More than 300 farmers and landowners have taken High Court action against energy developer Green GEN Cymru, accusing the company of unlawfully forcing access onto private farmland for its proposed power line schemes.

The legal claim, filed by specialist firm New South Law, alleges that Green GEN and its land agents have acted “coercively and unlawfully” while attempting to enter properties to carry out surveys for three major overhead pylon routes spanning more than 200km across Powys, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire.

Concerns about Green GEN’s behaviour began almost immediately when its first project, “Towy Usk”, was announced. In February 2023, the Countryside Alliance convened a major public meeting at Llandovery Rugby Club after reports emerged that agents were cold-calling at farm gates seeking access for survey work. Hundreds of landowners attended, many encountering this style of approach for the first time and raising legitimate concerns around land access, transparency, and biosecurity, particularly given the risk of spreading diseases. The Alliance’s meeting became a defining early moment, crystallising unease within the community and bringing national attention to Green GEN’s tactics.

That unease escalated substantially in early 2025 when Green GEN sought to force a select number of landowners from both the Towy Usk and Towy Teifi routes into court in order to gain access for survey work. The Countryside Alliance continued to engage closely with affected farmers throughout this period, providing information and helping to raise awareness of the growing imbalance of power between individual landowners and a developer wielding Acquiring Authority powers. Now, the situation has taken a dramatic turn: landowners have instructed New South Law to act on their behalf in what is being described as an unprecedented effort to protect their farm businesses and uphold lawful process.

According to the claimants, Green GEN’s agents have ignored legal safeguards, entered land without consent, and caused “fear, distress and anxiety” across rural communities. The legal team argues that Green GEN has overstepped its statutory powers by failing to issue the legally required Section 174 notices before seeking entry. A concern that has frequently been raised with the Countryside Alliance by affected landowners, who worry that such practices risk undermining confidence in the wider infrastructure planning process.

Some landowners were allegedly threatened with further court action if they continued to refuse access, deepening what the legal team describes as a “significant power imbalance”. Farmers have also raised serious biosecurity fears, reporting agents crossing boundaries in unclean vehicles and clothing despite many farms sitting within active TB control zones with strict hygiene requirements.

Lawyers say that 50% of affected landowners never received the statutory notice required before entry was attempted. Several harassment notices and trespass complaints have now been lodged with police, while video evidence circulated by campaigners appears to show agents entering protected habitats and refusing to leave when instructed. These concerns echo those previously raised at Countryside Alliance meetings, where farmers warned that poor practice on access could lead to environmental harm and community mistrust.

The backlash within the farming community has grown significantly. Natalie Barstow, the lead claimant and founder of the Justice for Wales campaign group, said the High Court action was a last resort.

“We’ve been left with no choice but to take legal action to stop what feels like a bullying campaign,” she said. “People feel panicked, powerless, and afraid of being arrested for protecting their own land. This is not how responsible renewable development should be done.”

Mary Smith, solicitor at New South Law, said the case “raises fundamental questions about accountability in the UK’s renewable-energy transition.”

“Holding Acquiring Authority powers brings a legal obligation to act lawfully and reasonably,” she said. “It does not allow companies to pursue commercial objectives through oppressive means.”

The claimants are seeking urgent injunctions to halt further unauthorised access while the High Court considers the case. With over 300 farmers now united behind legal action—and with early concerns first elevated in part through Countryside Alliance-led community meetings—the challenge could have far-reaching implications for how infrastructure companies handle land access in Wales and beyond.