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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to support farmers in areas affected by flooding.

The Government announced a significant package of support, via the Flood Recovery Framework, to areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding as a result of Storm Henck. Through the Framework farmers in eligible areas can access grants up to £5,000 per property to install Property Flood Resilience measures where they have internal flooding to homes or business premises. Farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage to their land because of the exceptional flooding will be able to apply for grants of up to £25,000 through the Farming Recovery Fund towards reinstatement costs, such as recultivation. Outside of this, insurance policies are available for farmers to protect them from the loss of a crop due to flooding. The Framework also provides funding for eligible households and businesses and includes a £2,500 Business Recovery Grant for SMEs, including farm businesses, which have suffered severe impacts from flooding that cannot be recovered from insurance, and Council Tax discounts.