🌊 Farmland Flooding

• Farmland Flooding Impact: Jerome Mayhew highlighted the increasing frequency of flooding on UK farmland, noting that 74% of the UK’s floodplain is agricultural land, with 60% being some of the best and most versatile land. Recent flooding events have significantly delayed planting and reduced yield, impacting food security.

• Clearing Watercourses: Mayhew argued for the need to clear watercourses to mitigate the impact of flooding on productive farmland. He stressed that the Environment Agency should facilitate this process to prevent productive land from becoming flooded unnecessarily.

• Nature-Based Solutions: The debate focused on nature-based solutions to manage flooding. Suggestions included restoring upland peatlands, creating riparian buffers, and adopting regenerative agriculture practices like minimal tillage and cover cropping to improve soil’s water retention and reduce run-off.

• Compensation and Incentives: Farmers who allow their less productive lands to flood to protect more valuable agricultural lands or residential areas should be compensated. The environmental land management scheme (ELMs) was praised as a step towards providing funding for such nature-based initiatives.

• Government Funding and Support: There was significant discussion on government funding, with Mayhew expressing concern over the sustainability of current allocations. He requested commitments to long-term, inflation-adjusted funding for nature-friendly farming and natural flood management.

• Collaboration with Farmers: It was agreed that any flood management strategies must involve close collaboration with farmers, as they play a crucial role in implementing solutions. The importance of farmers’ input in the development of these strategies was emphasized.

• New Government Initiatives: Minister Emma Hardy confirmed the new government’s commitment to tackling flooding, announcing an additional £50 million for internal drainage boards to improve flood management assets. She also spoke of reviewing the flood funding formula to better support rural areas and mentioned ongoing efforts to enhance natural flood management.

• Roundtable and Future Plans: Hardy announced a forthcoming roundtable to discuss natural flood management, involving stakeholders like the National Farmers Union. She outlined plans to incorporate flood mitigation into the environmental land management schemes and emphasized the government’s dedication to supporting farmers in adopting nature-friendly practices.

The session on ‘Farmland Flooding’ demonstrates a moderate level of disagreement, primarily centered around funding and policy implementation details, rather than the core principles of addressing farmland flooding through nature-based solutions. Here’s the breakdown of the reasoning for the rating:

• Agreement on Core Issues: There is a strong consensus among all speakers on the importance of nature-based solutions to mitigate farmland flooding. Both the mover, Jerome Mayhew, and the Minister, Emma Hardy, support the use of environmental land management schemes and natural flood management techniques. Other MPs, including Matt Rodda, Sarah Dyke, Blake Stephenson, and Maya Ellis, also express support for these initiatives.

• Disagreement on Funding: The primary area of contention is the funding for these initiatives. Jerome Mayhew raises concerns about the adequacy and continuity of funding post-2026, suggesting that the current budget may not suffice in real terms and could lead to a ‘cliff edge’. He queries whether future funding will be index-linked and expresses worry about potential cuts. The Minister, Emma Hardy, reassures that the government is committed to these schemes but does not provide specific commitments on long-term funding beyond the current budget cycle, indicating a lack of detail that fuels the disagreement.

• Policy Implementation: There is a slight disagreement on how policies should be implemented. For instance, Jerome Mayhew emphasizes the need for collaboration with farmers and suggests that the Environment Agency might be hindering progress in some areas. Emma Hardy agrees on the importance of working with farmers but focuses on inherited challenges and the government’s initial steps to address these issues, such as reviewing the flood funding formula. This shows a difference in focus but not a direct confrontation.

• Political Tone: While there are clear political undertones, especially with Jerome Mayhew critiquing the government’s approach and budget, the overall tone remains constructive with an emphasis on finding solutions rather than outright opposition.

Overall, the disagreement is not intense enough to warrant a high rating, nor is it absent to justify a low rating. Therefore, a rating of 3 captures the moderate level of disagreement present in the session, primarily focused on funding and implementation specifics rather than the overarching goal of using nature-based solutions for farmland flooding.