Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Farming Recovery Fund opened in response to Storm Henk will be available to farmers in (a) Yorkshire, (b) Norfolk and (c) Derbyshire.

The Government has triggered the Flood Recovery Framework in Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Somerset, Surrey, Warwickshire, West Northamptonshire, Wiltshire, and Worcestershire, to provide funding for affected households and businesses as a result of severe flooding caused by Storm Henk. Farmers in these areas are likely to be eligible for a number of these funds, including the Business Recovery Grant (for up to £2,500 per SME business), the Property Flood Resilience grant (up to £5,000 per flooded property) and Business Rate relief.

We are currently assessing the impact of the flooding caused by Storm Henk on farmland to enable us to confirm eligible areas for the Farming Recovery Fund. Eligible areas will be within the same areas announced for the wider Flood Recovery Framework, which does not currently include areas in Yorkshire, Norfolk and Derbyshire.

We are monitoring the situation closely and further guidance on support for farmers affected by the flooding will be published on gov.uk in early March.