Insurance News Archive

Landlords 'should show leniency towards farmers'

Tenant farmers should be given a break over paying their rent on time if they have been affected by the foot and mouth crisis, it has been suggested.

The farming industry has appealed to landlords, banks and other creditors to show leniency when calling in payments as farms have seen incomes plunge due to the outbreak of the disease.

The Tenant Farmers Association (TFA) and the charity Farm Crisis Network (FCN) said that commercial property owners should realise that despite the outbreak being well-contained, farmers were facing numerous problems that might stop them from meeting the terms of their contracts.

FCN deputy national coordinator Helen Bagwell said that some tenant farmers were scared of going to talk to their bank to solve their financial difficulties in case their debts were called in.

"We are also getting reports that some landlords are taking a hard line on rental payments, expecting them to be met on time despite the current circumstances," she said.

"Situations where farm families are having to raid their children's bank accounts just to survive are heartbreaking."

Agreeing with the assessment of the situation, TFA chairman Reg Haydon pointed out that movement restrictions on animals meant that farmers were losing huge amounts of their income.

"There appears to be a general lack of appreciation of the severity of the current crisis," he added.

26 Sep 2007