Acres of West Country farmland remain underwater over a month after extensive flooding hit the region the Express & Echo reports. Despite one of the biggest pumping operations in British history vast swathes of land are still unworkable and industry representatives warn that it could take months to recover.
Up to five million cubic litres of floodwater are being pumped from the sodden fields every day but with further severe weather expected, the Environment Agency (EA) is beginning to question the cost of the operation amid fears it will become unsustainable in the long-term.
The flooding is a further blow to farmers in the West Country who are already suffering from increased costs and falling incomes. Recently farmer’s leaders warned that many in the industry are suffering from anxiety and depression and will be faced with the choice of whether to continue farming unless there is a “remarkably good spring.”
Anthony Gibson, a former regional director of the National Farmers Union (NFU), described the extent of the flooding and the bleak outlook facing farmers in the region.
“Normally flooding doesn’t cause too much damage but much of the land has been underwater since November.
“Patches of land that have been cleared are an absolute stinking mess. It will take weeks, if not months, for the land to recover on top of last summer’s damage,” he said.
He has called on the EA to dredge the rivers in a bid to prevent a repeat of the problems next winter but that prospect seems unlikely.
Having already invested in huge mobile pumps, the agency admits that it is unable to afford the cost of dredging. Furthermore, a spokesman hinted that if wet winters become the norm it will be a challenge to continue the work they are already doing.
Last year it was reported that West Country farmland was a better investment than Mayfair property. Over the next three years it’s anticipated that farmland in the area will rise in price by 37 per cent – faster than any other commercial property category in Europe.
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