Whether dealing with Severn Trent, National Grid, highways or any other organisation wanting access over your land it is never recommended to allow them onto your land without written agreement. These organisations have codes of practise which should protect farmers when they take access, but we are increasingly seeing bad practise leading to farmland being damaged.
Recent examples include damage to land drainage not being reported or repaired, topsoil not being separated and excessive vehicle use causing compaction.
Andrew Troughton says, ‘The initial communication is typically good and helpful but once the project has been completed this frequently disappears. It is therefore critical to ensure ground rules and method statements are agreed prior to access’.
‘Contractors seem to struggle with the concept that farmers are tying to make money from farming, even when the field is ‘just grass’. They need to be reminded that the soil is an essential ingredient to farming and it needs to be handled carefully’.
If you are approached by any company asking for access to your land the best initial response is ‘No, but you can speak to my agent to agree terms’.