Issue link: https://htpgraphics.uberflip.com/i/464860
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) described scenes of 'utter despair' on the Levels, with one expert suggesting that the weight of standing water would 'squeeze the life out of the land' and that farmland would take several years to recover. Addressing the NFU conference in February, farming minister George Eustice outlined details of a government £10 million fund for flood-hit farmers to cover the cost of uninsured losses. He said the wettest winter on record had flooded thousands of homes and businesses, and had resulted in 'many families' lives being turned upside down'. Mr Eustice reiterated the government's pledge to begin river dredging as soon as the floodwater subsided. But in the early summer local farmers were voicing their concern that not enough was being done quickly enough. They feared that unless efforts to dredge local rivers were stepped up, local communities faced a repeat of the flooding crisis. This, they said, had resulted in a number of farmers deciding not to reseed land because the risk of flooding again was too high. A local farmer was quoted as saying: 'Farmers at the market are saying "What is the point when they just let it all flood".' THE PARLIAMENTARY REVIEW Highlighting best practice 16 | REVIEW OF THE YEAR With it becoming increasingly difficult for farmers to secure a sustainable livelihood through the traditional method of simply growing things, the idea of diversification has been gaining traction and has been actively encouraged by farming leaders. Whether it is adding value to their products by producing homemade products or using less-productive plots of the land to generate renewable energy, the idea is that diversification opens up a number of revenue streams, helping to soften the financial blow when crops do not deliver the expected returns. However, at a time of rising costs and ever-decreasing margins, the idea of taking on more debt in the form of loans to fund the development of new revenue streams could be seen as a promise of jam tomorrow. The government, aware of the difficulties facing the UK farming sector, yet equally aware of its importance for food security and land stewardship, called on farmers to diversify. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) placed Diversification Defra listed a range of possible new ventures for farmers, including offering accommodation for tourists The destruction of the railway line in Dawlish, Devon, highlighted how vulnerable communities are to extreme weather events