Farmers and growers are always talking about the weather, but the exceptionally wet conditions that the UK has experienced this winter are genuinely unprecedented. With some fields under water for six months, crops have gone unharvested, winter sowing has been impossible, and spring field work and planting has been delayed in many areas.
The long-term implications for soil health in the worst affected areas are still unknown. It was therefore welcome when the government announced that it would provide grants to help through the Farming Recovery Fund, administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA). With between £130 per hectare available to return land to the condition it was in before Storm Henk in January, a number of farmers who had been badly affected were dismayed when they submitted claims when the scheme went live on 9 April and were told they were ineligible for funding.
The first funding was aimed at farmers in Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, West Northamptonshire, Wiltshire and Worcestershire. However, an unexpected rule that only land within 150 metres of a named river would qualify, meant that many, even those adjacent to other water courses which had failed, were denied access to the grants. Some swift lobbying by the NFU resulted in the removal of the rule by Defra within four days, but at the time of writing other concerns remain.
These include support for farmers in other counties – which the government has said are under review – and flooding resulting from other watercourses. As the NFU has pointed out, there is a longer term need for “support for farmers to prepare, adapt and recover from the impacts of chronic rainfall and waterlogged ground, which isn’t addressed by the fund.”
With climate change making extreme rainfall events more frequent and prolonged, there is a need to address flood protection and drainage infrastructure across the country. Earlier this year, the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) and the NFU highlighted a number of concerns around poor maintenance of existing infrastructure and inconsistencies around the construction of new facilities. According to the PAC 203,000 properties are at increased risk of flooding due to deteriorating flood defences.
Elsewhere there are reports that the Environment Agency is struggling to retain and recruit staff, while in the civil service, longevity and experience is lacking in many government departments, with Defra no exception.
As the NFU has said previously, to continue to produce food while protecting land and local communities, UK agriculture and horticulture needs tangible solutions that mitigate the impact of flooding of farmland.
The UK already faces several food security challenges due to changing border legislation and the impact of weather and climate in overseas production areas. Vegetable production is already difficult due to unrealistic economics and challenging agronomy. Removing swathes of farmland from production because it is underwater or saturated is something that nobody needs.
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