THE Tenant Farmers Association have told members that they should resist suggestions from landlords that dairy rents should increase.

TFA national chairman, Reg Haydon said: "Whilst there has been an increase in prices paid to producers for their milk in recent months, these have been already swallowed up in increased costs - not least energy, fertiliser, labour and dairy replacements. Any landlords agent worth his salt will be considering very carefully whether to pursue rent reviews on dairy holdings this spring and coming autumn. It must also be remembered that the recent improvement in prices comes after an extremely long spell where tenant farmers in the dairy sector were having to live off their limited capital."

Landlords' agents will, however, quote the value of the farmhouse to the tenant making reference to rents achievable in the private rented sector for residential tenancies.

"I am well aware that the rents on residential tenancies are strong and in rural areas tend to be supported by commuters or those with second homes earning their incomes in the big cities. This is very different to the situation experienced by farm tenants. The houses which they live in are part of a complete farm unit let under a very different legislative code to residential tenancies and often with very different repairing obligations. It is like comparing chalk and cheese and we consider it bad practice when landlords' agents attempt to split out the value of the farmhouse in rental negotiations," said Mr Haydon.