Somerset Levels flooding: Update on support for farmers and land managers
22 June 2012
Natural England and the Environment Agency have begun joint visits to individual affected farmers on Curry Moor, Somerset. We are focussing first on those most significantly affected and have a number of visits completed, with more arranged in the coming days.
Our aim at present is to understand the impacts and start to discuss how we might support individual farmers to recover their farming system and restore the special nature of Curry Moor. We are reviewing what practical and financial options are available to us to work with farmers to enable the recovery of the soils, pasture and wildlife.
Over the past ten days we have also attended Stoke St Gregory and North Curry Parish Councils and met National Farmers Union, Country Landowners and Business Association and Internal Drainage Boards to discuss the situation and listen to their concerns. This has all helped shape our response. We are in close contact with the Somerset Farm Crisis Network about what immediate support they might be able to offer affected famers.
Natural England’s Executive Director for Land Management, Guy Thompson, visited Curry Moor to see the situation at first hand with farmers on Thursday 21 June. We have also updated the local MPs on our response.
Any affected farmer can contact the Environment Agency’s Agricultural Lead for the South West region, Phil Shere, at phil.shere@environment-agency.gov.uk or Natural England’s Lead Adviser for Curry Moor, Claire Stride, on 07831617656, or 0300 060 0334 or by email claire.stride@naturalengland.org.uk
