A UNION has hit out at plans to sell off 47 of Cheshire’s council-owned starter farms.
A total of 4,575 acres of farmland and 107 acres of woodland, owned by Cheshire West and Chester Council, is to be sold over the next 30 years, and the cash used to create opportunities for business start-ups in the rural areas.
It means that by selling the land valued at £31m, the council will have more money to invest in rural areas, and amenities including affordable housing, faster broadband and starting up new rural businesses.
But Adam Briggs, from the National Farmers’ Union (NFU), said the move is ‘a backward step’ that is bad news for young farmers.
“Our position has always been that we are very supportive of county farms,” he said.
“But we need them. They provide an opportunity for people to enter the land-based economy, who would not be able to do so without the farm’s estate.
“We do understand there are budgets to consider but rationalising the farm’s estate would allow capital to be released to meet budgetary requirements without having to withdraw from council holdings.”
Cllr Eveleigh Moore Dutton, who chaired a review on the issue, said: “The NFU are very well respected in their views and I am not disputing their points, but we have to take a look at the wider picture such as creating opportunities for everyone living in the rural sector, not just some.
“We are in the worst debt crisis since the Second World War and it is about maximising opportunities.
“The NFU are looking at the issue from one perspective and we have to look at widening opportunities for everyone.”
