No. 253 Using the CAAV's Dispute Resolution Service

The Agriculture Act 2020 made the President of the CAAV a “professional authority” able to appoint arbitrators for 1986 and 1995 disputes on the unilateral application of either tenant or landlord.

The CAAV responded to this as a honour, a duty and an opportunity to the benefit of the agricultural and rural sectors, aiding the practical dispute resolution needed on occasion to give parties the answers that mean businesses and life can continue. That essential purpose of giving effective answers is the key to understanding good dispute resolution.

The CAAV, through its Council and Executive, then developed and established the CAAV Facilitating Dispute Resolution service, supported by the CAVV Dispute Resolution Charter, supervised by a new Oversight Board and with Panels of Arbitrators and Mediators. The CAAV set out its approach to arbitration and its purpose in giving answers in the position paper, Appropriate Arbitration.

Also in 2020, the CAAV supported professional work in disputes with Rural Arbitration in the United Kingdom following the earlier publications, Means of Dispute Resolution and Mediation for Agricultural Valuers.

Three years on, we are building on that early work with this publication to help members, parties and others use the CAAV service. Looking to help people avoid disputes with good negotiation and then to conduct necessary disputes effectively, we are continuing briefing and training for members with the work of better negotiation, early neutral evaluation, mediation, arbitration and expert determination together with the role of the expert witness.

This publication pulls together the many threads in this work. We hope it helps members and others to develop their understanding and the opportunities here for them and their clients in all forms of dispute resolution that the CAAV service offers.

I commend this publication to members and would urge all to consider the opportunities here. While arbitration has long had a role in agricultural dispute resolution, I hope that this publication demonstrates how the CAAV offers a broad spectrum of appropriate dispute resolution services and opportunities to be cost effective and timely in giving answers.

Andrew Coney MRICS FAAV REV

Chairman, CAAV Executive Committee and Oversight Board August 2023