Abstract:
This thesis examines the influences of law and policy on the incorporation and
implementation of conservation provisions in agricultural tenancy agreements, and the effect of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 on the environmental management of tenanted
farmland. It includes an analysis of qualitative empirical data collected by an extensive
Interview Survey of tenant farmers, and of the executive staff, land agents and countryside
wardens of landlord organisations. Chapter 1 contains an overview of the historical and legislative background, a brief
comparison with other jurisdictions and a literature review. This is followed by three
technical chapters setting out the law and policy issues raised by i) the Agricultural Holdings
Act 1986, ii) the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995, and iii) EU and Government
environmental incentive schemes. A full methodology of the Interview Survey is included in Chapter 5, which also describes
the composition and the characteristics of the final sample. The following three chapters give
an account of the interview data with respect to i) the attitude of farmers towards
conservation practice generally, ii) the operation of the landlord/tenant relationship in this
context, and iii) the interaction of tenancy issues with Government incentive schemes. Conclusions are then drawn in the final chapter, and recommendations made for law and
policy change and the institution of good practice in the pursuit of environmental benefits on
tenanted farmland and the conduct of the landlord/tenant relationship.
