Farmers amongst buyers as East of England sees rise in farmland for sale

 Farmers looking for economies of scale to expand existing operations have been among the most active buyers in this year’s farmland market, local agents have said.

These comments come following the latest research from Savills that shows the East of England had more farmland publicly listed for sale in the first six months of 2026 than any other region in the UK.

Jamie Elbourn, associate in the rural agency team for Savills in Essex, said non-farming buyers also continue to provide strong competition, with many purchasers driven by rollover relief from Capital Gains Tax on business and property sales.

The half year farmland report also shows that average values have remained relatively stable despite more challenging market conditions.

According to the research, 13,974 acres of farmland were publicly listed for sale in the East of England during the first six months of 2026. This is a rise of 13 per cent when compared to the same period in 2025 and the most of any region in the UK.

Overall, there were 88,100 acres of farmland publicly marketed across Great Britain in the first half of 2026, a fall of 12 per cent year on year.

The report also shows that prime arable land in the East of England is currently trading at an average of £9,270 an acre – a drop of 1 per cent when compared to the end of June 2025 when the average value was £9,368. The average value for Grade 3 arable land meanwhile sits at £8,785 an acre – a fall of 3.1 per cent compared to 12 months before when the average value was £9,061 an acre.

Across Great Britain as a whole, prime arable values have dropped by 0.8 per cent to an average of £9,908 an acre compared to June last year, while Grade 3 arable land has fallen by 1.1 per cent to an average of £8,685 an acre.

Jamie said there continued to be considerable variation in values – with some farmland in the region trading at £16,000 an acre and others at £9,000 an acre. He added that best in class farms were continuing to generate strong competition, with established farming businesses among the most active purchasers.

“Despite the challenges facing the sector, many purchasers continue to recognise opportunities when they arise, particularly for best-in-class properties, where on occasions competitive bidding has generated sale prices above average values,” he said.

“This is particularly the case when established farming businesses are competing hard for neighbouring or strategically important acres at levels that are difficult for buyers from outside the area to justify.

“A lot of our buyers have been farmers with a medium to long-term strategy who are looking to create economies of scale and expand their existing operations.”

Oliver Carr, who leads the rural team for Savills in Cambridgeshire, said that since March farmers have been grappling with the impacts of very little rainfall coupled with increased costs due to the Middle East conflict.

More recently however, a degree of policy stability has been delivered by the government’s Land Use Framework for England, which acknowledges the importance of land for not only food production but also alternative uses, such as development, infrastructure, and energy, providing the sector with opportunities to realise value over the medium to long-term.

“As farm support is withdrawn, farming businesses continue to seek income streams via crop production, supply chain contracts and alternative enterprises that underpin farmland’s future as a sound investment,” Ollie said.

“Average values have held up relatively well in a historic context and we expect that to continue. The year on year rise in the quantity of farmland for sale also needs to be seen in light of last year when – compared to other regions – we had very little farmland for sale here in the east, so there’s a feeling that perhaps we’re now catching up with the norm”