12 April 2024

The Department for Food, Environment and Rural Affairs (Defra) has opened a new fund to provide grants to farmers impacted by recent flooding. The Farming Recovery Fund will provide eligible framers with grants of between £500 and £25,000 to recover their land to the condition it was in before Storm Henk, and will initially be open to farmers in the most affected areas.

Increased rainfall over the past 18 months has resulted in a reduction in food production, meaning the UK will be more reliant on imports in the coming year. Wheat production is down 15% since November, and waterlogged soil means that crops which have been planted are likely to be of low quality. An article in The Grocer suggests that healthy soil holds many of the solutions to mitigating against extreme weather patterns and resulting impact on food prices. 

Soil was discussed on BBC Radio 4’s World at One programme in relation to flooding and its impact on farming in England. A farmer in Lincolnshire, who’s land has been underwater for the past six months described how when the flood water eventually drains away, the soil beneath will be ‘essentially dead’. He believes there is a need to rethink how we manage water in the UK, suggesting using his land as a flood plain to protect nearby villages.

An article in the Guardian has highlighted the problems associated with declining earthworm populations. A study in 2023 found that in the UK, earthworm populations had decreased by a third in 25 years and the article points to the impact on food security, nature and biodiversity as a result.

Defra has shared a blog article giving more detail on why they are introducing a cap on some Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) actions which was announced in March. The blog highlights the importance of flexibility within the SFI, but also current economic volatility and extreme weather meaning the risk of taking land out of food production is higher. It also explains why the nine actions which remove land from food production should be capped.

The European Union’s draft Soil Monitoring Law was passed by Parliament on Wednesday, however a majority of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) rejected elements of the law, weakening its potential impact. The amended legislation removes the legally binding timeline for soil health improvement and national requirements related to soil descriptors.

Environmental charity Linking Environment and Food (LEAF) have opened applications to their annual Caroline Drummond Scholarship which will provide up to £25,000 to fund a project which promote sustainable food and farming systems. This year, the fund is interested in applications which focus on nature-based solutions in farming, regenerative agriculture and Integrated Farm Management.