The south west continues to buck the national trend in terms of the farmland market, with more land coming to the market than normal, according to land and property specialists Strutt & Parker.

Since the start of 2019 16,200 acres have been launched on the open market in the south west – almost as much as during the first nine months of 2018, which itself was a year in which more land than average was marketed.

This trend is in contrast to the rest of England where the volume of land coming to the market is the lowest it has been for 10 years.

The national picture is that the farmland market is quiet, with ongoing political and economic uncertainty constraining both the amount of land coming forward and the number of transactions.

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William Morrison, head of Strutt & Parker’s estates & farm agency department in the south west, said: “We’ve seen a range of properties launched this year, from large farming businesses to blocks of bare land.

“One of the factors behind the rise in supply is an increase in sales promoted by retirement, particularly where children and family members are pursuing other careers and do not want to carry on farming.

“The good news is that all types of farm are in demand provided they are sensibly priced and in reasonable order, although bare land is preferred to farms where there is a large residential element. Rollover buyers are particularly prominent in the marketplace, generating a level of demand that has kept prices stable, despite the rise in supply.”