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.

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,…

Farmers Guardian – 22.07.16 – The land and entitlement market after Brexit

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…

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…

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…

Farmers Weekly – 29.04.16 – BPS advice – keep screenshots and paperwork – COMMENT

Townsend Chartered Surveyors comment. To download/view article click here

Farmers Weekly – 28.04.16 – BPS Bridging Loan Blow – COMMENT

Townsend Chartered Surveyors comment. To download/view article click here

Farmers Weekly – 15.04.16 – BPS claims – NEWS

Townsend Chartered Surveyors comment click here

Western Morning News – 13.04.16 – Five weeks to English BPS claim deadline

Since our last update on the 30th March, at the time of writing (8th April) it appears a number of farmers have found the online application system easy to use and have submitted their claims. However on the 30th March the RPA reported only 2,000 claims had been made online out of perhaps 86,000 (based…

Farmers Weekly – 13.04.16 – Fears raised over BPS 2016 claims deadline – COMMENT

FOR TOWNSEND CHARTERED SURVEYORS COMMENT PLEASE CLICK HERE