Protect farmland from flooding, MPs urge Defra

The government must properly maintain flood defences and watercourses if farmland is to be better protected from flooding, MPs have warned.

The warning comes in a Report on Winter Floods published on Tuesday (17 June) by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

It calls for fully funded plans to address a backlog of dredging and watercourse maintenance – as well as to maintain the growing numbers of man-made flood defences.

Committee chairman Anne McIntosh said: “Funding for maintenance remains at a bare minimum. Ministers must take action now to avoid a repeat of the devastation caused by the winter floods.”

Regular work to dredge and keep rivers clear could be an essential flood prevention measure, yet it was squeezed out when budgets are tight.

See also: River dredging stepped up on Somerset Levels

Miss McIntosh said: “The government needs to recognise the importance of regular maintenance work and put it on an equal footing with building new defences.”

MPs support the devolution of maintenance activity to internal drainage boards and to local landowners, wherever possible.

The committee also urges the government to address the confusion over maintenance responsibilities through a widespread education campaign.

Environment Agency funding cuts must not lead to unintended consequences where funding is redirected to one operational area to the detriment of another, it warns.

“We want clarity for everyone when it comes to flood funding budgets” said Miss McIntosh.

“We see no reason why the government cannot move to a total expenditure approach for flood funding to allow more flexibility to spend in the most effective way.”

The report also recommends that a pilot river maintenance scheme allowing farmers and landowners in England to carry out work to de-silt watercourses should be rolled out nationally.

Farm leaders said they were pleased the committee had called on Defra to revisit its flood funding policy to recognise the economic and social value of farming and agricultural land.

NFU deputy president Minette Batters said: “Future government policy must ensure that farmland is prioritised in flood risk management.”

The NFU said there was a strong need for maintenance priorities to reflect local circumstances and agreed that dredging should be part of a portfolio of measures, rather than the only solution.

The Country Land and Business Association said it welcomed the report while urging the government to take the action recommended to protect agricultural land from flooding.

CLA president Henry Robinson said: “Many farmers continue to suffer from the devastation of the winter floods, and it is critical that Defra takes action.”

The government should revisit its flood response policy – as recommended by the report – and ensure that farms and the countryside were not forfeited in times of flooding.

Agriculture was a major industry and an important rural employer, but the current method for allocating flood defence funding failed to recognise the value of agricultural land.

“Investment in flood prevention is preferable to spending on clean up.

“We welcome the recommendation in the report for government to improve resilience through regular and sustained maintenance of flood defence assets and watercourses.

The government is expected to respond to the report in due course.