We are urgently developing research requirements with other European laboratories to make sure we understand and the disease (Schmallenberg) better.Reduce flood risk to regain farmer confidence, EA told
REDUCING the risk of flooding must be one of the Environment Agency’s key strategic aims if it is to win the confidence of the farming community.
The NFU made the comment after ‘environmental benefits’ topped a list of desired outcomes in the Government’s draft Flood and Water Management Bill, ahead of the need to address flooding and coastal erosion.
In its response to the Government consultation on the flood Bill the NFU wrote: “We agree that environmental sustainability matters and that all authorities involved in flood and coastal erosion risk management should have due regard to sustainable development where possible, but if the EA is to win the confidence of the farming community, it needs to be clear that reducing flood risk is one of its central responsibilities.”
Meurig Raymond, NFU deputy president added that the Agency must be given a duty to provide improved flood defence.
He said: “The draft Bill’s provisions are power-heavy and duty-light when it comes to the Environment Agency. We’re asking for the Bill to place an express duty on the Agency to provide adequate flood and coastal defences. We’ve got to have concrete action rather than endless consultation. That includes a reversal of the reduction in river maintenance we’ve seen since the Environment Agency took over responsibility for main rivers.”
Other NFU concerns in the draft Bill included a proposal to make significant changes to the reservoir safety regime which could impact on small on-farm irrigation reservoirs and proposals to reform Internal Drainage Boards which could curtail their ability to carry out local drainage and water level management functions.
The deadline for responses to the draft Bill has now passed and Defra must now formulate a legislative proposal.
