The government has announced that Farming Recovery Fund payments originating from the expanded offer will start to land in bank accounts from 21 November following letters to eligible farmers.
Eligible farmers have until 18 November to inform the RPA of any changes in circumstances before payments begin, such as if they do not occupy land indicated by the RPA in their email/letter.
Defra has said around 13,000 farmers were impacted by severe wet weather, including Storms Henk and Babet, between October and March last year, and will receive payments ranging from £2,895 - £25,000.
These one-off payments will support land recovery measures, such as soil remediation, recultivation and the removal of any debris caused by flooding.
Payments will come as ‘huge relief’
Responding to the news, NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos said: “These long-awaited payments through the Farming Recovery Fund will come as a huge relief to those farmers impacted by the wettest 18 months since records began. Although the original cohort of eligible farmers affected were issued a payment, it has been deeply frustrating that many are yet to receive any support.
“Relentless rain and devastating floods have rendered thousands of acres of farmland completely saturated and unusable, and this year’s incredibly difficult harvest saw huge variations in yield and quality. Payments through the Farming Recovery Fund are urgently needed to support those farmers impacted and help them recover.
“The extreme weather events of the past 18 months demonstrates that we cannot keep getting stuck in this cycle – we simply must invest in our water management systems. The Farming Recovery Fund is one part, but we need a long-term plan for how we protect our towns and countryside from what is becoming more regular, and expensive, flooding events.”
“These long-awaited payments through the Farming Recovery Fund will come as a huge relief to those farmers impacted by the wettest 18 months since records began.”
NFU Vice President Rachel Hallos
Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said he had asked for these payments “to land with farmers affected by the severe wet weather last winter as quickly as possible”.
Eligibility
Eligible farmers will receive an email or letter from the RPA with details of the area of land considered to be eligible for the recovery payment based on one or both of the eligibility criteria:
- Flooding from rivers
- Data from the Environment Agency was used to track high river levels during Storm Babet (19–25 October 2023) and Storm Henk (2–12 January 2024. Satellite imagery was used to confirm the land where the river flooding impacts were most severe.
- Exceptional rainfall
- Rainfall data from the Met Office identified local authority areas in England where at least half of the area experienced exceptional rainfall (more than 70% above the 30-year average rainfall) from October 2023 to March 2024.
More information on this scheme can be found at: GOV.UK | Our approach to farming recovery payments.
Defra has said farmers whose land is engineered as a flood storage area are not eligible for recovery payments.
The recovery payments will only be made to farmers in England as an exceptional, one-off contribution towards the uninsured costs incurred from returning their land to its pre-flooding condition.
