FARMLAND sales are looking up, according to an expert.

Following a slow start to the year, there are now good market levels of activity for public and private sales, according to Rhydian Scurlock-Jones of the Savills farm agency team in the West Midlands.

There have also been notable value increases particularly for amenity and poorer quality farmland.

Analysis by Savills rural research shows that on the supply side at a national level there are early signs that the theme of low supply, which has dominated the farmland market in the last couple of years, is beginning to ease.

Rhydian said: “While supply in Shropshire and Staffordshire combined has increased to end of June this year, compared with the end of June 2020, the two counties have not surpassed the supply seen in 2019 and 2018.

“Demand, based on our applicant numbers, remains strong at national level..

“The pool of potential buyers is growing more rapidly than before, with 28 per cent more registered at the half year point compared to the same period in 2020. There are a number of buyers with rollover funds to invest and commercial farmers seeking quality farms.

“The West Midlands mirrors the national picture in that values have remained strong with significant interest from both farming and lifestyle buyers fuelling the demand.”

He added that although values increased for all land types, average livestock and poorer quality livestock land outperformed with three per cent and 3.2 per cent growth respectively, almost returning to the peak levels last seen in 2015.