Fairer farm tenancy law needed, not a rethink on renewable energy - Yorkshire Post Letters

The sad story of the Sturdy family, tenant farmers who have lost nearly half their North Yorkshire farm to a solar development, has been well reported. The government's own planning inspector concluded the scheme would cause "irreversible detriment" to their business, yet it was approved on appeal anyway. Their experience has exposed a real gap in the law: tenant farmers have inadequate protection in such cases.

The fact that the development is a solar farm seems to put a spotlight on this case, whilst a different story, about a farmer positive about solar on his own land, has had far less coverage.

Joe Ward is also a third-generation farmer, this time in Lincolnshire. He says he’s had no real choice but to turn some of his land to solar for financial reasons. His soil has been used to grow barley for the malting industry, a market that's shrinking. Two dry summers running, and the loss of affordable water, has made his efforts unprofitable. "Growing food here isn't profitable, solar is," he says. Now his ground will be put to better use and help his farm remain profitable.

Due to global warming, farmers across the UK have suffered in recent years. Sometimes from flooding, ruining crops and washing away precious topsoil. At other times, from heat and drought ripping away any chance of profit. This year, some farmers have endured one followed by the other and simply can't plan for what might come next.

Climate change is what threatens our food security, not solar farms. The Sturdys deserve a fairer tenancy law, not a rethink on renewable energy.