AROUND £8million will be raised by selling off eight public-owned farms.

Somerset County Council agreed to start selling off its existing farms in October 2010, citing an “appallingly low” annual rental income and arguing the sale proceeds could be used to fund front-line services.

Farmers across the county have been given notice to quit since then, with many attempting to buy all or part of the land which they have farmed as tenants, some for years.

On Thursday, the council formally agreed to the sale or partial sale of seven farms, retaining some of the land for future farming use.

Charlie Field, from the council’s estates team, said in his written report that this decision was being taken now to “meet buyer expectations” and to ensure that the council hit its targets for the amount of capital funding it had.

The following farms, or parts of farms, are set to be sold off:

  • Eastside Farm, Bridgwater  – 101 acres (24 acres retained)
  • Four Lanes Farm, Chard – 145 acres
  • Coldharbour Farm, Donyatt – 145 acres
  • Dolly’s Pool Dairy, Donyatt – 10 acres (100 acres retained)
  • Whitney Farm, Donyatt – 50 acres (with approximately 60 acres being retained)
  • Oxenford Farm, Dowlish Wake – 135 acres
  • Selwood Farm, Lympsham – 73 acres
  • Stream Farm, Weare – 52 acres (30 acres retained)

Of these seven farms, two sites – Whitney Farm in Donyatt and Eastside Farm in Bridgwater – will be sold to the existing tenants and third parties.

The farms will be sold at market value – although the precise figures have not been made public – and come with an “overage clause”, which forbids the new owners from disposing of the land (such as selling it to a housing developer) in the immediate period after the sale.

The remaining six farms – including Oxenford Farm – will be sold off after the current tenants have vacated.

These properties and the associated land will be sold at public auction with a minimum reserve price set, and similar overage clauses being put in place.

The council will retain land from four of the farms – Eastside Farm, Dolly’s Pool Diary, Whitney Farm and Stream Farm – for “strategic or development purposes”, making it available for other farmers.

Mr Field said that he and his team hoped to have all these sales concluded by the end of June, and that they would generate “in the region of £8 million”.

At Oxenford Farm, an auction was held on Tuesday morning (May 1) to dispose of 300 cattle owned by David and Sue Osborne, who have farmed there since 2002.

In the auction catalogue, the couple said: “We would like to thank all those over the years who have helped with the herd, and become friends, especially in the early days and, more recently, in helping us to cope with this final chapter in our farming career.

“We wish everyone who purchases cattle from our herd well. We hope they do well for you and give you every satisfaction.”

Mrs Osborne, who serves on South Somerset District Council, previously criticised the county council’s decision to sell off its farms, describing it as “the economic and social cleansing of the land”.

A council spokesman said: “We do not have a target of how many farms we intend to sell in the next 12 months, but will deal with tenancies as and when they come to an end.

“All farmers at these seven locations were given the necessary notice to quit. A number enquired about buying, but we were only were able to conclude agreement to sell to two tenants.”