Representatives from the NFU, the EA and members of the farming community met at NFU Environment Forum member Richard Bramley’s Yorkshire farm to discuss common ground in long-term strategic planning and future approaches to flood risk management.
Mr Bramley farms 500 acres of arable land in the North East. Over the last century his land flooded five times; in the last 16 years it has already flooded eight times. The frequency and the crippling consequences of the floods are driving the need for action. In 2015 Richard lost 60 acres of wheat and 30 acres of oil seed rape to the December floods, with a total cost of £20,000 to his business. In 2012 the loss was over £100,000.
Farmers across the country are having to look into making their farms more resilient to extreme weather changes. For Cumbrian farmer Steve Dunning this has meant relocating his entire farm yard onto higher ground to help protect the business for future generations.
During the visit Mr Bramley emphasised that farmers are keen and ready to get involved to help find solutions to the benefit of all. In response, Ms Howard Boyd said there is a real opportunity for the EA to work more closely with the NFU and other interested parties on future approaches to flood management. Highlighting the fact that there is huge diversity in farming, Minette added that farmers across the country are facing very different challenges and that in future a whole catchment approach to flood management is very important.
Continually emphasised on the day was the value of agricultural land in flood management programmes. The flood bank around the River Ouse keeps water away from the town of Selby but does not protect farmers like Richard. Yet it is agricultural land that is providing the valuable flood service of storing floodwater and reducing the risk to properties and urban settlements. This is at a loss to individual farm businesses and without recognition or compensation.
The NFU has released a 2-page summary of the forthcoming Flooding Manifesto outlining our key government asks. The NFU recognises that farming has a key role to play in flood management.
However, where farmers are providing a service in mitigating flood risk to help protect others, we are calling for this service to be a coherent, planned component of total catchment management for which farmers are fairly compensated. In short, the government’s strategy to manage future flood risk must be to plan, protect and pay.
