Before 1979 the islands had 36 large 'corporate' farms. In 1980 the FI Government acquired Roy Cove (West Falklands) and Green Patch (East Falklands) and divided them into six private farms each. More subdivisions have resulted in there now being 84 mostly family run farms each of around 10,000ha with the ability to carry about 6400 sheep.
In 1991 the Government purchased a further four large farms from the Falkland Islands Company Ltd (equating to about one quarter of the total farm land in the islands). Falklands Landholdings Corporation was established, a statutory organisaion, to run these farms.
The development of these new smaller farmis has meant a lot of investment in the camp with roads, modern houses, farm buildings and equipment and livestock improvements.
Some 'outside' shepherds houses became the main house of an independent farm but some farmers who were allocated units chose to farm the land from an original settlement house, sharing the original shearing sheds and facilities.
Fox Bay (subdivided) is still a substantial West Falkland settlement as is Goose Green on the East.
|