Lincolnshire farmers want action to help prevent future flooding

Storm Babet damaged a lot of agricultural land in the county

Lincolnshire farmers want action to help prevent future flooding
Author: Andy MarshPublished 26th Oct 2023

Farmers across Lincolnshire say better flood prevention measures are urgently needed after a number in the county suffered what are being described as "devastating" losses following Storm Babet.

Clean up operations are continuing but there are fears it's led to damage to crops that could run into hundreds of thousands of pounds.

We've been speaking to the Deputy President at the National Farmers Union Tom Bradshaw who has been to Lincolnshire to see some of the damage for himself.

He told us: "It's a very very uncertain year ahead."

It's a financial disaster for those affected

"We've had an incredibly challenging harvest - the most expensive crop we've ever grown - the 2023 harvest."

"Yields haven't been great - now on the newly drilled crop - will anything survive?"

"They're looking at this now and it is a financial disaster for them."

"It's a devastating scene out there - hundreds of acres under water."

"It's not the first time it's happened - we always hear we're going to learn lessons - we're going to do things differently."

There's hundreds of thousands of pounds in costs

"Ultimately actions speak louder than words and at the moment the actions aren't happening and the farmer families are facing this devastation - there's hundreds of thousands of pounds in costs."

"We want to really value this farmland."

"We hear food security is important but food security and words don't feed the country - it's this farmland that feeds the country and now we need the action."

The Government says it's invested record sums in flood defences and are making progress in helping address the issue.

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