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.
Western Morning News – 01.07.15 – Changes to model clauses on agricultural tenancies in England
The Model Clauses (MCs) set out liabilities for the repair, replacement, maintenance and/or insurance of items of fixed equipment on a farm. They apply to some agricultural tenancies in England and Wales under the Agricultural Holding’s Act 1986 and also to some Farm Business Tenancies under the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995. These were last reviewed…
Read MoreWestern Morning News – 24.06.15 – Entitlement chaos leading up to 15th June deadline
In essence we all know why there was chaos in the last weeks leading up to the 15th June; the RPA pulling the plug on their new online system. Having done this towards the end of March, although offering a further month to complete claims, there were delays in providing pre-populated forms, guidance notes and…
Read MoreFarmers Guardian – 15.05.15 – Factors affecting the buying of land this spring
For those involved in buying land this year extreme caution is needed to ensure both the vendor and purchaser understand the situation in respect to the BPS. To claim for this year and therefore to retain any entitlements registered in one’s name, one must have had the appropriate amount of land at one’s disposal for…
Read MoreWestern Morning News – 13.05.15 – Planning appeals – what you need to know
Planning is never an exact science and many decisions can be based on the subjective nature of the particular project, local support for the project, and the stance the local authority take towards it, to name but three factors. However when considering planning appeals, the ‘nature of the beast’ is something almost entirely different and…
Read MoreWestern Morning News – 29.04.15 – Capitalisation of renewables income
Over previous months many landowners and renewable developers have been racing to ensure their solar installations were up and running before the 1st April drop in FIT rates, and for those looking to the future there may be uncertain ends to new renewables projects following recent comments by Western Power Distribution about the lack of…
Read MoreFarmers Guardian – 24.04.15 – Land and BPS entitlement markets
The last few weeks has seen everything now “fall into place” for England, or perhaps fall out of place, and then fall back into a different place! We all expected the chaos at the RPA, as with the introduction of the Single Payment Scheme, although it is difficult to accept the inevitable knock-on effect of…
Read MoreWestern Morning News – 15.04.15 – Cottage gem reflects high demand for fishing rights
With the renewal of rod licences due on the 31st of March and the season now open for Salmon and Trout thoughts are turning to dusting off the waders and heading down to the riverbank. But for some the sanctuary of the riverbank can be only a stone’s throw from the back door if your…
Read MoreWestern Morning News – 01.04.15 – Turning farmland into building land
With national demand for housing showing no sign of slowing, the need for land on which to build is not slowing down either. Reports of agricultural land being sold to developers for as much as £1m an acre might make any landowner think about whether they can lose a few acres of farmland, freeing up…
Read More01.04.15 – Radio 4 PM – Hugh Townsend interview with Eddie Mair
Please click here to download and listen to this interview.
Read MoreWestern Morning News – 18.03.15 – BPS rules finalised
At last we have the final guidance on the Basic Payment Scheme rules. I set out a summary below: Active Farmers To claim you must be both a ‘farmer’ and an ‘active farmer’. To qualify as a ‘farmer’ you must either produce, rear or grow agricultural products or simply keep land clear of dense scrub….
Read More