Written by Charlotte Cunningham
Defra has come under fire from arable farmers for failing to respond to the pressures caused by floods and for miserable returns offered under Countryside Stewardship schemes, reports Tom Allen-Stevens. With thousands of farmers across the country battling floods after Storm Dennis and unable to get onto their land to plant crops, farming organisations from across the UK have asked for an urgent relaxation of the three-crop rule, which requires farmers to have three crops in the ground on their farm between 1 May and 30 June. The UK Farming Roundtable, which includes CLA, LEAF (Linking Environment and Farming), NFU, Soil Association and Tenant Farmers Association, met on Tuesday (18 Feb). It has called for the government to grant a derogation from the rule and to broaden the extent of the Farming Recovery Fund to help flood-hit farmers with any uninsurable losses as a result of flooding. Unprecedented situation A joint statement from members of the UK Farming Roundtable said: “We are facing an unprecedented situation. Relentless rain has meant some farmers won’t have been able to get on their land since the autumn. “A significant area of farmland is currently underwater following two storms in two weeks, compounding the…
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