Agricultural Smallholdings (Hansard, 14 February 1985)

§ 6. Mr. Ashdown
asked the Minister of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food what is the policy of Her Majesty's Government towards the practice of Somerset and other counties in selling off their agricultural smallholdings.

§ Mrs. Fenner
It is the Government's policy to leave decisions on the sale of smallholdings to the smallholdings authorities concerned.

§ Mr. Ashdown
Is the Minister aware that such is the opposition of the National Farmers Union to Somerset's attempts to flog off its smallholdings for a little one-off help with the rates that the union is currently considering advice from a QC that there may be a reason to take Somerset to the courts to test the legality of the matter? In view of the Government's recent embarrassment over court decisions, will the Minister advise Somerset and other county councils which are considering agricultural asset stripping to stay their hand, at least until the legalities of the matter are established?

§ Mrs. Fenner
I note with interest the hon. Gentleman's statement about the NFU. There is no intention to reimpose any limitation on the freedom of local authorities to act in the way that they think best on smallholdings.

§ Mr. Hardy
Has not hon. Member after hon. Member on the Conservative Benches in recent years prated about the need for young people to have an opportunity to enter farming? Is it not the case that those authorities which are selling their smallholdings are merely emulating the dogma of selfish and shortsighted privatisation which is so eagerly served by the same hon. Members who talk about opportunities?

§ Mrs. Fenner
On the contrary. Unfortunately, smallholdings have not generally proved effective in providing that first rung on the farming ladder, largely because of the absence of further rungs, which owes a great deal to the Labour party's Agricultural Land Holdings Act 1976. In the 10-year period to 1980–81 only about 14 tenants per year succeeded in making that transition.

§ Mr. Home Robertson
Is the Minister aware that the Northfield report said that smallholdings should not be sold in view of the urgent need to retain farm holdings to let? As recent legislation has only too plainly failed to encurage private landlords to let more farming units, has the Government any policy to deal with that?

§ Mrs. Fenner
The hon. Gentleman is well aware that the Act has hardly been in force for long enough to have made any considerable difference. It is our hope that it will in time, but that is no excuse for contending that smallholdings have provided that rung, when all the figures show that they have not.