The Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (R.A.B.I) has paid out £31,000 to flood victims in Cumbria since December 7. The 155-year-old farming welfare charity expects that figure to rise considerably in the coming months once people have taken stock of damage and how it affects future income.
Applications from farming people affected by flooding or storm damage in the north of England – including regions such as Lancashire, Yorkshire and Northumberland as well as Cumbria – are still being fast-tracked using a simplified claims process. R.A.B.I has an emergency fund that exists to specifically help people during a crisis.
R.A.B.I chief executive Paul Burrows said: “In the north of England flooding has exacerbated other problems such as falling commodity prices or people not receiving Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) money from the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).
“At the moment, many people are still working every hour of the day to care for their livestock and families, rather than deal with the financial impact of the situation. These are certainly very challenging times for the farming industry, but we will continue to do what we have always done, which is support those in the farming world on low incomes with limited means.”
R.A.B.I regional manager Georgina Lamb, who is also R.A.B.I’s representative on the Cumbria Action Flood Group, believes there is still much to do to get flood-affected farmers back on their feet and the plight of many remains ‘desperate’ – especially those who have suffered from repeated flooding.
She said: “Before Christmas, we held four surgeries at auction marts in Cumbria in order to engage face-to-face with those affected by Storm Desmond. We were approached by more than 60 people.”
