Prince Charles is opting not to renew the lease of his organic farm in Highgrove after 35 years. A new tenant will, reportedly, take over the farm as the Prince of Wales prepares for his destined role as King of England.
According to BBC, Prince Charles cannot commit to another 20 years at the Duchy Home Farm in Gloucestershire. Apparently, the heir to the throne won't be able to devote his time to farming on the 1,000-acre property since he will be made King in the near future.
In 1985, Prince Charles converted the Home Farm into the organic system despite criticisms from other farmers who employed modern farming methods. The farm started producing organic fruit and vegetables to supply local supermarkets like Waitrose.
But, a significant number of farmlands across the U.K. subsequently switched to organic agriculture following visits to the Home Farm. Thus, Prince Charles is hailed as a pioneer in agriculture as he influenced other farmers to go organic.
Eventually, the Home Farm, also, supplied organic milk, barley, grain and port at supermarkets. Under the hands of farm manager David Wilson and his staff, the Home Farm established the Duchy Originals brand, which was later renamed to Waitrose Duchy Organic.
A spokesperson for Clarence House said that the Prince of Wales will not give up farming altogether. He still manages an organic farmland in Sandringham, which he took over after his father, Prince Philip, retired. Prince Charles, reportedly, plans to turn this into an organic sheep and cattle farm.
In January 2019, Prince Charles took steps to start an outdoor lambing sheep flock. In April, Daily Mail reported that Prince Charles wanted to bring in 500 beef cattle into the Sandringham farmland to use their manure for the crops.
The Prince of Wales, reportedly, received approval from the Council to build cattle sheds as shelters for the animals. He planned on turning the site as fully organic by the middle of 2020.
But, some residents, apparently, had objections to the plan since the smell of cow manure could spread all the way to Anmer Hall, Prince William and Kate Middleton's estate, which is half a mile away from Prince Charles' farm. Villagers said that Prince Charles' organic farming methods, while supported for its sustainable efforts, comes at a price and residents will have to put up with the odor.
