More Wiltshire farmers eligible for flood recovery funding
Only farms within 150m of a 'main' river were initially eligible for support
Last updated 12th Apr 2024
More of Wiltshire's farmers will be eligible for financial support to help them recover from flooding earlier this year.
The government announced on Tuesday that those affected by Storm Henk in January would be offered grants of between £500 and £25,000.
But the Farming Recovery Fund was only available to farms within 150m of a main river that had flooded.
The National Farmers Union (NFU) said this was a "major issue" after numerous farmers raised concerns they were not covered despite significant flood damage.
NFU vice president Rachel Hallos said those who were told they were ineligible included "members with 90% of their land saturated or underwater, and huge damage to buildings and equipment."
Farming Minister Mark Spencer the government "immediately listened and responded to feedback on the launch of the initial phase of this scheme" by removing the 150m limit.
"This means that farmers will be able to receive payments for all land parcels which are flooded contiguous to an eligible river.
"We'll continue to listen to farmers and look at how we can expand the scheme and improve support for those affected."
Farms where the "flood recovery framework" has been activated will be eligible to apply for the scheme.