Farmers want more for flood land

FARMERS' leaders are calling for a better deal for the owners of valuable agricultural land that may be sacrificed for flood storage.

The Environment Agency has outlined Catchment Flood Management Plans (CFMPs) for all the main river areas in England, which could see some parts of the East Riding deliberately flooded to protect other areas, such as towns and villages.

Compensation is being offered to landowners on a case by case basis, but the National Farmers' Union has called for a change in policy.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

It accused the agency of undervaluing land and trying to "pick off" individual farmers without making its calculations clear.

Laurie Norris, environment advisor at the National Farmers' Union, said: "It's something that's quite fundamental, there needs to be change in Defra policy.

"It doesn't recognise the true value of land. What's important for us is within the East Riding catchment there's a huge per centage of Grade One agricultural land, it's top quality.

"What the strategy doesn't take into account is the amount of food production that comes from that land. If you use it as flood storage you lose that for life.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"It talks about losses to agriculture, but it never mentions the impact on food security and domestic food production."

She added: "This is a strategy for the next 50 to 100 years, but the Government's chief scientist, Sir John Beddington, warns there may be a global food crisis by 2030, and we have to protect domestic production."

Ms Norris called for more openness in the way land was valued.

"It's done by individual agreement; it isn't very transparent," she said.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

"At Alkborough, on the south bank of the Humber, which is now a huge flood storage area, it was only after the deal was done that it became public knowledge how much it cost.

"They pick off individuals and do these agreements.

"If you talk to any farmer on Sunk Island they just don't like it."

East Riding Council is also concerned at the way compensation is being handled, and accused the agency of trying to "sidestep" the issue.

A report to the council's Cabinet next week, containing a proposed response to the agency's latest version of the CFMP, said the authority may lobby the Government to get a better deal.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

The report said: "The agency's overall response is that issues of the levels of compensation, and when it is paid, are not within the remit of CFMPs; this would require a change of policy of approach to Defra (Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs).

"Whereas the issue of compensation for permanent schemes or for the periodic loss of grazing land may be straightforward, such as the Aire washlands, this rather sidesteps the issue of the loss of high value land where a crop might be lost,"

It added: "It is recommended that the response to the EA (Environment Agency) should also continue to push for the EA to lobby Government to adopt an approach that provides better compensation to affected farmers."

The council said the agency had addressed other concerns it had previously raised, including the nature of its consultation on the proposals.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Martin Slater, regional CFMP manager at the Environment Agency, said: "If land was needed for flood defence purposes - such as to create new washlands - the Environment Agency would complete a legal agreement with the landowner and potentially pay them for the land or its use.

"Any payment would be agreed with the landowner."

Last December, the Agency shelved plans to create a vast flood storage area at Leven Carrs.