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Farmers have received payments totalling 拢57.5 million from the Farming Recovery Fund so far, the government confirmed today (27 November). 聽聽Around 13,000 farmers were impacted by severe wet weather, including Storms Henk and Babet, between October and March last year, with more than 12,700 recovery payments ranging from 拢2,895 - 拢25,000 now being made.聽

These are one off recovery payments which will support land recovery activities such as soil remediation, recultivation and the removal of any debris caused by flooding.聽

The vast majority (95%) of eligible farm businesses have now received their payments after the funding was confirmed two weeks ago on 13 November.聽 Outstanding payments will continue to be made.聽

Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner said: 聽

鈥淚n two weeks we have paid over 拢57 million to farms affected by devastating flooding 鈥� 拢10 million more than the previous Government. 聽

鈥淗owever, we are going further by investing 拢5 billion for the farming budget over two years 鈥� with the largest ever directed at sustainable food production in our country鈥檚 history. 聽聽

鈥淭his demonstrates this Government鈥檚 steadfast commitment to farmers.鈥澛�

The government also recently confirmed that the public bodies responsible for managing water levels for agricultural and environmental needs in a particular area.聽聽

The farming budget is 拢5 billion over the next two years, the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature鈥檚 recovery, with ELM schemes remaining at the centre of the offer for farmers and nature. The Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and Landscape Recovery are all continuing. 聽

Alongside the 拢60 million Farming Recovery Fund, the government has also committed 拢208 million up to 2025-26 for the government鈥檚 biosecurity facilities at Weybridge to protect the nation from disease outbreaks that can threaten the farming industry and food security.聽聽聽聽聽聽

Notes to editors聽聽

• The Environment Agency and Met Office data has been used to identify which farm businesses will receive the recovery payment.
• This data on river flooding and exceptional rainfall allows us to pinpoint affected land and make payments directly to eligible farms. By focusing on those with the most significant impacts, this approach ensures the payment contributes to uninsured costs resulting from the extreme wet weather.
• The recovery payments are focused on exceptional wet weather impacts in this period and therefore those who are most likely to have had the most significant impacts.
• Eligibility covers areas of the most extensive river flooding from the two largest storms in the period plus the areas where extreme rainfall occurred over the six months.
• Farmers received a letter from the RPA with details of the area of land considered to be eligible for the recovery payment by combining 2 sources of information:

Flooding from rivers聽聽

Data from the Environment Agency was used to track high river levels during Storm Babet (19鈥�25 October 2023) and Storm Henk (2鈥�12 January 2024. Satellite imagery was used to confirm the land where the river flooding impacts were most severe. 聽聽2.

Exceptional rainfall聽

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.聽聽

Eligible land parcels were then identified in these areas and payment made for a set proportion of total eligible farm area to take account of uncertainties in the precise extent of localised rainfall impacts across the country.聽聽

Farmers whose land is engineered as a flood storage area are not eligible for recovery payments.聽聽

How the payment is calculated聽聽

An amount of land in eligible areas identified that were affected by high river levels and flooding (from satellite data based on river gauge readings)聽聽

An amount of land in eligible areas identified with extreme rainfall (excluding land already counted for flooding)聽聽

Add the amounts of land calculated in step 1 and step 2 together聽聽

Apply the payment band based on the total eligible hectares.聽聽

If, for example, the amount of land parcels affected totals between 1 and 25 hectares of eligible land, farmers will receive a one-off payment of 拢2,895. The more land affected, the higher the payment, according to the table below.聽聽

Payment bands聽聽

1.00 鈥� 25.00 ha鈥�2,895聽聽

25.01 鈥� 50.00 ha鈥�4,875聽聽

50.01 鈥� 75.00鈥痟a鈥�8,125聽聽

75.01 鈥� 100.00 ha鈥�11,375聽聽

100.01 鈥� 125.00 ha鈥�14,625聽聽

125.01 鈥� 150.00 ha鈥�17,875聽聽

150.01 鈥� 175.00 ha鈥�21,125聽聽

175.01 ha and above鈥�25,000聽聽

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.