SIR, – I originally wished to remain anonymous due to fear it would hinder my search for a rented farm, however at this stage of four years of trying for a farm – I have nothing else to lose. 
Our history in farming is one that could be described as devastation. My partner, his brother and father had a 500 acre tenanted farm which sadly the landlord took back in 2012 to put on the open market for sale. 
As upsetting as it was for our family, the landlord had his own personal reasons for doing so as hard as it may seem for us. We were fortunate enough to have a 300 acre ‘out farm’ as a backup, however we had to cut our numbers. A sad sale of more than a third of our cattle was held. 
A lot of people would have given up hope then and would have stopped, because how can three families maintain a living out of 300 acres. We continued on, picked ourselves up with renewed enthusiasm. We kept going forward; surely a tenanted farm could not be impossible for my partner and I to get? 
Fast forward four years, and here is our situation. We are still looking for a farm to rent. We are well set up; as a couple we have built up our cattle numbers. My ten plus years of savings that originally were meant for a house deposit, before I was fortunate enough to become involved in the world of farming, were invested into a British Blue herd. We have our own machinery. We have proof of money behind us, yet we cannot get a start. 
Who do I blame for this? I certainly do not blame the landlords. I need only put myself in their shoes to understand their mindset. There is one association that I am firmly pointing my finger at,The Scottish Tenant Farmers Association. 
You need only look at their website to see what it is they say they are trying to do. However, in my own experience it is nothing but thinking of older tenants with old leases and what they can get out of it. 
The fear has been installed enough into landlords, between having the threat of paying out money to a tenant or even worse, lose your farm completely to a tenant’s right to buy. 
Now, I do agree that a tenant who has invested money deserves this paid back to him. I will use our own example – we erected sheds, and when our tenancy ended, they were valued and we were paid what we were due. What I do not agree with is paying money for the pleasure of an old tenancy coming to an end. 
What prompted me to write this letter? Opening The Scottish Farmer on August 20, 2016, to find the title ‘Tenants champion becomes a landowner’. Who’s champion is he? 
I am classed as a tenanted farmer, when we were going through our hard time of losing the farm, the advice offered by the champion was about as good as a chocolate teapot. 
But aside from that personal experience, his advice in general has not helped get a farm for me or any other farmer wishing for a tenancy. 
I am sure many other people like me want to speak out but are afraid to. Seems to be a recurring theme: scare the landlords, scare the ones looking for tenancies into not speaking up. 
I am glad to know that the champion has sorted the situation for himself though and perhaps now he is a landowner and not a tenant we can sort out a better fairer system to suit landlords and tenants. 
Ask the question – now he is a proud landowner, would he let out his farm? I think we know the answer to that one. 
At the moment, I know of two tenancies that are being given up in the next month in the exact same area not local to me, but when I made contact about them, the future of the farms is undecided. 
I would say I think ‘outside the box’; I try different avenues, different ways, have made contacts with landlords and estate agents from different areas, yet they all say the same thing – they are afraid to rent out their farms for the fear of losing them. 
You cannot tell me it is an excuse when it is different agencies, different people and different areas all saying the same thing. I have positive responses and most of all I admire the honesty from some of these contacts. They are not airbrushing the facts and making everything seem a positive when it is very much a negative. 
Ask yourself this: Why would a landlord then rent a farm out again at the risk the rules change and a new game is played? Would you be happy to have bought a house, rented it out, and the tenant can turn round and demand money for going out? 
I know if I was the landlord I wouldn’t take the risk of renting out and yet I am the one wanting the farm to rent! 
What is The Scottish Tenant Farming Association going to tell me, that to enable the older tenants to get a pay out, there has to be some sacrifices such as the risk they have taken, that as a consequence there are now no tenancies. 
I shall tell you about sacrifices – they are being engaged for four years but not setting the wedding date because every penny is saved for the dream of a farm, wanting to start a family but putting that on hold as your passion and drive is so strong for a farm you are willing to make sacrifices until it comes true; continuing to improve your herd of cattle, show them yet knowing it could all be for nothing as without a farm a dispersal is surely coming.... 

Jenna Whyte 
Aberdeenshire