Oxford Farming Conference: Paterson defends DEFRA flood policy
More farmers could be allowed to ensure local rivers are free-flowing amid growing criticism of the government’s flood defence policies.
Thousands of hectares of farmland remain under water following heavy rain and tidal surges in the south and west of the country. Hard-hit areas include the Somerset Levels, parts of Devon, Cornwall, Dorset, Sussex, Gloucestershire, Wales and south-west Scotland.
Farmers in low-lying areas have long warned of poorly maintained sea walls and neglected inland flood defences. It is almost a year since the Environment Agency pledged to look at ways of making it easier for farmers to maintain watercourses and flood defences on their land.
Speaking at the Oxford Farming Conference, DEFRA secretary Owen Paterson said seven pilot projects were allowing local landowners to work closely with the Environment Agency and undertake drainage and cleaning themselves.
“That, I hope, will lead to this programme being extended right across the country which will make a radical difference to many of our low-risk rural waterways,” said Mr Paterson. It was “quite wrong” that the last government had stopped the maintenance of some watercourses, he added.
Mr Paterson’s comments came as MPs warned that budget cuts and Environment Agency job losses threaten to hamper DEFRA’s ability to deal with future emergencies. DEFRA’s budget has been cut by £500m since 2010 and it must find a further £300m in savings by 2016.
Mr Paterson said: “When we came into office, this country was borrowing £300,000 a minute, so some very difficult decisions had to be made in 2010. In my defence, since I have been at DEFRA, we have now got a significant increase in capital funding and in some of the revenue.”
“When we came into office, this country was borrowing £300,000 a minute, so some very difficult decisions had to be made in 2010. In my defence, since I have been at DEFRA, we have now got a significant increase in capital funding and in some of the revenue.”
Owen Paterson, DEFRA secretary
But farm leaders said more funding needed to be directed towards river maintenance. NFU deputy president Meurig Raymond said more money was needed to ensure flooding problems did not get worse and land in rural areas recovered as quickly as possible.
“Maintenance is a key issue for farmers as regular periodic works maintains conveyance and capacity within the river system. This means floodwater can return to the river system quickly and reduces the extent and duration of any flooding.”
Flooding problems in parts of the country over the Christmas and new year period had reinforced the need to ensure a balance between Government investment in larger capital flood defence projects that primarily serve urban areas and funding for river maintenance.
“Without adequate funding to maintain waterways, flooding problems would only increase, said Mr Raymond. The NFU recognised available funding was limited and money had to be spent carefully. But £20m spent annually on river maintenance was not enough to do the job effectively.
Mr Raymond added: “Many rural areas have been flooded by water that otherwise could have flooded nearby towns and cities. Increasing investment in larger capital schemes that protect urban areas in isolation is not a sustainable solution to tackling the problems of flooding.”
Photos: Floods hit UK after ‘average’ 2013 weather
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