Plans by the Prince of Wales to sell off up to 20% of the Duchy of Cornwall could see more tenant farmers across England asked to buy their farms or move out, the BBC reported. The Tenant Farmers Association said up to 40 farm holdings in Devon, Cornwall, Herefordshire, and the Midlands could be affected. Locals said talks over the future of nine farms on the Bradninch estate in Devon have already caused "distress" for some tenants who fear they cannot afford to buy. The Duchy, which covers about 51,800 hectares (128,000 acres) in 19 counties, plans to use the £500 million raised from property and land sales over the next decade to invest in local communities, affordable housing, and environmental projects. A spokeswoman said the estate could not confirm the total number of tenants affected by the 10-year plan but was "supporting them through the process with care and respect."
Former GP Mary Ryan, a local Liberal Democrat councillor who has lived near Bradninch for about 35 years and is supporting the farmers, said some of those affected were "experiencing enormous mental and emotional distress." She added that while the Duchy had reportedly apologised to tenants last month, the handling of the process had been "pretty dire." The sales programme has now been extended from Bradninch, near Cullompton, to the Duloe estate in Cornwall and to individual holdings elsewhere, according to the TFA.
Matthew Morris, the Duchy's rural director, told the BBC he was listening to feedback and offering support and mental-health advice. He said the Duchy was "still committed to agriculture" but that there "may well be other disposals in the future." There were "no cliff edges here," he said, and the estate was working closely with every tenant. "In the main, our mission is to sell to our farmers. We are keen that wherever possible we can achieve that continuity." For many, he said, owning the farm is a generational aspiration, and some have told him the chance is "an amazing outcome." The Duchy, established in 1337, currently has about 700 agricultural lettings, including around 300 whole-farm holdings, on a mix of time-limited and lifelong contracts, some of which can be passed down in a family.
George Dunn, the TFA's chief executive, said poor communication had left tenants "facing prolonged uncertainty over valuations, timing and the options available to them." He welcomed an assurance that "nobody will be made homeless," but said not every tenant will be able or willing to buy, and that fair alternatives must be explored when ownership is unaffordable. The verified story is a contested sell-off already under way, not a mass eviction and not a finished sale of 20% of the estate.