Agriculture & Landed Estates

As a rural law practice, our agricultural lawyers have a long-established relationship with farmers, landowners and landed estates having acted for several generations of farming families for over 200 years. We know that this industry faces unique challenges, which is why we have a dedicated team of agricultural and landed estate solicitors who all have a detailed understanding of the issues of relevance to rural landowners.

Most of our agricultural and landed estates team are members of the Agricultural Law Association (ALA) and the Country Land and Business Association (CLA) and have been actively involved in the rural community for many years.

Our agricultural solicitors aim to provide legal advice that is prompt, practical and cost-effective.

Our agricultural law expertise

Matters on which we have recently advised in the agricultural sector include:

• Advising a large agricultural land owner with regards to a farm business tenancy (FBT)
• Advising in connection with the acquisition of substantial agricultural property, agricultural land and holdings including the negotiation of rights of pre-emption and sporting rights over adjoining land
• Advising on the ownership and structure of a family’s significant landed estate and agricultural businesses, while preserving the integrity of the estate for the benefit of future generations
• Application to the Land Registry to register a right of way over common land
• Advising a family on various ongoing tax and trust issues arising from and in relation to the ownership of a large estate
• Administration of an estate with a complex unregistered title leading to first registration at the Land Registry
• Defending a farmer over a prosecution for alleged incorrect use of a snare on his farm
• Pursuing employment tribunal claim for unfair dismissal and breach of the National Minimum Wage Regulations on behalf of a gamekeeper
• Drafting new employment documentation and licence agreements for a landed estate in relation to its staff
• Advising a major hunting body over changes to its employment documentation and its constitution
• Advising a landed estate on a dispute over sporting right with a neighbouring landed estate
• Advising a landed estate over an agreement to allow a local history society to have access to the estate’s industrial heritage property
• Advising a landowner in a boundary dispute with a neighbouring landowner decided in our client’s favour by binding arbitration
• Advising a landed estate over a sporting rights claim from a neighbouring farm
• Advising a farm on damage caused to its crops and land by livestock straying from a neighbouring farm
• Advising a landed estate in a dispute with a neighbouring equestrian business over the extent of access rights over the estate
• Advising a grouse moor owner over an agreement with Natural England to restrict public access under CROW to estate land