Areas of expertise
Agriculture & Rural Disputes
Farming businesses, land ownership, agricultural tenancies, rights of way and rural neighbour disputes.
Introduction
Rural disputes typically combine business, property and family across generations. A disagreement about a tenancy, a boundary or who was promised the farm can involve people who live and work on the same land every day.
Farming assets are illiquid, so a judgment requiring a payment can mean selling land the family has held for decades.
What we cover
- Farming partnerships and succession
- Land ownership and title
- Agricultural tenancies
- Rights of way and access
- Rural neighbour disputes
Why mediation?
Litigation in rural cases is uniquely destructive: it is slow, it is expensive, and it plays out in a small community. Very often it forces an outcome that suits nobody.
Mediation can deal with succession, tenancy, partnership accounts and boundaries together, and can find answers — phased handovers, tenancies, options, life interests — that a court could not order.
How ProMediate can help
We understand how farming businesses actually work: the mixture of partnership, tenancy and personal ownership, the role of the next generation, and the cash-flow reality of a working farm.
We are content to meet on the farm where that helps, to walk the land, and to work at a pace that suits the family. Settlements are drafted so they can be implemented alongside tenancies, mortgages and lender requirements.
Why choose ProMediate?
An experienced panel
Barristers, solicitors and senior professionals who have mediated across the full range of commercial, civil and workplace disputes.
CMC Registered Provider
ProMediate is a Civil Mediation Council Registered Mediation Provider, working to recognised professional and complaints standards.
Nationwide coverage
We arrange mediations throughout England and Wales, at a venue convenient to the parties or at our own arranged rooms.
Online and face to face
Full online mediation on Teams or Zoom, hybrid sessions and traditional in-person days — whichever suits the dispute.
Flexible appointments
Evening, weekend and short-notice appointments are available, and most mediations can be arranged within two to three weeks.
Confidential throughout
The process is private and without prejudice. Nothing said in the mediation can be used later if the matter does not settle.
Commercial and pragmatic
We focus on outcomes that work in practice — payment terms, future arrangements and clean settlements — not on winning arguments.
Frequently asked questions
- Can the whole family attend?
- Usually yes. We will agree the attendance list in advance so everyone with a stake can take part or be consulted.
- Can you mediate at the farm?
- We can, and it is often the most practical venue. We also mediate rural disputes online where travel is difficult.
- Does an agreement about a boundary need anything further?
- The settlement will normally provide for a boundary agreement or transfer, prepared and registered by the parties' solicitors afterwards.
Request a mediation
Request a mediation, ask for a quotation or speak to our team about this dispute. Tell us briefly what has happened and we will suggest suitable mediators, available dates and a fixed fee — usually within one working day.