CLA President Henry Robinson has welcomed the Winter Floods report by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, while urging the Government to take the action recommended to protect agricultural land from flooding.

Mr Robinson said: “Many farmers continue to suffer from the devastation of the winter floods, and it is critical that Defra takes action – as recommended in the report – to revisit its flood response policy and ensure that farms and the countryside are not forfeit in times of flooding. “The report highlights that agriculture is a major industry and an important rural employer, but that the current method for allocating flood defence funding fails to recognise the value of agricultural land. This supports CLA’s calls for greater recognition in flood prevention policy of agricultural land’s importance for food production and for the rural economy.

“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. We are also pleased to see recognition of the importance of local knowledge and local circumstances through close co-operation between central organisations, local bodies and local people.”

The report proposes that the river maintenance scheme allowing farmers and landowners in areas in England at risk of flooding to carry out work to de-silt watercourses, presently being piloted by Defra, should be rolled out nationally.

Mr Robinson continues: “Only the Environment Agency has the ability to dredge main rivers and they must do so before requiring landowners to take greater responsibility. However the recommendation in the report to streamline the system for de-silting watercourses will enable landowners to take a greater role, along with wider work to adapt land management techniques to help prevent flooding. The right support must be put in place for this greater role to be made possible.”