May 30, 2024 - The government has listened to the National Farmers Union's (NFU) call for greater government support to help more farm businesses recover after relentless heavy rain and devastating flooding across the country.
It comes after the wettest 18 months since 1836 which have left vast swathes of agricultural land saturated and, in many cases, still under water. Many arable farmers have been unable to plant crops and have lost those that were in the ground, while livestock farmers have endured an incredibly difficult lambing season. With farm business planning needing long-term stability, many farms will be dealing with the impacts for months and even years to come.
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A recent NFU survey highlighted the toll this has taken on farm business confidence, which has hit an all-time low across England and Wales.
The government has now taken on board more of the NFU's asks which will help more farmers and growers get the support they need to recover and rebuild. These include:
- Measures to improve on farm cash flow, with the second instalment (50%) of delinked payments moving forward to September rather than December, and reaffirmation that members will receive the first instalment (50%) in August.
- Widening the scope of the Farm Recovery Fund to offer support to farms which have been damaged due to extreme rainfall as well as river breaches.
In a post on X, Defra Secretary of State Steve Barclay has also said the NFU's proposals for government-backed loans merit detailed consideration. These loans would help with cashflow, support farm business resilience and bolster longer-term investment across UK farming.
NFU President Tom Bradshaw said: "After months of discussions, it's really good news that the government has listened to our calls for additional financial support for farm businesses.
"Against the backdrop of some of the most challenging commercial and weather conditions in living memory, which has resulted in plummeting business confidence, these measures will provide some critical relief to many member businesses which have been facing a very uncertain future because of exceptional cashflow pressures.
"I'm particularly pleased that the Secretary of State is supporting serious consideration of our proposed loans. While we understand any decision will be delayed due to the general election, we will continue to work with the future government on this proposal as we know how beneficial it would be in stabilising cashflow, building resilience and enabling investment, all of which are crucial to our national food security.
"The measures announced today will not solve all the issues we're facing on farm, but I am confident they will go some way to lifting some of the immediate strain on family farms and help farmers and growers to get back to doing what they do best - producing high quality, sustainable food for the British people."
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The Global MillerThis blog is maintained by The Global Miller staff and is supported by the magazine Milling and Grain
which is published by Perendale Publishers Limited.
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