forms should not be put off as if successful they could become a secure and maybe higher than expected source of income. The CSS Mid-Tier…

Western Morning News – 16.08.17 – Idyllic dairy farm ready for new owners

Lee Farm is a well-equipped 194-acre commercial dairy farm, 2 miles from Bickington and 7.5 miles from Barnstaple, on the edge of the Taw Valley. The family has farmed here since the 1800s, having originally been tenants of the Pinkham Trust, and the current owner is now retiring. Up until the last five years the…

194 acre commercial Devon dairy farm – For Sale

A 194 acre commercial dairy farm with a 6 bedroom farmhouse, modern buildings and traditional farm buildings suitable for conversion, with views of Exmoor and Dartmoor 3,500 sq ft 6 bedroom farmhouse 3,900 sq ft traditional cob and stone buildings 25,345 sq ft modern buildings 92 cubicles and loose housing 8 : 16 swing-over herringbone parlour 35,000 cu…

Western Morning News – 05.04.17 – 2017 BPS claims – Important to check land parcels following RPA re-mapping in South West

As the application window for BPS claims has now opened, it is important that farmers and agents alike ensure that the claim they submit reflects exactly what is taking place on the ground. Large areas of the South West have been re-mapped by the RPA as part of the ongoing national re-mapping programme. This re-mapping…

Western Morning News – 08.04.17 – Farm Facts 2017

View the latest news article in the Western Morning News – click here

30TH MARCH – AGENT/FARM CONSULTANT UK 2017 BPS ENTITLEMENT UPDATE

Contents 1. RPA to fix transfer confirmation message problems today 2. Agent Conflict of Interest with Transfers between clients of the same firm 3. RICS Rules of Conduct 4. Links 1. RPA to fix transfer confirmation message problems today As reported previously, problems have been identified with the RPA messaging system which is confirming transfers that…

Farmers Weekly – 24.03.17 – RPA computer glitches hinder online trading – COMMENT

Online glitches with the Rural Payments Agency’s (RPA) computer have caused one entitlement trader to put on hold paying out vendors, for fear the system is getting it wrong. Click here to download/view the full article

Western Morning News – 22.03.17 – Latest from the entitlement market

England Non-SDA Since January, trading activity has remained at a low level with prices dipping as low as £170 per hectare. Trade has however picked up in the last couple of weeks with prices rising since the RPA online transfer system has gone live, together with 2017 claims. It is still too early to tell…