Farmers need 'greater clarity and swifter support' surrounding the return of land that had been compulsory purchased for the now cancelled northern leg of HS2.
In a letter to the Secretary of State for Transport, the NFU said many farmers had been left with 'more uncertainty and delay' after part of the HS2 project was cancelled.
The union highlighted the need for the government to develop a 'transparent policy' to enable the sale back of land taken from farmers.
This policy must give former landowners the first refusal to buy back that land, the letter to Secretary of State Mark Harper explained.
The letter follows years of frustration from farmers who have been impacted by the disruption caused by the major rail infrastructure project.
NFU vice president David Exwood said farmers and growers must now have a 'fair and swift resolution' when it came to land compensation and restoration.
He said: “The NFU is urging the Department for Transport to accelerate the process of returning land to former landowners as swiftly as possible.
"The longer the delay in getting this process up and running, the greater the chance of issues arising which will make it more difficult to return land in an efficient and satisfactory way."
In the letter, the NFU said the Department for Transport must lift safeguarding measures on land taken for Phase 2a in the coming weeks and no later than next year for Phase 2b.
The union underlined the need for a transparent process that allowed former landowners the first refusal to repurchase land taken under compulsory purchase.
There must also be finalisation and disbursement of outstanding crop loss payments, the NFU said.
Mr Exwood said: "It is important that DFT communicates with landowners affected as soon as possible to start to understand the many different scenarios that landowners find themselves in, with many issues that will need to be addressed.
“It’s essential that the many farm businesses already so badly disrupted by this project can start to rebuild their businesses and get back to doing what they do best."
What is the NFU asking for?
The union's letter calls for numerous measures:
• Swift lifting of safeguarding measures for Phase 2 land, as stated in the Command Paper.
• A transparent process for returning land to former landowners, accommodating different scenarios for fair resolutions for both HS2 Ltd and landowners.
• Reinstatement of land to its former condition, if required.
• Finalisation and disbursement of outstanding crop loss payments.
• Honouring Blight Notices that have been served and accepted, unless the claimant would prefer that these are abandoned.
• Progression in agreeing outstanding compensation claims and the time it is taking to hand land back which was taken on a temporary basis.
