Your West Sussex county NFU update

South East water have just launched a livestock register so businesses can get some degree of priority treatment if they are cut off or impacted by lower pressure given current drought conditions.  

If you are livestock keeper and are serviced by South East Water please do register.

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 South Downs National Park Authority is currently advertising several opportunities to join the South Downs Local Access Forum.

The Forum is an independent statutory advisory body that provides advice to the National Park Authority, Government and other public bodies on matters relating to public access to the countryside within the South Downs National Park.

We are particularly interested in hearing from people with experience or knowledge in the following areas:

Landowner / land management
Forestry / farming
Equestrian access
Heritage
Blue infrastructure / waterways

UKHarvest, a Sussex-based food rescue charity, has won the ‘Outstanding Contribution to the Community Award’ at the Chichester and Bognor Business Awards, recognising a year of significant impact across the food and farming sector. 

Over the past 12 months, the charity has rescued more than 444 tonnes of surplus produce from farms and food producers, redistributing it as the equivalent of over one million meals.

Working closely with leading agricultural businesses such as Barfoots and Natures Way Foods, UKHarvest plays a vital role in reducing on-farm food waste. 

By collecting surplus crops that might otherwise go unused, the organisation supports growers in operating more sustainably, while ensuring high-quality produce reaches people in need.

The awards ceremony, held at the Avisford Hotel in Fontwell, brought together representatives from business, farming and community organisations to celebrate local achievements. 

Communications and Fundraising Manager Joanna Lodge said: “Supporting the community is at the heart of everything we do at UKHarvest. We want to ensure that as much surplus food as possible is given to those in need and those wishing to reduce food waste.”

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