In what could only be described as a cruel irony, English farmers, already grappling with the aftermath of unprecedented rainfall and flooding, find themselves ineligible for a government hardship fund due to their distance from “main” rivers.
According to the Met Office, England experienced its highest 18-month rainfall total on record, with 1,695.9mm falling from October 2022 to March 2024. This surpasses any comparable period since data collection began in 1836. Scientists attribute this to the likelihood of more intense rainfall periods due to climate breakdown.
Agricultural organizations reported a decline in food production last week, attributing it to extensive flooding that submerged a significant portion of cropland in the UK. In response, the government launched a farming recovery fund scheme. Eligible farmers can apply for grants ranging from £500 to £25,000 to restore their land to its pre-flood condition following the exceptional flooding caused by Storm Henk in January. However, farmers have voiced frustration over rejected funding applications, citing criteria such as proximity to designated major rivers as reasons for refusal.
John Charles-Jones, an arable farmer from Nottinghamshire, expressed his disappointment at being ineligible for the fund. Despite being six miles away from the nearest river, his farm has suffered from waterlogging since Storm Babet in October. The excessive rainfall has washed away most of his topsoil, rendering it unsuitable for cropping.
His anticipated losses are substantial, likely reaching six figures. He had planted a third of his intended crops in the autumn prior to the heavy rain, but only 10%-15% of that planted crop is expected to survive and be viable.
Charles-Jones highlighted that the farming minister, Mark Spencer, hails from a farming background in Nottinghamshire, one of the hardest-hit counties. Despite this, farmers in the region have been excluded from accessing the fund.
“The eligibility criteria for recipients are completely flawed,” he emphasized. “How could anyone take so long to come up with such nonsense? I don’t think I have ever witnessed such an ill-thought-out scheme. It is difficult to know quite where to start in picking it all to pieces. For once I had higher hopes, with farming minister Mark Spencer actually living and farming in one of the worst-affected counties.”
Andrew Naish, also from Nottinghamshire, echoed similar sentiments, stating, “Whilst grants are technically available, it looks like you will have to have walked on the moon to qualify. We, like many farmers, have suffered flooding and large financial losses this winter but fail to meet the criteria for claiming because the government has set the parameters at unachievable levels.”
Rachel Hallos, the vice-president of the National Farmers’ Union, voiced concerns about the newly announced farming recovery fund, intended to assist farmers affected by Storm Henk in January.
“We are hearing from numerous members who have suffered catastrophic impacts who have been told they are not eligible for the fund because some of their affected areas are more than 150 metres from ‘main’ rivers. These include members with 90% of their land saturated or underwater, and huge damage to buildings and equipment,” she stated.
“We are taking this up with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs urgently. I cannot believe this is what ministers intended when they launched the fund, which was a welcome and well-intentioned development, which seems to have been fundamentally let down in the detail. While the impact of the weather goes far beyond Storm Henk, this could have been a good start but, as it stands, it simply doesn’t work.”
Relevant articles:
– Flooded farms in England refused compensation as ‘too far’ from river
– Farmers warn of ‘major issues’ with Government’s flooding recovery fund, Yahoo News Canada, Thu, 11 Apr 2024 11:30:45 GMT