Thursday, 19 March: The Crisis in British Agriculture

About the speaker:
Stephen Carr farms an 1800-acre farm on the South Downs near Polegate in partnership with his wife, Fizz and their five daughters. The farm, most of which is under organic management, grows arable crops and boasts a rare herd of 95 pedigree Sussex breeding cows. The breed, is believed to date back in the county to before the Norman Conquest, are listed as ‘at risk of extinction’ by the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs. Stephen champions the breed for its resilience and ability to thrive on local conservation grazing on both the Downs and the Weald. The farm also runs a sheep flock of 550 North Country mules which are crossed to the local Southdown breed. He is co-owner, with Fizz and also his nephew, Jonny, of the Sussex Ox pub at Milton Street, near Polegate, which serves beef, lamb, fruit and vegetables direct from the farm. He is an award-winning journalist who has written the ‘Agri-Brigade’ farming column in Private Eye magazine under the pseudonym Bio-waste Spreader for the past 16 years. He is also a regular columnist for Farmers Weekly and South East Farmer magazines.

About the talk:
Stephen will talk about: the economic jeopardy British agriculture has found itself in, post-Brexit; the challenges the industry faces in the form of climate change; the recent controversy surrounding the government’s recent re-imposition of Inheritance Tax on farmland; and why he loathes the ‘Clarkson’s Farm’ TV series.

The venue:
The Elephant And Castle
White Hill
Lewes
BN7 2DJ

Tickets:
They are £5 and you can purchase them on the door or about a week before at the venue. Please note that the capacity of the venue is limited, we recommend buying the ticket in advance to avoid disappointment.

Times:

Starting at 7:30pm till 9:30pm