Flooded farms help 'simply doesn't work

More help needed to fight dire weather

- Sam Stevenson

FARMERS hit by "catastrophic" wet weather say a funding package "simply doesn't work" for them.

England had 1,695.9mm of rain from October 2022 to March 2024, the highest for any 18-month period since the Met Office began collecting data in 1836.

Rachel Hallos, vice-president of the National Farmers' Union, said: "It's no exaggeration to say a crisis is building." The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs has said farmers would be eligible to claim grants of between £500 and £25,000 under the Farming Recovery Fund for uninsurable losses from flooding.

But the fact only those within 150 metres (500ft) of main rivers were eligible for the funds under the original scheme promoted a swift backlash and led to Defra removing the requirement in a U-turn yesterday.