The importance of tenant farming, and what needs to be done to secure its future, will be top of the agenda when the NFU hosts the 2009 Tenant Farming Conference at Chatsworth House, Derbyshire.

With a new government expected within the next 12 months the NFU hopes the conference will set the tone for future lobbying for the tenanted sector and enable government to develop a positive framework to ensure the next generation of farmers has access to secure tenancies.

The conference, which will be chaired by NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond and held on Thursday November 19, has already attracted some of the industry's leading figures including Julian Sayers, of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors, and Stephen Morgan, the out-going rural chairman of the Association of Chief Estate Surveyors. Both are joining NFU President and opening speaker Peter Kendall, and Lord Davies from Defra, for the morning session to discuss the future of the sector.

"This is an important conference which will help shape some of the key decisions that need to be made about future lobbying from the NFU on behalf of its tenant members," said Mr Kendall. "Coming as it does in the year before a general election, with the presence of the Defra representative to the House of Lords and the opposition minister for agriculture, it should provide a useful insight into the policies we can expect to see for the tenanted sector in the coming years.

"The NFU believes a strong tenanted sector is paramount if we are to meet all of the well-documented challenges that lie ahead for increased food production, while impacting less on our environment."

Issues for discussion include the role and the future of county farms, the need for professional advice for complex tenant issues, such as succession planning, and the role Government can play in ensuring the sector has a viable future supported, rather than hindered, by legislation. The NFU also hopes the conference will give members food for thought when it comes to planning for retirement as well as making provision for the next generation of tenant farmers.

Leading on tenancy issues for the NFU is Deputy President Meurig Raymond. He will be joined for the afternoon session by Jim Paice MP, shadow secretary for agriculture, Katherine Sealy, vice chairman of NFYFC/ARAC, and Peter Wallin from the NFU Mutual.

Mr Raymond said: "This conference is the first time we will have our regional representatives on tenancy issues meeting with national leaders for the sector, including those in the retail supply chain, major banks, government representatives, leading surveyors and legal advisers.

"It will also offer the chance for young farmers to have their say on how tenancy issues affect them and their future plans for farming. For some a tenancy is the only opportunity to remain in agriculture, renting back their family farm, which in turn can provide retiring parents security for the future. Whatever route is chosen it is imperative that the right advice is sought and options are explored. This is where the NFU and this conference are breaking ground by having this debate under one roof."