Following the announcement of billions of pounds worth of investment into tackling flooding and the launch of the Environment Agency’s Flood Strategy, the NFU has made clear that the responsibility to carry out and recover from natural flood solutions, such as intentionally flooding farmland, cannot lie solely with the farmer.
NFU Deputy President Stuart Roberts said: “We are pleased to see the government recognise the vital role of farmers in managing floods, as well as the importance of an integrated water management strategy.
“Farmers understand they have a significant role to play in preventing floods reaching towns and cities, but the strategy needs to ensure we have resilient businesses that can withstand these events in the first place and then quickly recover to return to our core business of producing food for the nation."
- The government’s new Environmental Land Management scheme has the potential to provide support for farmers, providing it is designed in a way that can reward farmers for taking part in flood management. With this scheme still several years away from being operational, now is the perfect time for the government to engage with farmers on this issue and make sure the options presented are the right ones.
- The NFU is currently developing its own strategy in this area to showcase how farmers can best improve their resilience to water-related risks.