Your West Sussex county NFU update

Members should be aware that parts of East Sussex and West Sussex have moved into severe drought status, following months of low rainfall.

The Government made the announcement on Thursday (15 October) after the latest National Drought Group meeting, which NFU National Water Resources Specialist Mark Betson attended. 

It said the change to severe drought status had been prompted by specific concerns for reservoir levels. Ardingly in West Sussex is only 19.4% full.

Declaring a severe drought ensures proactive steps are taken to safeguard water before any disruption occurs. These include: 

• Ministers instructing water companies to conduct daily monitoring of reservoir and river levels and tougher water quality monitoring; 
• The Environment Agency to increase compliance checks on businesses that withdraw water from natural sources, to ensure they are only taking permitted quantities of water
• Local Resilience Forums stood up to enable quick and effective development of support if required.

The NFU has pulled together information and advice on the impact of dry weather.

Students studying, or wanting to study, agriculture in West Sussex can benefit from a charitable trust set up to offer funding support.

The Education Trust Fund of NFU West Sussex was established to support the education, or maintenance during education, of students within the county engaged in, or intending to engage in, agriculture.

Its committee meets twice a year, in November and in May, to decide on funding. Applicants can be in college or university outside the county but their home must be in West Sussex.

Any educational need would be considered and these have historically included Nuffield scholars, course fees and training programmes, as well as costs associated with accessing education, such as transport.

Anyone interested should download and complete this application form and return it to [email protected].

Applicants are encouraged to provide as much information as possible to assist the committee with assessing the application.

Farmers and growers met with Andrew Griffith MP on 2 October to discuss the most pressing challenges facing the farming sector.

Hosted by Tim and Joanna Binnington, the meeting brought together NFU members and representatives from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) for an open discussion on issues affecting the industry's future with the Shadow Chancellor, who is MP for Arundel and South Downs.

Topics raised included uncertainty over future agricultural funding and the limited availability of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), along with rising input costs such as fuel and fertiliser, driven by global market pressures.

Attendees also highlighted concerns about the speed and availability of bluetongue testing and the impact delays can have on livestock businesses. The group discussed the forthcoming consultation on aligning UK animal welfare standards with European regulations, particularly in relation to livestock transportation.

The long-term sustainability and profitability of farming businesses were also key themes throughout the meeting.

Assistant County Adviser Paul Williams said: “The visit provided an important opportunity for farmers to share their experiences directly with policymakers and officials.

“Events like this help ensure that the challenges facing agriculture in the South East are understood at both regional and national level.”

Members in the High Weald National Landscape may be interested in the Removing Barriers to Access Fund, which supports projects that make the countryside more accessible and welcoming for people of all ages and abilities.

Funding is available until March 2029 for capital projects such as replacing stiles with accessible gates, improving paths, installing accessible facilities, creating inclusive outdoor spaces, and providing adapted equipment. Landowners, farmers, businesses, community groups can all apply.

Projects should be sustained or kept open for at least five years and up to 100% of eligible project costs may be supported. The contribution may be limited to 40% of eligible project costs if the project has a commercial benefit.

Members interested in improving access on their holdings are encouraged to submit an expression of interest and discuss their project with the High Weald team. Applications are typically considered within three weeks.

Find out more: https://highweald.org/grants/removing-barriers-to-access/

The South Downs National Park Authority is inviting Expressions of Interest (EOI) for the 2027/28 Farming in Protected Landscapes (FiPL) programme. Applications will be open from 1 October to 31 December 2026.

Funding is available for projects that deliver lasting benefits for nature, climate, people and place within the South Downs National Park. Farmers, land managers and rural businesses are encouraged to submit an Expression of Interest via the official FiPL online EOI form. 

EOIs submitted by email or any other method cannot be accepted.

As demand for funding is expected to be high, we have produced an Expression of Interest ​​Guidance Document to help applicants prepare their submissions.

Successful EOIs will be invited to develop a full application for projects starting from April 2027.

Further details of FiPL in the SDNP can be found on our website by clicking here.

Horticulture challenges topped the agenda when NFU Deputy President Paul Tompkins visited growers in West Sussex in July.

Paul was joined by NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board Chair Martin Emmett, NFU Senior Horticulture Policy Specialist Christine McDowell, and County Adviser Romy Gue for the visit, hosted by West Sussex Growers Association (WSGA). 

Richard Hopkins and Rachael Williams represented the WSGA.

Julian Marks, CEO and Keston Williams, COO hosted Paul and the team at Barfoots. This comprised a tour of the farm which included courgette, tenderstem broccoli and sweetcorn harvest, the water treatment plant and the new, rather depleted reservoir.

They then visited the sweetcorn factory which processes nearly one million cobs a day in the summer.

Richard Diplock, MD and Duncan Toms, GM hosted Paul at The Greenhouse Sussex where grower Piotr Pazola shared some of the challenges of tomato growing, before Martin Emmett, also strategic director of Binsted Nursery, showed him around the Farplants ornamental plant site.

Numerous topics were discussed during the day including water scarcity, labour, the audit burden, planning restrictions on growth, energy prices, education engagement and biodiversity net gain.

The Local Nature Recovery Strategies for East and West Sussex have been published. These are spatial strategies which set out priority areas for nature recovery. 

They do not dictate what should happen where, but highlight areas where nature recovery could have the biggest impact. 

Thank you to all members who have engaged in the process of forming these strategies and responded to consultations. 

Members are invited to visit various beaver enclosures over the coming months to learn more about beavers and what their potential reintroduction could mean for farmers and landowners. 

These visits offer an opportunity to voice your questions and concerns with members of the Western Rother Beaver Group, as well as other members. 

Places are limited. To book, please click on the Eventbrite link below: 

• Meonside Farm, Hampshire - Tuesday 21 July 
• Valewood National Trust, West Sussex - Wednesday 19 August 
• Knepp Wildland, West Sussex - Thursday 24 September 
• Valewood National Trust, West Sussex - Saturday 17 October 
• Meonside Farm, Hampshire - Tuesday 3 November