NFU horticulture board chair Sarah Dawson is calling on government to take greater action on flooding.
Dawson held a recent meeting with Richard Benyon, the DEFRA minister with responsibility for flooding and water resource management and challenged him on the mismatch between the impacts of flooding and the resources dedicated to mitigating those impacts.
She said: “In too many cases the Environment Agency aren’t carrying out maintenance further up the water course, which causes flooding and impacts on food production.
“In some cases, farmers and growers are willing to maintain their own watercourses but are told by the Environment Agency that they cannot, usually to protect habitat or biodiversity, or they find their licensing regime difficult to navigate. However, with funding for maintenance continuing to fall, we need to find solutions to these issues.”
Dawson understands that Environment Agency’s revenue budget over the next few years will be in the region of £200 million. Some £20m a year is spent on channel maintenance. She said: “I think £20m a year on maintenance, out of over £200m, is poor budgeting and management of essential resources. I am convinced this policy needs changing quickly. It is insulting that only £20m is spent on maintenance across England, when £11m is spent on running the Thames Barrier alone. “
Dawson challenged the minister in her recent meeting to place a greater emphasis on protecting the most productive agricultural and horticultural land. She said: “If there was a significant increase in maintenance of watercourses then our existing drainage system, pumps and ditches would work more effectively to get water to where it needs to be rather than ‘slow the flow’ causing widespread and prolonged flooding.”
