Tenant farmers across Devon, Cornwall, Herefordshire and the Midlands face having to buy the farms they work or leave their homes, as the Duchy of Cornwall prepares to sell off up to a fifth of its estate over the next decade.

The Prince of Wales, who became Duke of Cornwall in 2022, plans to sell up to 20 per cent of the Duchy's land and property to raise £500 million for investment in local communities, affordable housing and environmental projects. The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) estimates that up to 40 farm holdings could be affected.

The Duchy, founded in 1337, covers around 51,800 hectares (128,000 acres) across 19 counties. It currently has around 700 agricultural lettings, including about 300 whole farm holdings made up of a farmhouse, land and buildings.

Devon tenants at the centre of the dispute

Talks over the future of nine farms on the Bradninch estate in Devon, near Cullompton, have already caused distress among tenants who worry they cannot afford to buy the land they farm. Mary Ryan, a former GP and local Liberal Democrat councillor who has lived near the estate for around 35 years, is supporting the farmers affected.

The sales programme has since been extended from Bradninch to the Duloe Estate in Cornwall and to individual holdings elsewhere in Cornwall, Herefordshire and the Midlands, according to the TFA. Earlier reports said some tenants had received possession orders giving them six months to buy their properties or leave.

The Duchy has apologised to tenants over its handling of the Bradninch sale and agreed to commission fresh independent valuations of affected farms and homes, jointly instructed with tenants, after concerns that some properties had been priced too highly. The Duchy says eight of the nine farming tenants at Bradninch are actively exploring buying some or all of their land, and around two-thirds of residential tenants are considering the same option.

What the Duchy and tenant farmers say

The Duchy's rural director, Matthew Morris, told the BBC he was listening to feedback over how the sales were being handled and was offering support and mental health advice to tenants. A Duchy spokeswoman said the estate could not confirm the total number of tenants affected by the ten-year sale plan, but said it was supporting them through the process with care and respect. The Duchy says that where possible it hopes to sell farms to their tenants.

George Dunn, chief executive of the Tenant Farmers Association, said the organisation was in deep discussions with the estate. He welcomed assurances that tenants would not lose their homes, but cautioned that not every farmer would be able to buy the farm they operate, or would want to, and said fair alternatives must be explored for those for whom ownership is unaffordable.

The Duchy's chief executive, Will Bax, has said the estate should not simply exist to own land, but should deliver a positive impact. Under the plan, the Duchy intends to concentrate its holdings around five geographic heartlands, including Cornwall, Dartmoor, the Isles of Scilly, Bath and parts of London, while the money raised from sales is reinvested in housing, nature recovery and community projects.

For the tenant families involved, however, the immediate question is a personal one: whether they can raise the money to buy the farms and homes where many have lived and worked for years, or whether they will have to start again somewhere else. Source: BBC News.