The Government has announced the appointment of Alan Laidlaw as England’s first Commissioner for the tenant farming sector.
This announcement delivers on a key recommendation from the independent Rock Review, which explored how to better support tenant farmers and ensure a thriving agricultural tenanted sector in England.
Duncan Sigournay, Partner and Head of Agriculture at Thrings, comments on the appointment and what it means for the sector.
What is the Commissioner’s role?
With over 25 years’ experience in agriculture, land management, and rural investment, Alan Laidlaw brings both strategic insight and hands-on understanding to the position.
As Commissioner, he is tasked with promoting fair practice, strengthening tenant -landlord relationships, and ensuring tenant farmers have a voice in shaping the future of English agriculture.
His remit is broad, but key responsibilities include:
How will this new role impact the sector?
The creation of the Tenant Farming Commissioner role is a significant step forward in terms of recognising and addressing the unique challenges faced by tenant farmers.
With around a third of England’s farmland being tenanted, tenant farmers play a vital role in food production and environmental stewardship, yet they often face greater uncertainty, limited access to support schemes, and complex relationships with landlords.
Alan Laidlaw’s appointment is designed to address these challenges head-on by promoting fair practice, investigating complaints, and helping shape policy that reflects the realities of tenant farming.
His presence is expected to bring greater transparency, accountability, and confidence to a sector that has long felt overlooked in agricultural reform.
What should tenant farmers and landlords do next?
While the role is still new, the government and industry bodies have already outlined some practical areas where stakeholders can engage.
Tenant farmers and landlords are encouraged to familiarise themselves with the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice for England, which sets out expectations for fair and transparent conduct.
Tenant farmers may wish to:
Landlords may consider:
As the Commissioner begins his outreach and reporting duties, both parties have an opportunity to help shape a more resilient and collaborative tenanted farming sector.
Duncan Sigournay, Partner and Head of Agriculture at Thrings, said: “Although the vast majority of landlords and tenants have a perfectly good working relationship, we routinely come across examples where that isn’t the case. We’ve seen examples of poor practice that make life even harder for tenant farmers, such as refusing tenant’s access to environmental schemes or reasonable diversification requests, landlord’s failing to honour their repairing obligations, short-term tenancies that discourage investment, and a lack of transparency or communication between landlords and tenants.
“These issues create real barriers to progress, and that’s why the Commissioner’s role is so important - it’s about resetting relationships and making sure tenant farmers are treated fairly.”
Thrings’ Agriculture team is one of the largest of its kind in the UK with decades of experience in successfully supporting its farming and landowner clients to achieve their aims and the potential for their business. Its lawyers are ranked in the highest tier by both the prestigious Legal 500 and Chambers & Partners directories and have been chosen by the NFU to act for its members in more counties than any other firm.