NFU aiming to be key player

Letters sent out to 2,000 landowners

LETTERS ARE going out to 2,000 landowners around the Humber estuary flagging up the major changes which could affect their land from rising sea levels and tidal surges.

The NFU says it is important that farmers, who may not have been affected by the tidal surge in 2013, to realise they are now within the strategic area covered by the Environment Agency’s review.

The revised Humber strategy – which now covers a much larger area – some 150,000 hectares envisages some areas in the inner Humber as yet unidentified being used for temporary flood storage.

That could mean some farmsteads and even small communities in future needing to be surrounded by a bund as in the Netherlands, said James Copeland, senior environment adviser for the NFU.

The aim would be that water came on the land in a managed way and then retreat - ideally within a day. But for that to work there would be need to be drains, pumps - and central government funding - he added.

Mr Copeland said if areas were going to be used for temporary flood storage “first of all we need some central Government funding to allow businesses to be more resilient, potentially with bunding round farm infrastructure, THE NFU aims to be a key player as the Humber strategy evolves as its success will depend on getting the support of farmers.

“We asked the Environment Agency as part of the public consultation to engage with the agricultural community as a key partner not just a consultee as ultimately the measures that need to be adopted need to be on agricultural land,” said the NFU’s James Copeland.

“Farmers can support the strategy if they are included within that strategy. What we hope is on the back of the communication is people will be aware that it is going on.”

a donut effect round key villages and farmsteads”.

The tidal surge of 2013 – which was even bigger than the surge of 1953 which killed over 300 people – left land inundated around Yokefleet, Flaxfleet and Blacktoft on the north bank of the Humber.

“When the surge came through a lot of that area disappeared, the village of Yokefleet was significantly impacted,” said Mr Copeland. “What we learned was that the key message was to get the water off as quickly as possible.

“Where water was on land longer than seven to 10 days that crop dies. There’s no insurance and so the businesses will be losing all the investment they have made in growing that crop.”

Even if the strategy will not affect them immediately, the NFU says farmers can take “quick easy actions” when putting up new infrastructure - for example raising electrics in a new shed.

The area covered by the revised strategy goes inland up the rivers Aire and Ouse and extends as far as Gainsborough, Doncaster and Selby. A dozen councils have already been briefed.

Philip Winn, of the Environment Agency, said: “The fact there are letters going out imminently means we are starting on a public conversation.

“There will then be a formal consulation through the project at various points. (It’s about) working out how to make flood storage work.

“Are there places where we want to beef up, strengthen and raise defences? Where are the places where it has to be anticipated that the defences will overtop and there will be flooding on the rare occasions?”

Are there places where we want to beef up and raise defences?

Philip Winn, of the Environment Agency.