THE long running saga of a Dumfriesshire couple who faced eviction from their tenanted farm owned by the Duke of Buccleuch has ended amicably with David and Alison Telfer being allowed to stay on part of the farm until they retire.

They stated that they had been assured by the previous Duke of Buccleuch that they could stay until their retirement in a few years’ time, but Buccleuch Estates moved to evict them ahead of the reported £600,000 sale of the land at Cleuchfoot near Langholm in Dumfries and Galloway.

Pressure was brought on Buccleuch Estates by MSPs, land reformers and The National plus 89,000 signatories of a 38 degrees petition to rescind the eviction. Now the new owners, timber company James Jones & Sons Ltd of Lockerbie, have agreed that the Telfers can stay on part of the land at Cleuchfoot. According to a statement by the Scottish Land Commission, Buccleuch approached the Tenant Farming Commissioner and the new owners.

Bob McIntosh, tenant farming commissioner, said: “Landlords are entitled to resume land at the end of a fixed term tenancy but there was an extraordinary set of circumstances in this case where there was a dispute over what had been discussed in years gone by in terms of the length of occupancy. We are pleased that, through collaborative discussion, a satisfactory outcome has been achieved for the tenant, the new landlord and all other parties.”

David Telfer said: “We appreciate the efforts of all those involved who have worked to find a resolution to this issue and we are pleased to be able to continue to live and work on at least part of Cleuchfoot until our retirement.”

Benny Higgins, executive chairman of Buccleuch, commented: “We were pleased that our proposal found agreement with all the parties involved and thank the Tenant Farming Commissioner for his constructive liaison with the tenant.”

South Scotland MSP Joan McAlpine campaigned on behalf of the couple and raised their plight in Holyrood, the media and with the Scottish Land Commission. The National was the first national newspaper to cover the case.

She said: I’m delighted to hear that the Telfers have won their fight to remain at Cleuchfoot. They’ve been at the farm for over 20 years and had expected remain there for the rest of their working lives. It was a shock for them to be told they’d have to move away and start over again with just a few years to go until they retired.

“The new owners, James Jones & Sons Ltd deserve credit for extending the Telfer’s lease. They were under no legal obligation to keep them on but I believe they have made the right moral decision.

“I know, too, that Bob McIntosh has been working with both the Telfers and the new owners to find an amicable solution. I’d like to thank Bob for all his hard work on this case, it shows the commission, which was set up as part of the SNP’s land reform programme, is really making a difference in rural Scotland. I’m delighted that their intervention has led to such a positive outcome.”

“I’d also like to thank the organisers of the 38 Degrees petition who gathered 89,000 names of people who wanted to support Alison and David.”

Land reformer and National columnist Lesley Riddoch feels the case points up the difficulties facing tenant farmers in similar situations.

She said: “This is landowner largesse not land reform in action. The Buccleuch Estate has already taken back the Telfers’ hill ground and sold it separately – which means the couple will see out their days on a much-reduced farm. It also seems likely the new forestry owner of Buccleuch land will press ahead with applications for Forestry Commission tree planting grants.

“Is the replacement of one monopoly owner with another what local people need and want – and will they ever have a chance to express themselves without fear of reprisal? If the answer is no, the situation is hardly any better now than before the Scottish Government’s latest piece of ‘radical’ land reform,” she added.