Survey of the Views of Owner Occupier Farmers on Current Issues for Tenant Farming

Footnotes

1. This may be because the respondent did not know, preferred not to say, or for some other reason.

2. In comparison, the amount of land owned by agricultural landlords was 715 hectares. The median size of tenant farmers' business holdings was 390 hectares. (See: Renting-Out Agricultural Land in Scotland Survey 2014 and Survey of Agricultural Tenant Farmers 2014.)

3. The 21% who said that they do not farm any holdings at present are more likely to be smaller holdings of less than 500 hectares. Those actively involved in the management of the business are less likely to say no holdings are farmed than those who are just kept informed of the financial outputs. (13% compared to 30%).

4. In comparison, 59% of agricultural landlords said that they had taken over ownership after 1945, with 17% from 1998 or after. Thirty eight per cent had taken over ownership before 1946, with 22% taking over between 1883 and 16% having done so before 1883. (See: Renting-Out Agricultural Land in Scotland Survey 2014).

5. It should be noted that although individuals, family businesses and partnerships only were asked to complete these questions there may be cases where people from outside these groups gave answers.

6. In comparison, 18% of agricultural landlords were aged below 50, while 26% of tenants farmers were aged below 50. (See: Renting-Out Agricultural Land In Scotland Survey 2014 and Survey of Agricultural Tenant Farmers 2014.)

7. Scottish Household Survey

8. This compares to 22% of tenant farmers who said that they did not expect to retire until they were over 70, 28% aged 66-70, 12% aged 61-65, 12% who never expected to retire and 23% who did not know. (See: Survey of Agricultural Tenant Farmers 2014.)

9. This compares to 16% of tenant farmers and 11% of agricultural landlords who were not making any pension provisions for the future. (See: Survey of Agricultural Tenant Farmers 2014 and Renting-Out Agricultural Land In Scotland Survey 2014.)

10. In comparison, 69% of agricultural landlords and 64% of tenant farmers said that the size of their land had not changed since 2000. Twenty three per cent of tenant farmers and 15% of agricultural landlords had increased the size of their land holding, while 15% of agricultural landlords and 12% of tenant farmers had reduced the size of their land since 2000. (See: Renting-Out Agricultural Land in Scotland Survey 2014 and Survey of Agricultural Tenant Farmers 2014.)

11. This is more than the proportion of agricultural landlords who said that all or certain tenant farmers should be offered the ARtB (30%, with 11% saying that all tenant farmers should be offered the ARtB) but fewer than the proportion of tenant farmers (72%, with 46% saying that all tenant farmers should be offered the ARtB). (See: Survey of Agricultural Tenant Farmers 2014 and Renting-Out Agricultural Land In Scotland Survey 2014.)

12. The following definitions were given in the questionnaire: Sitting tenant value - land value where it is sold to the sitting tenant (with the landlord and tenant negotiating willingly); Vacant possession value - land value where it is sold to a third party without any tenancy arrangements in place; Investment value - land value where it is sold to a third party with the tenancy arrangements remaining in place.

13. In comparison, seventy nine per cent of agricultural landlords said that they would be unlikely to use secure tenancies to rent-out agricultural land in the future, while 2% said that they would be likely to use this type of arrangement. (See: Renting-Out Agricultural Land in Scotland Survey 2014.)

14. Eighty-one per cent of agricultural landlords agreed that 'Uncertainty around the future of agricultural holdings legislation is detrimental to farming', while only 2% disagreed. Seventeen per cent did not know. (See: Renting-Out Agricultural Land in Scotland Survey 2014.)