Axing flood pumps will leave crops at risk, warn farmers

The agency said the stations on the River Hull are providing drainage and not flood defence and, since it has to prioritise spending, it plans to stop maintenance funding in five years.

But at the Great Yorkshire Show, the National Farmers' Union (NFU) gave a stark warning the pumps clear the land quickly and if crops have to stand in flood water for any length of time they will be worthless, hitting both farmers and the national food supply.

The NFU said the agency's own figures revealed floods on a similar scale to those in 2007 would cause more than 13m of damage to farming businesses.

It fears the value of the land could also be severely hit and believe other pumping stations in the region, such as on the River Aire or the River Don, could also be closed.

The Environment Agency (EA) insisted there were no plans at this time to close any more stations, claiming Hull was a unique case.

NFU President Peter Kendall said there was a growing "chorus of dismay" over the proposals.

He said: "Flooding has had a serious impact on farming across Northern England for several years in succession.

"Crop losses have run into millions of pounds and farmers are rightly concerned about the agency's approach to productive agricultural land, proposing policies that also threaten to significantly increase the flood risk for Hull due to the resulting higher water table.

"Having seen first hand the impact of flooding in the region, such a move would severely damage the competitiveness of agriculture and horticulture on the banks of the Hull.

"We all understand the financial pressures that Government and its agencies face in tackling the deficit but the Environment Agency needs to think more cleverly and work in partnership with farmers so we can protect some of the best and most versatile land in Northern England."

The strategy, which sets out a 100-year blueprint for managing the River Hull, also proposes to withdraw maintenance funding above Hempholme Weir where the NFU claims the flood banks are in need of major investment.

Beverley farmer Martin Voase said the pumps were absolutely crucial to maintaining agricultural production.

"The flood banks and pumps that the agency wants to abandon protect more than 5,500 hectares of prime agricultural land."

The EA's area manager for Yorkshire, Craig McGarvey, said its studies concluded there would be no increased risk to Hull from flooding.

He said the agency's role was to protect homes and businesses from flooding, not provide drainage for agricultural land, and its offer to run the stations for the next five years while alternative local funding was sought was "a generous one".

It is estimated the stations will cost around 120,000 a year to run, with an estimated 1m in maintenance over 10 years.

Mr McGarvey said: "The pumps do need to drain the land and we are not saying that should not happen – but we have to prioritise money and we cannot keep putting money into this. The plans that we have put forward are to protect more than 5,000 hectares of land.

"Clearly we are not just walking away, we will be spending around 109m over the next 10 years on flood defences so we are not abandoning East Yorkshire.

"The 2007 floods caused 3bn of damage, of that 2bn was to homes and businesses and 50m was losses to agriculture. It is a very small percentage that was affected, although clearly if you are the farmer it is a lot. But is it right that the public purse pays for this or is it better that we find a local solution paid for by the local people who benefit?"

Great Yorkshire Show coverage: Pages 9-12; Comment: Page 16.