Calls over flood risk measures

West Midlands farmers have a key role to play in flood management – but the Government must ensure that measures to address flood risk are properly funded.

The call comes in the NFU's Flood Manifesto, launched at Westminster which urges the Government to adopt a 'plan, protect and pay' approach as part of a long-term strategic blueprint for flood and coastal risk management.

Sarah Faulkner, NFU environment adviser, said: "We have seen examples of local and national authorities, emergency services and communities working together in the face of a significant flooding threat.

"We want to see more of this joint working as we plan for long-term challenges, an approach that will include more decisions made at a local level, including devolving responsibilities to Internal Drainage Boards (IDBS) where the Environment Agency is no longer fully funded to carry out maintenance.

"There also needs to be proper assessment of the value of agriculture when looking at flood management.

"This is crucially important in the region in areas where highly productive farmland is at risk of flooding and where agricultural land is part of the solution to flooding, such as providing flood water storage, however, this must be planned, agreed and paid for."

She said one good example of farmers working together with the authorities was on the River Perry, in North Shropshire.

Farmers initially tackled nearly four miles of the watercourse themselves, to help prevent recurring flooding problems and bring maintenance of the stretch right up-to-date. The 'consented work', which came from Natural England and the Environment Agency, saw 13 farms and three estates come together to carry out the largest de-silting operation on the stretch for around 20 years and further works have since been carried out.

A small team of farmers has covered miles of the watercourse and a huge amount of obstacles have been removed including tonnes of silt while still maintaining the environmental integrity of the area.

The manifesto lists recent flooding events that have affected agriculture, including the winter of 2013 and 2014 when about 45,000 hectares of agricultural land were flooded, at a cost to the sector of £19 million.

NFU Deputy President Minette Batters said: "British farming provides the raw ingredients for an industry worth £108 billion to the UK economy, which also provides 3.9 million jobs.

"It's the bedrock of the food industry, feeding the nation and playing a part in feeding the world. Some of our most productive and highest value agricultural land lies in floodplains, vulnerable to flooding and this deserves to be protected.

"In short, the Government's strategy to manage future flood risk must be to plan, protect and pay."