Defra’s Farming Recovery Fund has been extended to allow applications from farmers in four more English counties.
On March 20, 2020, the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Rural Payments Agency announced a further £6 million for farmers affected by flooding in February 2020.
On Monday (April 6), the decision was taken to open the fund to farmers located in parts of:
- Herefordshire;
- Shropshire;
- Staffordshire;
- East and North Yorkshire.
The scheme will also be extended further in Nottinghamshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire.
The Government will provide an additional £6 million, taking the total funding available to help farmers recover their land to £10 million.
Defra is working closely with the Environment Agency to determine if there are any other areas that would be eligible for the fund.
How to claim from the Farming Recovery Fund
The Farming Recovery Fund was opened to support farms affected by the June and July 2019 floods in North Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, and then was extended to cover the further flooding in parts of South Yorkshire, Gloucestershire and the Midlands in November 2019.
The extra £6 million brings the total funding that the government has made available for farmers to recover from exceptional flooding, during 2019 and the first two months of 2020, up to £10 million.
Under the Farming Recovery Fund, affected farmers in eligible areas can claim for grants between £500 and £25,000 to cover a number of uninsurable repair costs, such as the re-cultivation of farmland, including re-seeding, replanting cover crops and alleviating soil compaction.
More information on the application dates for the extended Farming Recovery Fund will be released in due course, which will include details on how to apply and guidance on eligibility within affected counties.
Farmers who have been affected are advised to keep records of evidence of flood damage, including receipts and before and after photos, in order to help the RPA process eligible applications promptly.
The Farming Recovery Fund handbook can be found here, on the UK Government website.
