Document downloads - Agricultural tenancies
Available downloads
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Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995, RICS guidance (ARCHIVED)
The guidance note was published in June 1995. It offers an interpretation of the Act and prompts consideration of other important, related matters. It also provides commentary on the practical application of the Act in relation to RICS Farm Business Tenancy Agreements.
The supplementary guidance note, which published in 1998, complements and updates the Guidance note on the 1995 Agricultural Tenancies Act and should be read in conjunction with it. It deals with subsequent developments following the introduction of the Act and responds to the wealth of useful information and practical advice received by RICS in response to the original guidance.
RICS Farm Business Tenancy Agreements have continued to evolve. The latest editions can be accessed on isurv at http://isurv.com/site/scripts/documents.aspx?categoryID=104
This document is no longer current and is available on isurv for information only. -
Farm Business Tenancy Agreements 2016 (ARCHIVED)
These previous 2016 Agreements are now out of print and on isurv for information purposes only.
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ARCHIVED: Farm Business Tenancy Agreements 2020
Since the introduction of the original Farm Business Tenancy Agreement (FBTA) suite, there have been a number of updates with the most recent in 2012, 2014, 2016 and February 2020.
The 2014 and 2016 updates were primarily to take account of the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in place of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), the associated changes to related environmental schemes and the abolition of milk quotas, as well as other changes such as the availability of the new model clauses as an alternative set of provisions concerning repairs and insurance.
The February 2020 updates were to take account of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union. A further review of the agreements will be undertaken once the terms of the Agriculture Bill 2020 have been settled and enacted.
See also the supplemental user notes: http://isurv.com/site/scripts/documents_info.aspx?documentID=8884&categoryID=104
The February 2020 Agreements are the current versions. -
Farm Business Tenancy Agreements 2021
Since the introduction of the original suite of Farm Business Tenancy Agreements (FBTA), there have been a number of updates with the most recent in 2012, 2014, 2016, 2020 and 2021.
The 2014 and 2016 updates primarily accounted for the introduction of the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) in place of the Single Payment Scheme (SPS), the associated changes to related environmental schemes and the abolition of milk quotas, as well as other changes such as the availability of the new model clauses as an alternative set of provisions concerning repairs and insurance. The February 2020 updates were primarily to take account of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union.
The 2021 review was primarily to incorporate some specific Welsh legislative/regulatory references where relevant.
See also the supplemental user notes: http://isurv.com/site/scripts/documents_info.aspx?documentID=8884&categoryID=104
The June 2021 Agreements are the current versions. -
Benchmarking in the rural sector
Benchmarking is the process of comparing an organisation and its operations/processes against other organisations in the industry or sector in which it operates, or in the broader marketplace. Challenging the performance of any business using benchmarking should be imperative in any economic climate. However, with so much change in the rural sector currently taking place, the need for rural businesses to benchmark is even more critical. RICS have published this Insight paper on rural benchmarking with the aim of equipping RICS rural professionals with benchmarking skills, which will ensure their reputation as the most trusted advisers and those best placed to add value to rural property, and to ensure that land-based businesses are maintained and enhanced.
This insight paper provides a holistic overview of benchmarking, its applicability to the rural sector and provides an insight into available tools and what some in the sector are currently measuring and benchmarking with some real-life case study examples. Preliminary research for this Insight paper indicates that the current use of benchmarking tools is inconsistent across the rural sector. One of the key findings of the paper itself highlights the clear need for some consistency in benchmarking performance of rural estates and rural land-based businesses, which often have a diverse range of assets and income streams, coupled with diverse ownership motives, which RICS will be further exploring.