New government plans to invest in flood defence schemes across England and Wales leave some of the best and most versatile agricultural land at significant risk of flooding, the NFU said today.
Defra’s Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) programme is designed to manage the risk of flood damage to people and property. A new round of schemes announced this week includes projects in South Derbyshire, York, Cheshire and Cambridgeshire.
However, Treasury rules governing how funding for flood risk management can be used mean that significant amounts of agricultural land in England and Wales will not be eligible for the funds, leaving some of the most productive agricultural land vulnerable to flooding. This, the NFU says, potentially puts the nation’s food supply at risk.
NFU Deputy President Meurig Raymond said: "NFU members whether they are farmers or landowners will be pleased that the Minister recognises their continuing contribution to managing flood risk in England and Wales. However, we are very concerned that the rules that determine spending priorities will leave increasing amounts of our best and most versatile agricultural land vulnerable to flooding.
"The most recent report, commissioned under a joint Defra and Environment Agency research programme in 2010 provided an indication of the scale of risk despite some of the data sets used being 10 years old. It showed that up to 13 per cent of the best and most valuable land is at risk of significant flooding.
"Furthermore, while it is encouraging to see an extra £72 million coming into the FCERM pot, the weightings Defra allocates to gain access to these funds means many of our members will have difficulty in obtaining funds to protect their property through the FCERM programme. As a result, important land will remain extremely vulnerable, despite the increased amount of money available."
