New support for South Downs dairy farmers

New support for South Downs dairy farmers

May 7, 2015

In February 2015 the South Downs National Park was named as one of eleven new Food Enterprise Zones (FEZ) created to make it easier for food and farming businesses to expand and diversify.

The South Downs FEZ covers the area of the National Park that falls within the Coast to Capital Local Enterprise Partnership (parts of Brighton & Hove, Lewes and West Sussex). It specifically aims to make it simpler for dairy farmers to reuse farm buildings for production or to set up farm shops to sell their produce locally. At a time when the price that dairy farmers receive for their produce has fallen dramatically from 2014-15 this could make a big difference to the National Park’s local economy.

The South Downs National Park Authority is now putting together a Local Development Order and design code to set out how to extend permitted development rights for dairy farmers and is speaking to dairy farmers, the South Downs Land Managers Group, the National Farmers Union and others.

Is your farm in the new Food Enterprise Zone area? Check this map