Flooded farmers need government compensation for uninsurable crops, MP says

Selby and Ainsty MP Nigel Adams, left, in Tadcaster with Robert Goodwill, the Prime Minister's flooding envoy.

COMPENSATION should be paid to farmers who store flood water on their land and lose uninsurable crops as a result so that homes are protected, according to one Yorkshire MP.

Nigel Adams, the Conservative MP for Selby and Ainsty, said he believed there was a strong case for government to pursue such measures after he met local farmers and members of the National Farmers’ Union whose land will be underwater for weeks following the Boxing Day floods.

Mr Adams said: “We’ve done an awful lot to protect homes and I think we really need to be engaging with the farming community and see what can be done for them. “If we are expecting people to give up their land and crops to protect homes I think there needs to be a proper discussion about compensation and that’s something I will be taking up with ministers.

“We also need to be talking very seriously about drainage and how we manage water. I will be holding meetings with the local Internal Drainage Board and ministers to discuss that.”

Defra said a range of options were being considered as part of the government’s Flood Resilience Review announced last month and the outcome is expected in the summer.