£57.5 million worth of flood relief payments has been awarded to farmers devastated by the flooding in the last fortnight under the government’s Farming Recovery Fund, officials have confirmed.
Around 13,000 farmers were impacted by the severe wet weather experienced between October and March last year, which included Storms Henk and Babet, with more than 12,700 recovery payments being made now to help relief the damages incurred on affected farms.
These one off recovery payments, which range from £2,895 – £25,000, are expected to support land recovery activities such as soil remediation, recultivation initiatives and the removal of any debris caused by the flooding.
Data from the Environment Agency and Met Office has been used to identify the eligible farms for the recovery payment, which has been based off satellite data and on river gauge readings.
These farms are mostly located in areas which suffered the most extensive river flooding during the two storms but it has also included areas which have experienced “exceptionally” high volumes of rainfall in the last six months.
Flood relief payments
The vast majority (95%) of eligible farm businesses have now received their payments after the funding was confirmed two weeks ago on November 13, with outstanding payments expected to be made in due course, government confirmed.
The amount paid out is based on the number of hectares of farmland subject to flooding, raising incrementally with the more land affected.
Minister of State at the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Zeichner said:
“In just two weeks we have paid over £57 million to farms affected by devastating flooding – £10 million more than the previous Government.
“However, we are going further by investing £5 billion for the farming budget over two years – with the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country’s history.
“This demonstrates this government’s steadfast commitment to farmers.”
The government has also recently confirmed that £50 million will be distributed to internal drainage boards (IDBs), the public bodies responsible for managing water levels for agricultural and environmental needs in a particular area.
The £5 billion farming budget will continue to focus on environmental land management schemes, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery.
Alongside the £60 million granted in the Farming Recovery Fund, the government has also committed £208 million for the government’s biosecurity facilities at Weybridge to protect the nation from disease outbreaks.
