‘REFERENDUM FATIGUE’ BOOSTS FARM SALES
Farming woes never cease – yet Scotland’s farmland market is enjoying strong support compared with the rest of the UK and viewer numbers up compared with the same period last year.
Estate agent Savills reports an active farmland market in Scotland, both in terms of the level of land being launched to the market and healthy level of buyer interest.
There has been a 43 per cent increase in the amount of land being offered for sale compared to a modest drop south of the border, and viewer numbers in Scotland are up.
Evelyn Channing of Savills Farm Agency team cites referendum fatigue, improved bank lending, value for money and the desire to diversify farming income.
“Viewer requests and pre-emptive offers paint an unexpectedly positive picture in an industry beset with concerns. In addition there is a strong appetite from farmers looking for purchasing advice in this uncertain market.
“Coming hot on the heels of the Scottish Referendum and local elections, a level of fatigue has set in and the EU debate has had minimal impact north of the border.”
Savills says the commercial need to secure value for money has been a greater driver than politics. Crofthead in Dumfriesshire,an attractive mixed agricultural, forestry and sporting estate at a total of 1,258 acres, and Falahill in Midlothian are both attracting English viewers.