The steep price of deceit: What two divorce cases tell us about how the courts are dealing with marital breakdown on farms

"One farmer counts cost of concealing asset while another pays price for 'bogus deed'"

"For most farming families, the farm is more than just a capital asset - it's their home, and often their sole source of income for generations."

"When marital breakdown occurs, the High Court is often called upon to perform the emotive task of dividing assets while trying to allow the farm to keep going as an operating entity."

Many farms function as family homes and often represent the sole source of income across generations. Marital breakdown frequently leads to legal proceedings to divide farm assets. The High Court intervenes to allocate property and financial entitlements. Judges attempt to balance equitable division with preserving the farm as an operating entity. Concealment of assets carries financial and legal consequences for farmers. Use of bogus deeds results in penalties and can alter ownership rights. Court outcomes can determine the economic survival of farming families and the future stewardship of land and agricultural businesses.

Read at Independent