Lifestyle buyers and private investors are snapping up increasing amounts of UK agricultural land, according to estate agents Strutt and Parker. Whether they made their fortune trading slaves, building mills or designing financial derivatives, investing one’s treasure in a stately home and a patch of English pasture is a trick of the rich as old as the hills — and it has never been more popular. The number of people buying farmland in the country has risen by more than a third since 2010, with an average price per acre rising from £4,200 last year to almost £6,000. The southeast is the most affected region, where lifestyle investors and private buyers outnumber farmers by two to one. Farmland is not subject to inheritance tax, while a country house with land is liable to a capped stamp duty of only 5%. George Dunn, the head of the Tenant Farmers Association, called the tax breaks a "scandalous" perk.
Lifestyle buyers and private investors are snapping up increasing amounts of UK agricultural land, according to estate agents Strutt and Parker. The number of people buying farmland in the country has risen by more than a third since 2010, with an average price per acre rising from £4,200 last year to almost £6,000. The southeast is the most affected region, where lifestyle investors and private buyers outnumber farmers by two to one. Farmland is not subject to inheritance tax, while a country house with land is liable to a capped stamp duty of only 5%. George Dunn, the head of the Tenant Farmers Association, called the tax breaks a "scandalous" perk.