Defra secretary promises more help for flood-hit farmers

Further help for farmers hit by incessant wet weather and flooding this winter and spring is on the way, with derogations planned for environmental schemes, and an extension of the Farming Recovery Fund.

Addressing the audience at Farmers Weekly’s Transition Live event near Cambridge on Thursday (9 May), Defra secretary Steve Barclay said the challenges posed by the second-wettest winter on record were very much top of mind for him and his team.

See also: Farming Recovery Fund now open for targeted payments

Mr Barclay said that Defra had “moved quickly”, by introducing the Farming Recovery Fund in April, which offered grants of up to £25,000 for uninsured losses on certain farms affected by the storms in early January.

This money was initially targeted at farms adjacent to specific rivers in specific counties in the South West and the Midlands, and only for land up to 150m from the centre of the watercourses.

But Mr Barclay was quick to point out that that 150m rule was quickly dropped in response to farmer feedback.

There is still more to be done given the ongoing challenges, Mr Barclay added, stating that further announcements are pending.

Derogations

Firstly, Defra is planning to provide greater flexibility and derogations in agri-environment schemes, such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive, “so that farmers that have been unable to carry out their scheme requirements due to wet weather will not miss out and can still receive payments”.

More details will be set out at the Farm to Fork Summit in Downing Street next Tuesday (14 May), he said. 

“Also, I plan to extend the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers significantly impacted by water on their land this winter,” Mr Barclay added.

The Defra secretary said he was talking to stakeholders and would provide more details “hopefully later this month”.

“It’s important we take time to get this right, so our systems are ready, and we are directing support to where it is needed most.

“We very much recognise that this is an issue that we need to engage on.”