Sussex Weald MP meets farmers to discuss rural issues

Nusrat Ghani, the Member of Parliament for Sussex Weald, recently attended a rural roundtable meeting near Lye Green to address pressing concerns affecting local agricultural businesses

The Meeting Overview

Organised by the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), the session brought together landowners, farmers, and business owners from several local communities, including: 

• Eridge
• Rotherfield
• Crowborough
• Withyham
• Hartfield 

Key Issues Discussed

The discussion spanned a wide variety of systemic and operational challenges faced by the farming community: 

• Financial & Policy Pressure: Attendees raised concerns over agricultural policy transitions and recent changes to inheritance tax. 
• Environmental & Utility Strains: The dialogue covered flooding risks, managing water supply during heatwaves, and securing better emergency response support from utility corporations. 
• Business Longevity: Discussions focused on navigating market logistics to secure fair pricing and seeking support from local authorities to assist with farm diversification. 

Addressing Rural Crime

Representatives from Sussex Police, including the Rural Crime Team Inspector, were heavily involved in the meeting. Their focus centered on: 

• Organised Crime: Developing strategies to tackle targeted, cross-county agricultural crime.
• Equipment Theft: Implementing proactive security measures, such as the marking of high-value farming machinery.