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More farmers could be paid to store floodwater on their land – helping to protect communities from extreme weather. It follows a series of... Defra considers options following winter floods

More farmers could be paid to store floodwater on their land – helping to protect communities from extreme weather.

It follows a series of winter storms which has seen farmland flooded across the Midlands and East Anglia – with fields likely to remain submerged for weeks to come and autumn drilled crops left rotting in the field.

Speaking after visiting flood-hit farmers in Lincolnshire last month, Defra minister Robbie Moore said “nothing was off the table” when it came to helping farmers recover from winter storms.”

Recovery fund

In a statement delivered to parliament Mr Moore said later: “We have made £25m available for innovative projects that use the power of nature to improve flood protection, including actions by farmers and land managers – and I will announce successful projects shortly.”

Defra had switched on the Farming Recovery Fund so farmers who had suffered uninsurable damage to their land could apply for grants of up to £25,000 – recognising the exceptional rainfall that had taken place.

Small and medium sized businesses, including farmers, could also apply for up to £2,500 of support from the Business Recovery Grant to help them return their businesses back to usual, said Mr Moore.

Over the longer term, farmers with land which is repeatedly flooded will be able to claim payments in return for managing water bodies and landscapes under the 2024 Sustainable Farming Incentive.

This will include options to be paid for managing flood alleviation. Managing arable land for flood resistance on a five-year agreement will pay £1,241/ha, with flood mitigation on arable reversion land paying £740/ha.

New option

Defra has also announced a new option for managed grassland for flood and drought resistance. This will pay £938/ha, with new payments for raising the water table in lowland peatland worth £892/ha.

The decision to reward farmers for managing flooded farmland would appear to answer calls – at least partly – for the government to take a more strategic approach when it comes mitigating the impact of extreme weather events.

Mark Chatterton, head of agriculture at accountants Duncan & Toplis, said this winter’s floods were  the worst he had seen at any time in his 24-year career, due to their scale and impact on farming livelihoods.

“We thought 2019 was bad – the worst flooding for many, many years – but this truly is unprecedented. The work and expense of cultivating, drilling and carrying out pre-emergent sprays has been wasted with seed flooded and failing to germinate.”