The second quarter of the year has certainly felt much busier than the first, with 30,400 acres publicly launched, compared with just 5,800 acres in Q1. However, the total volume of farmland publicly marketed across the first half of the year remains low at 36,200 acres – which is 8% below the five-year average. This is perhaps not surprising given the concerns about COVID-19 and uncertainties about the impact and timing of new agricultural policy initiatives, all of which may be prompting some potential sellers to watch and wait.
In total, 110 farms have been publicly marketed during the first half of the year, which is just below the five-year average of 120. This is mainly due to half the usual number of farms being available in the West Midlands.
However, it should be noted that a significant acreage was marketed privately during the first half of 2021 and these sales are not included in Figure 3 because of the difficulty in collecting comprehensive details. It is estimated that in some regions private sales are accounting for as much as 50% of the land being sold, with some significant deals being struck off market.
650 acres, Dorset, Sold Privately
Figure 1: Amount of farmland publicly marketed in England (acres)
H1 2017
6,900
9,400
600
4,200
5,500
8,900
5,100
47,500
H1 2018
7,800
11,200
3,200
1,200
6,000
5,600
4,100
3,500
42,700
H1 2019
3,900
6,700
3,000
4,400
12,700
5,400
45,300
H1 2020
2,800
2,400
7,500
2,000
900
25,700
H1 2021
5,300
5,200
1,100
8,800
5,900
1,700
36,200
Five-year average
5,340
7,480
2,440
3,920
4,700
7,720
4,040
3,820
39,480
% difference from average
-1%
-30%
-55%
124%
-13%
-24%
-58%
10%
-8%
NB Figures are for January to June (H1) unless otherwise stated and are rounded to the nearest 100 acres. Privately marketed farmland has been excluded due to the difficulty of collecting comprehensive information.
Figure 2: Amount of farmland publicly marketed in England (acres) by quarter
Figure 3: Number of farms marketed
20
26
4
13
21
16
19
132
18
7
25
15
125
14
10
38
137
9
11
12
97
17
23
110
NB Figures are for January to June (H1) unless otherwise stated. Privately marketed farmland has been excluded due to the difficulty of collecting comprehensive information.
Figure 4: Main type of farms marketed