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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 – 19.12.12 – Entitlement market
Income from the Single Farm Payment may well be more critical in 2013 with reduced incomes in the arable sector, and the high prices for grain affecting the livestock sector. Wheat prices continuing to rise from £210 per tonne will only help those who did not have to sell early more than they would have…
Read MoreFarmers Guardian – 10.12.12 – Intelligence
The average farm is like any other small business whereby there is copious information that needs to be collected, siphoned, and analysed to keep that business running at its most efficient. One may think that in the digital age this must be so much easier with so much readily available information. However this is the…
Read MoreFarmers Guardian – 07.12.12 – The Single Farm Payment
The uncertainty continues but as expected, with MEPs delaying decisions on the CAP reform, whilst not yet officially announced, practically it can be assumed that the current Single Payment Scheme will continue to the end of 2014 at least. With the “default setting” for the 2013 EU budgets if nothing otherwise is agreed, hopefully we…
Read MoreFarmers Guardian – 07.09.12 – Managing changes to ELS
To ensure a new ELS agreement will fall under the old Third Edition Handbook, a valid application must be submitted before the end of September to have a start date for the 1st December 2012, prior to the new rules coming in to effect from the 1st January 2013. The new Handbook has not yet…
Read MoreFarmers Guardian – 01.06.12 – Can’t agree the farm rent?
Something many are facing for the first time, as farm incomes have increased, are considerable rent increases. What is involved if you cannot agree? Under an Agricultural Holding Act tenancy, after service of the notice at least 12 months beforehand, an application has to be made before the review date to appoint an Arbitrator. With…
Read MoreFarmers Guardian – 02.03.12 – Permanent pasture – can I plough or not?
More and more of our clients are asking this question, and whilst the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture)(England)(2) Regulations 2006 will be reviewed shortly, it is unlikely things will become any simpler when making a decision as to whether a particular field of permanent pasture can be ploughed up. Unfortunately there is not a quick answer….
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