Your Hampshire & Isle of Wight county NFU update

Tom Peters

NFU county adviser (Hampshire and Isle of Wight)

Keep up to date with changes

As we move into May, I hope members with livestock have had a successful calving and season and crop growers have made the most of the dry window, although for many we do need a good rain in many parts, as rain so far has been extremely localised. Hopefully, the early May frosts have not affected our viticulture and fruit grower members.

This month the NFU has welcomed a new Director General, Sophie Throup, from a deep farming family with great experience in business we look forward to having Sophie at the helm.

At the end of May I was delighted to attend the Isle of Wight member social evening with 50 members at the Chequers Inn. Members enjoyed a supper with fellow members, but the reason was to celebrate, Islander, Robyn Munts election as national Vice President. Robyn gave members an insight to her first few weeks in the role and encouraged members to get involved with sector boards or other aspects of the NFU.

Over the last month our regional & commodity boards have had some changes, find out more here. These boards play an important role in the workings of the NFU. If you have anything you would like to raise from your sector, please contact your county sector representative.

Sector	Hampshire	Isle of Wight
Dairy	Oliver Chedgey & Charlie Cheyney	James Osman
Crops	Matt Culley (Regional board chair) & Robyn Fowler	Neville Smith & Clemency Ives
Poultry	William McKenzie & Luke Watts	Sharon Wheeler
Livestock	Michael Bailey & James Richardson	Anna Smith
Horticulture	Vacant	Vacant

As a reminder, our county chairs and council delegates are Alan Hutton (Hampshire chair), Matt Culley (Hampshire, council delegate) and Matt Legge (IOW, chair)

The Hampshire Avon, DWPP work continues at pace and I would like to thank our Environment and Land Use advisor Ellie Newman for all of her work on this, if you are in the Hampshire Avon catchment area, please do get involved with meetings and steering groups, its vital we make our voice heard.

Looking ahead we have a busy summer with shows and events and I look forward to seeing members at these events. We have the Hampshire health and safety event on 2nd July, details on the county page, the Royal Isle of Wight show and New Forest show in July. Jamie Burrows, national crops chair will be attending the Isle of Wight show on the Saturday and Robyn Munt national Vice President will update members at the New Forest show at 1330 on the Wednesday (29th July).

Dates for the diary:

5-6-7th June – South of England show, the event will be covered by the NFU East team.

25th June – Isle of Wight members farm walk by kind permission of the Smith family @ Compton Farm.

2nd July – Hampshire Health and safety day. Hosted by Hall & Burge, Pitt, nr Winchester.

11th-12th July – Royal Isle of Wight show.

28th-30th July – New Forest Show, Vice President Robyn Munt will update members on Wednesday 29th July at 1330.

5th September – Alresford show. Deputy President, Paul Tompkins will update members at the member breakfast at 8am.

Local news

Tree Planting Opportunity - Free Trees! (Hants)

The Hampshire Forest Partnership is starting to plan for the Winter 2026/27 tree planting season and are inviting Expressions of Interest for tree planting projects we may be able to support by providing FREE trees, hedgerow whips, orchard trees, and disease-resistant elms.

To help the Hampshire Forest partnership plan effectively, we encourage all interested parties to complete the Expression of Interest form, those who register will be among the first to be contacted once funding is secured and tree availability is confirmed. Last winter, the partnership supported a wide range of Hampshire parish councils, community groups, farmers, and landowners.

If you are considering a tree planting project or similar express your interest with the Hampshire Forest Partnership.

Free Trees!

Event

Royal Isle of Wight show

The NFU and NFU Mutual teams are again combining forces for the Royal Isle of Wight show. An important event in the islands farming calendar we look forward to seeing members at the show.

On the Saturday of the show, Jamie Butler, NFU National crops board chair will be at the show to meet with members from the island, please come along and meet Jamie especially for those who are arable farmers.

On Sunday, we will hold a roundtable with Richard Quigley MP for Isle of Wight West. Richard has been very supportive of island farmers and supported the IHT threshold increase. Please come along and meet with Richard at the NFU stand if you would like to raise any matters with him. The time of the meeting will be shared nearer the date.

Start date

11 July 2026 at 9:00am

End date

12 July 2026 at 5:00pm

Location

Royal Isle of Wight Showground

Royal Isle of Wight show

Event

New Forest Show - Vice Presidents Reception

The NFU along with the NFU Mutual, will again be at the New Forest show again this year.

The show runs 28-29-30th July and is a popular show especially for our New Forest members.

On Wednesday 29th July, we will have an office holder update with NFU Vice President, Robyn Munt who will be addressing members at 130pm in the NFU marquee. We will be serving strawberries & cream and sparkling wine all sourced from local members. Please come along and listen to what is going on in the NFU and what Robyn has been up to in her first few months in the job. The uplands and support schemes are among her policy briefs so New Forest commoners will be keen to hear what development there are. Please do come along.

Your local New Forest team and county advisor will be at the show for the three days, so if you are unable to make the update on the Wednesday please do come along for a cup of tea or coffee and meet the team.

There are various tastings and updates from local suppliers throughout each day.

If you would like to attend the office holder update, please let the local group secretary, Darren Seward or county advisor Tom Peters know.

Start date

28 July 2026 at 9:00am

End date

30 July 2026 at 5:00pm

Location

New Forest show

Meet your NFU Vice President

Event

New Forest Show - Vice Presidents Reception

The NFU along with the NFU Mutual, will again be at the New Forest show again this year.

The show runs 28-29-30th July and is a popular show especially for our New Forest members.

There are various tastings and updates from local suppliers throughout each day.

If you would like to attend the office holder update, please let the local group secretary, Darren Seward or county advisor Tom Peters know.

Start date

29 July 2026 at 1:30pm

End date

29 July 2026 at 3:00pm

Location

New Forest Showground

New Forest Show NFU VP Reception

Event

Hampshire Pre Harvest Health & Safety Day

The Hampshire NFU Pre Harvest health and safety day is fast approaching, by kind permission of the Burge family.

Farming remains one of the most rewarding but most dangerous professions in the UK. Most serious incidents don’t happen because people don’t care – they happen because we’re busy, under pressure, and doing what we’ve always done.

That’s why we’re encouraging you to attend the NFU Hampshire Health & Safety Day. The focus will be on keeping you and your employees safe at harvest along with a focus on wellbeing.

Breakfast rolls on arrival.

We’ve also got Trinity Grain doing moisture meter testing at the event, so bring your MM for testing!

Attendance at the day will count towards your BASIS Professional Register points, helping you stay compliant while investing time in something genuinely useful.

Please consider joining us. Whether you attend for yourself, your staff, or the next generation on your farm, it could make a real difference – and help meet your BASIS CPD requirements at the same time.

Date: Thursday 2nd July 2026

Time: 0830 to start at 9am

Location: Hall & Burge, Vale Farm, Enmill Lane, Pitt, SO22 5QW

W3W location – Site, ///meatball.legs.elect Farm Entrance ///card.insurance.awkward

We look forward to seeing you there.

RSVP by Friday 26 June

Numbers are limited

Please sign up!

Start date

02 July 2026 at 8:30am

End date

02 July 2026 at 1:00pm

Location

Vale Farm, Enmill Lane, Pitt, nr Winchester, SO22 5QW

Surveys and questionnaires

South Downs NP Local Plan - Have your say

The South Downs National Park Authority has published the South Downs Local Plan (Proposed Submission) for Regulation 19 (Publication) consultation.

This is the final consultation stage before the plan is submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination by a Planning Inspector. This consultation stage differs from previous consultations on the new Local Plan, as the Planning Inspector will be interested in comments related to the Local Plan’s soundness and legal compliance.

Consultation details:

Consultation period: 12 May to 23 June 2026 (closing at 23:59)

Making representations

During this stage, comments should focus on:

Whether the Local Plan meets the legal requirements; and
Whether it is sound (positively prepared, justified, effective and consistent with national policy).

Representations must be submitted by Tuesday 23 June at 23:59 and cannot normally be accepted after this date.

How to comment

We strongly encourage all representations to be made online using our consultation portal: https://southdowns-consult.objective.co.uk

Submitting comments online is the quickest and most efficient way to make a representation and helps us to process all representations promptly and effectively.

If you are unable to comment online, representations may alternatively be submitted using the Representation Questionnaire, and returned:

By email: [email protected]
By post: Planning Policy Team, South Downs Centre, North Street, Midhurst, West Sussex, GU29 9DH

Further details on how to comment, and what matters can be raised at this stage, and how representations will be handled are set out in our Guidance Note on Making a Representation, and Statement of Representations Procedure.

What happens next

Following the close of consultation, the Local Plan and all duly made representations will be submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination by a Planning Inspector.

There is a local drop in Event to have your say:

Petersfield Festival Hall, Heath Road, Petersfield GU31 4EA
Thursday 21 May 4–7pm

Start date

12 May 2026 at 9:00am

End date

23 June 2026 at 5:00pm

Have your say on the SDNP Local Plan

Event

Wight Rural Hub - Schemes meeting

NFU members are encouraged to attend the Wight Rural Hub schemes meeting, where, Richard Wordsworth the NFUs senior adviser on support schemes will be speaking, giving members as much information on possible on the new SFI scheme and other opportunities.

Wight Rural Hub is hosting an in-person scheme update to help Island, landowners and land managers understand the latest grant and funding opportunities available.

Hear directly from key partners, including Richard Wordsworth (NFU), Richard Grogan & Lucy Temple (Isle of Wight National Landscape) and Southern Water, covering Capital Grants, SFI, FiPL and private funding opportunities.

The session will include presentations followed by time for questions, discussion and a valuable chance to catch up with others over supper.

This event has been made possible through the collaborative financial contributions of Isle of Wight National Landscape, NFU Mutual Isle of Wight, Southern Water and Wight Rural Hub.

Date: Thursday 4 June 2026
Time: 18:30
Tickets: Free for farmers, landowners & land managers | £20 for advisers (to cover supper)
Venue: Newclose Cricket Ground

Start date

04 June 2026 at 6:30pm

End date

04 June 2026 at 9:30pm

Location

Newclose Cricket Club

Wight Rural Hub - Support Schemes meeting

Local news

New briefing to help farmers become beaver ready

We’d like to share a new briefing from The Wildlife Trusts that members may find useful, particularly those farming alongside beavers.

The document focuses on how farmers can prepare for beaver presence, with practical guidance and considerations to support planning and decision making.

If this is relevant, you can access the briefing below

Click Here For Briefing

Local news

New Forest TB Control Plan Amendment

With increasing incidence of TB in Hampshire and the New Forest, APHA have issued a new TB control plan for the New Forest.

General requirements are shown below, but for the full amended TB control plan please contact the NFU TB team if you require further help or guidance.

General requirements for all holdings that graze the New Forest
1. All cattle that graze the Forest must be from a premises whose current status is officially TB free.
It should be noted that if a herd is not tested within the APHA scheduled window and the test
becomes overdue then the herd loses its TB free status.
2. Cattle that are within the Forest herd (including. Forest Bulls) must not be allowed to mix with
cattle of a lower, or undetermined, disease status e.g. cattle that have been recently purchased
and are awaiting post-movement testing.
3. All cattle grazing the Forest must have a valid annual TB test carried out on their home premises
during the defined winter period (1st October to 31st March) or have followed the testing and
isolation requirements for joining the Forest herd. There is no exemption to this requirement.
4. All Forest herds must have sufficient space available at their home holding to accommodate the
entire Forest herd, isolated from any other cattle, to enable effective disease control in the event
they can no longer graze on the common.

New Forest TB Control Plan Amended

Local news

Waste Exemptions - Environment Agency

Waste exemptions have changed recently. The Environment Agency (EA) can now ask for these documents on waste exemptions on EA inspections. This came into force on April 1st 2026.

This reform is part of a broader consultation the EA (Environment Agency) conducted on charge proposals, which also addresses fees related to waste crime and updated hourly rates.

The aim is to improve regulatory oversight, ensure environmental protection, and make the system more cost-effective for the EA.

The reforms introduce charges for waste exemptions, impacting a wide range of operators, including farmers. As part of this process, the NFU reviewed the proposals and gathered feedback from members to inform its response.

Charges will be paid at the point of registration or renewal.

Changes to waste exemptions – charges come into force

Local news

Isle of Wight & Hampshire Beaver Updates

The Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust has been developing a proposal for a wild beaver release on the Isle of Wight since 2021. The proposed release area focuses on the Eastern Yar and Wroxall Stream catchments, where conservation organisations collectively manage over 600 hectares of wetlands. The Trust has been engaging with riparian landowners, farmers, and local stakeholders over the last three years through workshops, site visits and a steering group. Following the legalisation of wild beaver releases in March 2025, the project has now been invited by Natural England to submit a full licence application for a proposed 10‑year programme.

In Hampshire, the Hampshire & Isle of Wight Wildlife Trust and the Forestry Commission established the first Hampshire Beaver Advisory Group in 2024 in response to beavers naturally dispersing along the Hampshire Avon and nearby tributaries. The group brings together key stakeholders and statutory bodies to share information, coordinate local understanding and consider county specific issues, particularly relating to sensitive habitats such as chalk streams and the New Forest. The Advisory Group does not manage beaver releases or provide operational support, however, it acts as an important coordination forum. As beavers continue to expand naturally, the group is expected to support the development of local Beaver Management Groups and help build capacity within catchment partnerships. This work will align with the forthcoming National Beaver Strategy, which is currently being co‑designed by Natural England, the Environment Agency, Defra and national stakeholders.

Find out more