SITUATION
Downfield Farm is situated in rural Fife some 5 miles south west of Cupar and approximately 40 miles north east of Edinburgh. The former market town of Cupar offers a superb range of local amenities with a good selection of shops, supermarkets, pubs, restaurants and leisure facilities.

Traditionally this area of Fife is known for its fertile land, capable of producing high yields of an extensive range of crops, and the area is well suited to intensive cropping and livestock units. The local area is well served by a wide variety of agricultural contactors, merchants, and suppliers, and there is a successful local machinery ring which can provide additional farming resources as required. Regular livestock sales are held at the markets at Forfar (34 miles) and Stirling Agricultural Centre (45 miles).

About 30 minutes or so to the north over the River Tay lies Dundee, a city very much on the up, which is already home to Scott’s ship RRS Discovery and is now the location for the V&A Museum. Dundee provides a comprehensive offering of city shops, services and amenities. Perth is just over ¾ of an hour to the north west and Edinburgh is about an hour’s drive to the south.

The area is home to an array of wildlife and, for the outdoor enthusiast, offers access to a wide range of recreational pursuits including walking, cycling, riding and golf with many highly rated courses within easy reach including Ladybank, Lundin Links, Elie and the many fine courses in and around St Andrews where the Old Course plays regular host to the British Open. Challenging shooting and fishing may be taken locally in addition to an established low ground shoot on the property.

The Fife Hunt is the most northerly pack of foxhounds in the UK and there are many opportunities for riding with pony clubs for the younger enthusiast. There is racing and polo at Scone, outside Perth, which is also the venue for the annual Scottish Game Fair. The pretty fishing villages of Fife’s quaint East Neuk such as Anstruther, Pittenweem, Elie and Crail are just a short drive to the south. In terms of days out the wide open spaces of the Lomond Hills are close at hand along with a number of popular National Trust for Scotland properties including Kellie Castle, Falkland Palace and Hill of Tarvit. Fife’s beautiful and varied coastline includes several good sandy beaches such as Tentsmuir, St Andrews and Elie.

Schooling is available at nearby Pitlessie or Kettle Primary School and Bell Baxter High School in Cupar with independent schooling at St Leonards in St Andrews, the High School of Dundee and Dollar Academy with an exceptional further selection of private schools in Perthshire and Edinburgh.

There are railway stations in Cupar, Leuchars and Ladybank with Edinburgh Airport about one hour to the south, whilst the regional airport at Dundee offers a good selection of short-haul flights.

DESCRIPTION
Downfield Farm presents a rare opportunity to acquire a renowned and diversified organic mixed farming unit situated in an easily accessible location within rural Fife. Downfield is equipped with an attractive modern farmhouse, modern cottage, a range of useful and adaptable farm buildings and about 164.60 Ha (406.73 Acres) of farmland and woodland in total.

The modern farmhouse, cottage and buildings are located centrally within the holding, with the purpose-built abattoir located adjacent to the farm buildings. The holding benefits from an excellent range of modern and traditional farm buildings with capacity for up to 150 suckler cows plus followers with additional buildings used for fodder, straw and grain storage.

The landholding is principally situated in one block with easy access given to all of the fields from a network of internal farm tracks which lead from the farm steading or via the public road to the east. The farmland is well suited to growing a wide range of arable crops including barley and wheat, in addition to a range of vegetables such as shopping turnips, carrots, and potatoes. The remainder of the holding is made up of productive pasture and grazing ground well suited to outwintering cattle late into the season with several areas of amenity woodland located throughout the holding providing overall shelter and amenity.

FARMING HISTORY
The current owners of Downfield acquired the farm in 2002, and over the last two decades have made significant investment in the holding including the creation of a bespoke “Rob Roy” dwellinghouse and number of modern new farm buildings.

In 2008 the land of Newhall, 27 Ha (66 Acres), neighbouring the farm increased the size of the holding. Then between 2014 and 2016 following diversification into Farmed Deer a Micro-Abattoir and custom butchery was established. The award winning business was Scotland’s only field to fork venison farm, handling and meat processing facility which also processed sheep and goats as well as butchering cattle and pigs.

The remainder of the farming system at Downfield is centred around a mixed arable and livestock farming enterprise, which has been run as Organic for the last 4 years, with cereals grown as part of the rotation, the grain is usually sold for malting or feed and straw for home use. The farm steading outwith the abattoir and cutting plant has been used as a base for the current owner’s arable, livestock and sheep enterprise, and although livestock numbers have been reduced in recent years, the farm originally carried around 200 suckler cows and 150 ewes plus followers.

METHOD OF SALE
Downfield Farm is offered for sale as a whole.

The abattoir and meat processing business is owned and run by Downfield Limited which is now in the process of being closed. The existing abattoir and meat processing equipment would however be available to purchase in addition to the heritable property by separate negotiation. Further details on the abattoir and meat processing equipment will be made available from the Selling Agents.

The row of 3 terraced cottages to the west of the farm steading as outlined on the sale plan are available to purchase in addition. Further details are available from the Selling Agents.

GLASS LAW HOUSE (DOWNFIELD FARMHOUSE)
The modern farmhouse is located to the east of the farm steading in an elevated position and benefits from panoramic views over the surrounding countryside to the north and west. The property was built in 2012 of rendered block construction under a pitched slate roof. The building was tastefully designed to provide well-proportioned family accommodation set over two floors with 4 bedrooms on the upper level with a further 5th bedroom, 3 spacious public rooms, utility room and office all on the ground floor. The accommodation is laid out in more detail in the floorplans contained within this brochure. The property is approached by a separate driveway which leads from the private farm road.

Garden Ground
The farmhouse benefits from an attractive and extensive area of garden ground which lies to the front of the property which is predominantly laid to lawn with an adjacent area of mature conifer trees providing an element of privacy and shelter to the east. The garden also contains a large area of gravel to the north which provides ample parking for a number of vehicles and there is patio area to the south of the house which catches the sun most of the day and is ideal for alfresco dining during the summer months.

DOWNFIELD COTTAGE
Located to the south of farm buildings and short distance to the west of the farmhouse is Downfield Cottage, a traditional 3-bedroom property of both stone and brick construction set under a pitched tiled roof, providing spacious accommodation set out over one floor which is laid out in more detail in the floorplans contained within this brochure. The cottage is currently let out on a Private Residential Tenancy (PRT).

Garden Ground
The cottage benefits from an area of garden ground which is mostly laid to lawn and surrounds the house to the north and east. There is a small patio area which is enclosed by an area of hedging to the front of the property.

Mobile Home
There is also a mobile home situated to the rear of the cottage.

DOWNFIELD FARM BUILDINGS
Located centrally within the holding and situated in a group to the north west of the farmhouse there is an extensive range of modern and traditional buildings including:

Grain Shed (22.14m x 20.99m) of steel portal frame construction under a corrugated roof with brick walls and a concrete floor with steel doors at one end.

Dryer Shed (8.08m x 4.38m) of steel portal frame construction under a corrugated roof with a stone and concrete floor and concrete panel walls.

Hay/Straw Shed (22.88m x 17.9m) of steel portal frame construction under a corrugated roof with concrete walls and a concrete and stone floor.

Cattle Court 1 (48.6m x 20.1m) of steel portal frame construction under a fibre cement roof with shutter concrete walls and Ventair side cladding with a concrete floor. Feed passage along one side.

Cattle Court 2 (22.8m x 17.95m) of steel portal frame construction under a box profile roof with concrete walls and a stone floor.

Lean-to/Feed Passage Shed (36.0m x 5.4m) of steel portal frame construction under a box profile roof with block walls and a concrete floor and feed passage.

Store Shed (17.6m x 8.5m) of steel portal frame construction under a corrugated roof with concrete panel walls and a concrete floor.

Silage Pit (48.6m x 15.1m) with concrete walls and floor and effluent tank.

Traditional Store (15.9m x 7.7m) of stone and brick construction under a corrugated roof with a concrete floor.

Cattle Court 3 (27.6m x 25.3m) of steel portal frame construction under a corrugated roof with stone walls, Ventair side cladding with a concrete floor and feed passage. An area of the shed is used to provide a lairage area for the adjacent abattoir.

Tannery (36.4m x 5.45m) of stone construction under a slate roof with stone walls and a concrete floor, there is floored loft space above. This building is currently leased for use as a Tannery.

Stable Block (9.4m x 6.36m) of timber construction under a corrugated and fibre cement roof with timber walls and a concrete floor. Comprises 2 stables and a tack room.

Garage/Store (36.6m x 4.2m) of stone, brick and block construction with corrugated roof and concrete floor.

Cattle Handling Shed (18.15m x 4.68m) of stone built construction under a box profile and corrugated roof with a concrete floor.

Stack Yard - adjacent to the farm buildings theres is a large area of hard standing used for fodder and machinery storage.

Located adjacent to the range of farm buildings, there is a purpose-built abattoir and meat processing plant. The abattoir has serviced a wide variety of customers and was also used to offer a private butchery service for wild and farmed deer, cattle, sheep, goats and pigs. The following buildings form part of the abattoir and meat processing plant:

Waste Area/Hide Room, of steel portal frame construction with insulated box profile roof and walls with a concrete floor. The building contains a chill room.

Slaughter Hall, of stone construction with insulated box profile roof and walls and a concrete floor. The building houses the control room, store room, vet room, changing room and WC.

Intake Chill Unit, of steel portal frame construction with insulated box profile roof and side cladding and a concrete floor.

Internal Lairage, of traditional stone construction under an insulated box profile roof and walls, with a concrete floor.

Chill 1, of stone construction under an insulated box profile roof and walls, with concrete floor housing temperature controlled chill unit.

Chill 2, of stone construction under an insulated box profile roof and walls with a concrete floor housing temperature controlled chill unit and a door which leads to the loading bay.

Cutting Room, of stone construction under an insulated box profile roof and box profile walls and a concrete floor with cutting door housing temperature control chill unit.

Staff Area & Office, of stone construction under an insulated box profile roof and walls with a concrete floor. The building is split into an office, changing room, canteen, WC and packing store.

Loading Bay/Production Room, of steel portal frame construction under an insulated box profile roof and side cladding. This building is split into a freezer room, despatch chill, production room and store room.

Office Container, portable container used as an office with mains water and electricity connections.

Generators, adjacent to the farm abattoir there are two diesel generators which comprise 1 x 96kW and 1 x 108kW and provide a 3-phase electricity supply to the abattoir and meat cutting plant complex.

FARMLAND
The land at Downfield Farm extends to approximately 164.60 Ha (406.73 Acres) in total and is currently being farmed on an organic system, which is in year 2 of the current organic maintainence period. The arable land has principally been classified as Grade 3.1 and 3.2 by The James Hutton Institute with some smaller areas of Grade 5.2 and 5.3 grazing land. The land has benefited from a temporary grassland rotation within the arable ground and regular applications of farmyard manure generated from the livestock enterprise. The arable land can be worked to a good depth and regular soil and lime tests have been carried out over the last 20 years, with a continuous programme of ditching and drainage works which have ensured that the farmland has been utilised to its maximum potential. The land is relatively free draining allowing for harvest to be successfully completed at the extreme end of the season, and the land is ideal for outwintering stock on stubble fields or on the areas of hill pasture to the north and south of the farm with a considerable level of shelter provided by adjoining woodland plantations. The whole farm has been re-fenced and gated during the Seller’s current ownership, ensuring the fields are well laid out and of a generous size, and can easily accommodate modern machinery. The enclosures are readily accessible directly via an excellent network of internal tracks which lead from the farm steading or public road. The farmland varies in aspect rising overall from 133m above sea level at its lowest point to the south west of the farm to 242m at its highpoint known as Down Law forming the hill park to the south of the farm steading.

DOWNFIELD FARM COTTAGES
(AVAILABLE IN ADDITION)
Prospective purchasers should note that there are a further 3 residential properties located within the boundaries of the farm (coloured blue on the sale plan) which are also available to purchase in addition to Downfield Farm. Of traditional stone construction set under a slate roof, the cottages were completely refurbished in 2011.
The cottages now comprise three 3-bedroom terraced cottages with modern and spacious accommodation set out over two floors which benefit from spectacular views to the north and west of the holding towards the Lomond Hills and over the Howe of Fife. The cottages each benefit from their own area of garden ground as outlined on the sale plan and two of the cottages are currently let out on Private Residential Tenancies (PRT) and provide an additional source of let income to the farm. Further details on the accommodation for each cottage and services are available from the Selling Agents.

EPC Rating = B