TWO farmers have praised Devon’s Farms Estate and have credited the opportunities given to them by the council as the reason for their successes today.

Liz Warner, who farms in Blackborough, Cullompton and former tenant Barny Butterfield, owner of Sandford Cider Orchards in Crediton, were both asked by Radio 4’s “Farming Today” about the opportunities given to them despite their families not having a background in agriculture.

“I’ve always lived in a rural community and when I left school, I knew I wanted to work in agriculture,” said Liz.

Barny now employs 30 people at his thriving business – as a tenant he supplied organic poultry to a major supermarket chain but found he had the opportunity to grow apples and produce cider.

“It took a while for the business to grow,” he says. “But that’s the gift the county estate gave me, the ability to try these things out.

“One of the things you need (if you are trying to start a business) is room (and) if you are starting from outside the sphere of agriculture, you are going to struggle.

“I’m not from a farming family – but county farms didn’t mind (as) they are looking at the future of agriculture, the future of employment (in Devon).

“People need to know that these opportunities’ are open to everybody.”

Councillor Jeremy Yabsley, Chairman of the Farms Estate Committee, said that the Estate is a vital asset, not just to Devon County Council (DCC) but for the county as a whole.

“It generates a net revenue of around £500,000 a year for the county council; it is self-sufficient and produces a profit.”

“It was considered that the wider value to the county council and the community far outweighs any (one off) cash influx.

“They are our Crown Jewels.”

The report is now available on BBC Sounds.