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Farmland Flooding
15 January 2025
Lead MP
Jerome Mayhew
Broadland and Fakenham
Con
Responding Minister
Emma Hardy
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Word Count: 4230
Other Contributors: 4
At a Glance
Jerome Mayhew raised concerns about farmland flooding in Westminster Hall. A government minister responded.
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.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
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.
Blake Stephenson
Con
Mid Bedfordshire
Farmers in Mid Bedfordshire are prepared to implement nature-based solutions but need support and certainty from the Government.
Matt Rodda
Lab
Reading Central
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.
Maya Ellis
Lab
Ribble Valley
Welcomed the Government’s commitment to a flood resilience taskforce and emphasized the importance of involving farmers in the development of solutions.
Sarah Dyke
LD
Glastonbury and Somerton
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 Hardy
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Government Response
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.
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About Westminster Hall Debates
Westminster Hall debates are a chance for MPs to raise important issues affecting their constituents and get a response from a government minister. Unlike Prime Minister's Questions, these debates are more in-depth and collaborative. The MP who secured the debate speaks first, other MPs can contribute, and a minister responds with the government's position.