South of England Farming Conference
Bringing together landowners, agriculturalists and industry representatives from across the South East, the South of England Farming Conference is part of our charitable remit to fund and support agricultural education and countryside learning.
It’s a chance to find out more about some of the most pressing matters facing the industry today, listen to expert views and get involved in the discussion and put your questions to our experts.
'What is our land for?'
On Wednesday the 13th November we hosted our Farming Conference on the question ‘What is our land for?’ Focusing on the unique challenges and opportunities related to land use in the South East of England.
The South East of England is a microcosm of the broader issues facing the UK. It encompasses bustling urban centres, vast agricultural lands, and areas of significant natural beauty and biodiversity.
The land here supports a high population density, a robust economy, and crucial infrastructure. However, this also brings challenges such as housing shortages, environmental degradation, and the impacts of climate change. Moreover, the region’s agricultural land is often of marginal quality, which poses significant challenges for profitable food production when we see increasing pressure on the land and decreasing government support for agriculture. This reality compels us to consider whether the focus should shift from food production to enhancing environmental and biodiversity outcomes.  Whether we should embrace the relentless tide of commercial development or resist it at all costs. Where does the balance lie? What is our land for?
Our Chair BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today presenter Charlotte Smith was joined by a distinguished panel of leaders in their fields – Paul Christian, Managing Director, Sentry; Tom Heap, journalist and author; Tim Slaney, Interim Chief Executive Officer, South Downs National Park Authority and Ben Taylor, Managing Director, Iford Estate.
About our Speakers
Charlotte Smith (Chair) - Presenter of BBC Radio 4's Farming Today
Charlotte Smith is one of two main presenters of BBC Radio 4’s Farming Today. She grew up in Quorn, Leicestershire, where she volunteered on BBC Radio Leicester. Charlotte was then put on the BBC’s Local Radio Reporters Scheme before touring the local radio stations of Sussex, Cumbria and Devon. She then returned to Radio Leicester as a news reporter working alongside Julian Worricker.Â
She also worked on BBC national radio, The World Tonight. More locally to Leicestershire, she became a reporter and sports presenter on East Midlands Today. Returning to national radio on BBC 5 Live, she was a producer, reporter and presenter. Prior to Farming Today Charlotte worked as a reporter for You and Yours, the lunch-time consumer programme on Radio 4. She has also since been a television reporter on BBC1’s Countryfile, until 2009, and returned as an occasional relief reporter from 2014. Charlotte is also a mother of two children.
Ben Taylor, Managing Director, Iford Estate
Ben Taylor manages a 1,200 hectare mixed farming business situated within the South Downs National Park near Lewes. They recently launched a progressive biodiversity project across the whole estate to restore habitats and create spaces for nature while still retaining food production on their most fertile land. The project aims to generate new income streams from the sale of Biodiversity Net Gain credits to developers and other companies looking to offset their environmental impact.
Paul Christian, Managing Director, Sentry
Paul leads Sentry, an employee-owned farming and advisory business specialising in rural asset management, contract farming and management services for private and corporate landowners. Operating nationally, covering 23,000 hectares of land, producing 200,000 tonnes of produce annually and providing additional management and advisory services across 40,000 hectares for clients and associates. Paul is a passionate advocate for local food production.
Tim Slaney, Interim CEO, South Downs National Park Authority
Tim works with members, partners and colleagues to set the overall vision and strategy for the authority. He is responsible for ensuring the organisation delivers on its priorities of nature recovery, climate action, and a National Park for all. He is passionate about Britain’s newest National Park being accessible to everyone and promoting the multiple benefits the area offers residents and visitors alike.
Tom Heap, Journalist, Author & BBC Countryfile Presenter
Tom Heap is a regular presenter on BBC1’s Countryfile, specialising in the more investigative films, and has made many BBC Panorama documentaries on food, energy and the environment. Tom is also the presenter of Radio 4’s new Rare Earth series and was the anchor of The Climate Show on Sky News. He was the creator and presenter of BBC Radio’s flagship climate change podcast ’39 Ways to Save the Planet’. His latest book is ‘Land Smart: How to Give People and Nature the Space to Thrive’.
