Resilient farmers land a blow for good management, says Savills

Just over 17,000 acres of farmland were publicly marketed in the East of England last year according to latest research.

A farmland survey from Savills also shows values for prime arable land dropped by an average of 4.4 per cent across the region – although there remain large variations.

Overall, a total of 17,378 acres of farmland were publicly marketed across the East of England in 2025 – a fall of 16 per cent on the previous year and accounting for 15 per cent of all farmland sold in England.

Essex topped the region, with 4,982 acres publicly marketed, followed by Cambridgeshire (4,493 acres) and Bedfordshire (2,882 acres). This was followed by Suffolk (2,290 acres), Norfolk (1,515 acres) and Hertfordshire (1,216 acres).

Meanwhile, the value of prime arable land in the East of England has dropped by 4.4 per cent to an average of £9,481 an acre, compared to £9,914 for the previous 12 months.

Grade 3 arable land is trading at an average of £9,109 an acre – a drop of 1.9 per cent compared to 12 months previously, while the average value for ‘all types’ of farmland sits at £9,952 an acre (compared to £9,290 12 months ago).

Oliver Carr, who leads the rural agency team for Savills in Cambridgeshire, said: “The figures are not unexpected. It shows that, despite some significant economic and political headwinds, farming businesses in the East of England remain largely resilient.

“Despite well documented changes to inheritance tax and other challenges squeezing profits, we’ve not seen a surge of farmland come to the market. That’s testament to the hard work and adaptability of our farmers.

“Where there’s been more farmland for sale it’s mostly been due to one or two larger sales, or here in Essex we have continued to see a regular stream of smaller scale farming units coming to the market.”

While commercial pressures had resulted in a fallback in average values, there remained large variations based on locational factors, Carr added.

“Best in class farms that are in good order continue to command a premium – with parts of the region achieving values in excess of £12,000 an acre,” he said. “There continues to be a lot of variation depending on location, soil type, quality of buildings and the presence – or absence – of good infrastructure.

“The buyer pool has also reduced, although those who are still looking remain very committed, in part due to the lack of supply. We continue to see strong interest from those seeking to benefit from capital gains tax rollover relief and institutional and corporate buyers, as well as growing interest from natural capital led purchasers.”

According to the Savills report the UK witnessed a 12 per cent year-on-year fall in publicly marketed farmland to 165,000 acres across 882 properties in 2025. Average farmland values meanwhile dipped by around 1 per cent.

Looking ahead to how the farmland market might perform for the rest of this year and beyond, Carr said: “We expect values to remain broadly firm through the next two years before entering a phase of steady growth as policy clarity improves and profitability prospects stabilise.

“On the supply side, the acreage marketed could rise from 2027 as larger farming businesses address inheritance tax liabilities. However, we do not see the acreage returning to pre-2000 levels.

“Historically, farmland ownership has been rewarding for many long-term owners, and the accelerated pace of climate and demographic change, alongside evolving policy, suggests this will continue.”