FRIGSE members took the opportunity of Lord Gardiner’s visit to the South of England Show on 12 June to talk about some of the priorities for the land-based sector in the region.
Lord Gardiner, himself a farmer, has recently been appointed by the Prime Minister as the Spokesman for Defra in the Lords.
Top of the list for FRIGSE members was the growing incidence of bovine TB in West Sussex, previously a low-risk area. There seem to be more breakdowns in this county than in any other at the moment. The evidence suggests that the disease is already in the wildlife population which is the source of transmission rather than from herd to herd. Lord Gardiner undertook to raise the matter with his colleague, the Farming Minister.
Other subjects discussed at the meeting included:
* Solar power
* Planning and development
* The Government’s Right to Buy policy, and
* Rural broadband