The UK government has taken action to assist farmers who have endured uninsurable damage to their land due to flooding during this winter season.
Through the Farming Recovery Fund, eligible farmers can access grants ranging from £500 to £25,000 to restore their land to its pre-flooding condition caused by Storm Henk.
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is directly contacting eligible farmers to inform them about the support available through the Farming Recovery Fund and how they can apply for assistance.
This initiative is part of the broader Flood Recovery Framework, activated in exceptional circumstances to aid councils and communities in the aftermath of severe flooding.
Initially, the fund will be available in local authority areas where the Flood Recovery Framework has been activated to address the most severely affected farms. These areas include Gloucestershire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Somerset, Warwickshire, West Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire.
Defra will continuously assess eligibility for the fund to ensure it targets areas where farmland is most impacted. Additional counties under review for eligibility include Berkshire, Herefordshire, Oxfordshire, Surrey, Staffordshire, Yorkshire, Norfolk, and Derbyshire.
Mark Spencer, the Farming Minister, expressed empathy for farmers facing the challenges brought by extreme weather conditions. He highlighted the Farming Recovery Fund's role in providing grants of up to £25,000 to farmers experiencing uninsurable damage, complementing broader support schemes aimed at enhancing flood resilience in farming.
Following the government's announcement in January and consultations with stakeholders to develop eligibility criteria, the RPA has identified eligible fields. This proactive approach allows the RPA to directly contact eligible farmers and streamline the claims process for faster disbursement of payments.
Farmers are also eligible for support under the Flood Recovery Framework, including a grant of up to £2,500 as part of the Business Recovery Grant.
The UK has witnessed exceptionally heavy rainfall in recent years, with 2023 being named the 6th wettest year on record by the Met Office. The government's commitment to protecting agricultural land and investing £5.6 billion to enhance flood protection for rural communities underscores its dedication to mitigating the impacts of flooding across the country. Photo by Philip Barker, Wikimedia commons.