The launch of the strategy in September 2020 provided a longer-term vision of how homes and businesses will be better protected from flooding and coastal change. The NFU has been helping farmers prepare for extreme weather and published its own Integrated Water Management report in February.
Working together
As part of the Action Plan, the Environment Agency says it’s crucial that farmers, rural and urban communities, local authorities, and government work together to tackle the climate emergency.
It’s hoped this will help ensure the nation is ready for, and resilient to, flooding and coastal change.
Climate resilience
As the country recovers from the coronavirus pandemic, the Action Plan sits alongside a £5.2 billion investment from government in better protecting 336,000 properties by 2027. It will play an important part in coordinating efforts to ensure a clean, green recovery with climate resilience at its heart.
Integrated water management
NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “As we highlighted in our own Integrated Water Management Strategy, we need better cooperation and collaboration where everyone can play a part to manage flood risk, including farmers who are already adapting their businesses to make them more resilient to extreme weather.
“We see the EA’s Action Plan as a step in the right direction towards creating a country more resilient to climate change and the associated challenges and, we welcome the opportunity to continue to work with the Agency in the years and decades to come.”
Extreme weather
Caroline Douglass, Executive Director, Flood and Coastal Risk Management at Environment Agency explains: “It’s clear that the climate emergency is bringing more extreme weather and so we need to step up our efforts yet further to meet the rising flood and coastal erosion risk.
“By harnessing the collective power of the Environment Agency, government, all our partners and local communities, this Action Plan will help to better protect over hundreds of thousands more homes and businesses in the years ahead.”
Innes Thomson, Chief Executive of the Association of Drainage Authorities (ADA), also commented: “ADA recognises the important role Internal Drainage Boards have in delivering the National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy, including contributing to carbon reduction.
“ADA will be developing existing carbon calculator tools to specifically help internal drainage boards to take action to reduce the carbon emissions of their operations.”
Find more on NFUonline
For more information read the NFU's Integrated Water Management Strategy.