House of Commons · Westminster Hall
15 January 2025 · 4 other contributors · 4,230 words
Opened by Jerome Mayhew Con Broadland and Fakenham
Responding minister: Emma Hardy
Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.
Jerome Mayhew raised concerns about farmland flooding in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
Key points
Key requests to Government
The Government should continue to work with farmers and support them through initiatives like the farming recovery fund, which compensates farmers for uninsured losses due to flooding.
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said.
Opened the debate
Seventy four per cent of the total floodplain in the United Kingdom is agricultural land, with more than 1,000 flood warnings for farmland last winter. The incidences of flooding are increasing, impacting farmers' ability to use their fields productively.
Farmers in Mid Bedfordshire are prepared to implement nature-based solutions but need support and certainty from the Government.
Emphasised the need for consultations with landowners upstream in catchment areas to discuss flood management. Highlighted a local example of landowners working together to rewild a flood meadow, enhancing its ability to soak up water.
Welcomed the Government’s commitment to a flood resilience taskforce and emphasized the importance of involving farmers in the development of solutions.
Asked for proper compensation for farmers who store water on their land to prevent flooding of homes, proposing an extra £1 billion a year in schemes.
Government Response
Emma HardyThe Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Confirmed an additional £50 million for internal drainage boards on top of the existing £25 million, taking total investment to £75 million. The Government are investing £2.4 billion in flood resilience over two years. They are reviewing the flood funding formula and convening a roundtable on Monday to explore opportunities and challenges in delivering natural flood management. To reassure the hon. Gentleman, the Government are committed to the environmental land management programme and are looking at funding natural flood management on farmland... We have already taken decisive action with the first steps to reviewing the outdated funding formula, the creation of the new, multi-agency floods resilience taskforce, and the updating of flood options under the environmental land management schemes. I look forward to continuing to engage with farmers on these incredibly important matters.