Kent – 皇家华人

Your Kent county NFU update

Amanda Corp

Kent County Adviser

It's been another busy month for the NFU in Kent

Hello from your county adviser. I hope harvest has gone well and continues to do so. As usual we have been busy in Kent.

Hitting the headlines
Rob Warnock was interviewed on his dairy farm as part of BBC Farmwatch and Alan Clifton-Holt was interviewed by the media on the effects of the dry weather this spring and summer.

Orchard Competition
Flimwell held their 74th orchard competition, which was a super event as usual and was very well attended. Tom Fannon of Fannon Agriculture, set up just ten years ago near Maidstone, was the overall winner. Look out for a feature in this month's British Farmer & Grower.

Working with the Fire Brigade
I had a meeting with the London Fire Brigade to discuss their rural plan, fire risks on farm and how farmers can assist the fire brigade. I am hoping to have a similar meeting with Kent Fire and Rescue Service.

Write to your MP
Several members have written to their MPs ahead of Back British Farming Day on 10 September and are meeting up with them in Westminster to discuss inheritance tax and other farming issues.

Please continue to write to your MP. There are postcards available to make this easy, which your group secretary can supply, or you can go to 皇家华人 to find out more. We continue to meet with MPs on farm.

Future plans
With many of you focused on harvest, August has given me the chance to plan ahead and work with group secretaries, as well as our county management group, to shape both our county and local priorities.

I want to ensure we are providing Kent members with plenty of opportunities to engage with the NFU and get the very best value from your membership. Details of future meetings will be announced soon.

County elections
Nominations are open for county chair, closing at the end of October. Please take a look at the election notice in British Farmer and Grower.

RABI events
Please click this link for a list of forthcoming events in support of RABI, including the county harvest festival service at Canterbury Cathedral on 5 October.

I look forward to catching up with many of you over the coming months.

Surveys and questionnaires

Help shape fire and rescue services in Kent

Farmers are being asked to help shape Kent Fire and Rescue Service's rural plan.

A consultation is running until 1 October on the plan, which aims to address the unique risks faced by rural communities such as wildfires, thatched roofs, and isolated properties. It outlines how the the fire service will support rural residents and businesses in the face of fire and other emergencies.

Aspects of the plan include:

Enhanced Support: The plan aims to help residents and businesses prepare for, act during, and recover from emergencies.

Water Rescue: The consultation considers moving a water rescue unit from Sheppey to Strood.

Community Engagement: Kent Fire and Rescue Service encourages the public to participate in the consultation and share their views on the proposed plans.

Find out more, and complete the survey, below. The closing date is 1 October.

Start date

01 August 2025 at 12:00am

End date

01 October 2025 at 11:59pm

Local news

Water issues under the spotlight

Many thanks to all members who attended the water abstraction update meeting on Thursday 26 June at the Orchards Events Venue, East Malling. We were pleased to welcome speakers from across the water industry, including representatives from the South East Rivers Trust and Water Resources South East.

There were some good discussions around working together as farmers to ensure sustainable abstraction is prioritised for food production. The group was then given a tour of the orchards on site, learning how precision technology was being implemented to reduce inputs of water and fertiliser for top fruit crops, while maintaining yield.

For more details on what was discussed, please contact Mark Betson ([email protected]).

Dry weather information and advice