New tenancy law reform proposals will provide greater flexibility for tenant farming businesses allowing them to be more productive, the NFU has said.

As part of a Government consultation, the NFU has held meetings with hundreds of tenant farmer members seeking views on options for reform of agricultural tenancy law in England and Wales.

The aim of the proposals is to ensure that the policy framework for agricultural tenancies is fit for the future and enable tenant farmers and agricultural landlords to thrive as the UK moves away from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and implements a new domestic agriculture policy.

NFU tenants forum chairman Chris Cardell said: “This consultation has given us a valuable opportunity to engage with our tenant farmer members to hear their views on the planned changes for the tenanted sector.

“We have made clear in our submission that the proposals will allow greater flexibility within the sector such as removing restrictions to tenancy law and opening up rules on succession. This will allow both landlords and tenants to make investments in their farm holdings, which will help drive greater productivity.

“The tenanted sector produces many and varied opportunities for the next generation of agricultural entrepreneurs and plays an important role for farming businesses. It’s therefore vital that reforms supporting this are implemented.

“Our sector has an exciting, modern future and we look forward to working with Defra and fellow stakeholders within the Tenancy Reform Industry Group (TRIG) to create the necessary legal frameworks to deliver these exciting opportunities.”