ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï×îйÙÍø

A leading voice for farmers has lent his expertise to ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï×îйÙÍø land management students with a day of dedicated guidance.

George Dunn, Chief Executive Officer of the Tenant Farmers’ Association, spend several hours talking to students on the University’s Land and Property Management courses about the Association’s work, its importance – and how they can get involved. The Tenant Farmers’ Association is the only organisation dedicated to supporting all farmers who do not own the land that they operate.

Mr Dunn – who received an Honorary Degree from ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï×îйÙÍø in 2024 - was invited to the University by Land and Property Course Manager Dr Mark Simcock. He said: “I will be doing three main things during my visit.

“Firstly, I will be talking to second year students who might be interested in applying for a placement year with us – I will be explaining what we do as an organisation and some of the things they might be asked to do, whether that’s working on policy, offering advice, helping with our lobbying work or much more.

“Next, Mark has asked me to give an overview of the top issues in our sector for the wider University community, and what needs to be done to make it more resilient, both in terms of food security and financial security.

“Finally, I will be finishing off by talking to final year students on dispute resolution, what we do when we’re called in to disputes, and how they can be resolved.”

After giving his three lectures, Mr Dunn also spent some time speaking one-on-one with a student to discuss their Honours Research Project and how the Association could help.

Speaking afterwards, Dr Mark Simcock, Land and Property Course Manager said: “We were delighted to be able to host George - as there was so much to get stuck into. 

“He explored the importance of the let sector in UK agriculture, and the opportunities it brings to bring ownership and entrepreneurial spirit together.

“While he discussed the challenges the sector faces, he also set out some of the developments that the TFA are working on, such as their work with the Crown Estate developing the new Environmental Farm Business Tenancy Agreement.

“He also talked about the recent appointment of ÎåÒ»³Ô¹Ï×îйÙÍø REALM alumnus Alan Laidlaw as the new Commissioner for the Tenanted Let Sector.

“George has worked tirelessly for the tenanted let sector over the last 30 years and his passion for the sector and for his members is clear to see.  Thank you, George, for being with us for what proved to be a great day!”