Ban on selling properties with land to ‘non-agriculture’ people.

[levisiteur]

Ban on selling properties with land to ‘non-agriculture’ people.

 

The estate agent tell me that recently SAFER have been blocking the sale of ‘farm type properties’ to people who have no connection with farming. I have 2 alternatives – find a buyer with farming related diplomas, or sell the house and barn - minus the land.

Therefore someone who wants a few hectares for horses/pleasure is out.

Any one else heard of this situation?

 

Levisiteur

[Will]

I would suggest you talk to another estate agent.

It may well be that SAFER in your area is being awkward, but the normal procedure, which has been in existence for many years, is that any property that is sold with agricultural land of more than a certain (I think variable) area is first referred to the local SAFER in order to give farmers the option of buying it. If there are no agricultural takers (there seldom are, due to over-supply of farmland as younger people are not, as a rule, interested in entering farming or taking over from their parents) then any sale can proceed to non-farmers.

[chris pp]

Is this new? I thought that this had always been the case and it just depended on where you were and whether the land was of farming interest or not.

This is something that I find frustrating to say the least, as in France, unlike the UK, it is near to impossible to buy some land (or have it donated) and make it "protected" for nature conservation. Generally speaking in France the only way to do this is by working with either the land owner where the land still remains "worked" or a company, say Lafarge for example who own quarries, but they still remain "worked", this is usually only possible under the auspices of  a regional Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels where it all has to be approved and then they oversee the other associations who provide the expertise regarding habitat and particular species present.

Something of a simplification, Chris

 

 

[Anton Redman]

We bought with four hectares last autumn. According to the Notaire there had been no change in the rules. They had two months to 'Put up or Shut Up' unless you paid a fee to reduce the notice period to one month. They have the right to match the offer. I have not picked anything up in the French press about changes. Is the agent French or English ?

[Patf]

Do farmers receive EU subsidies for land not in productive use? If so they might be reluctant to sell. Pat.