Examination of Witnesses (Questions 280 - 286)
TUESDAY 12 MAY 1998
COUNCILLOR HUMPHREY
TEMPERLEY AND
MR DAVE
RENNIE
Chairman
280. I read in Farming News on the first of May what you
were going to say to the Committee but you do not seem to have
said it. Perhaps as this is the Agriculture Committee we can talk
about farmers briefly as you raised the word just now. According
to this report, farmers in the Somerset levels have suffered from
repeated and more severe flooding in the 1990s than any other
comparable group; presumably that is in the country. The county
council in an emergency meeting said this group needed special
help. They said there was room for some radical thinking and condemned
present arrangements for not doing enough for Somerset. The Environment
Agency says it has no funds to compensate for lost crops. We have
talked about the one-off compensation payments for loss of property.
What about the recurring problems from this kind of incident?
(Councillor Temperley) I suppose I have been too long
in local government, so I claim not to represent my own interests
in these kinds of circumstances. My brother's farm was subject
to quite severe flooding in that particular instance and substantial
amounts of money were lost. He has made a claim for compensation.
281. Against the county council.
(Councillor Temperley) No, to the Environment Agency.
It is one which I am afraid I do not support. There has been an
attempt by some people to blame Environment Agency staff for exacerbating
a very difficult situation. That is one I do not support. In the
very difficult circumstances we had last summer I actually believe
the Environment Agency staff and MAFF staff did as much as they
possibly could in the circumstances. We had a major flood in hot
weather, the water could not be pumped out through the system
because by the time the river level had dropped sufficiently to
pump the water was toxic because of the fermentation of the grass
which occurred. Although with 100 per cent hindsight we could
possibly have gained 24 hours, in the end the Environment Agency
had to foot a bill of £300,000 to £400,000 for treating
this water with hydrogen peroxide in order to get it to a condition
where it could be discharged into the river.
282. You just expressed a personal view there. Is that also
the view of the council? The report in Farming News seems to suggest
something rather different.
(Councillor Temperley) The report in Farming News
is—there are some journalists behind me ... May I respond
with a question? How often are things you are personally involved
with accurately reflected in the press?
283. I take that as a rhetorical question. We should not
anticipate a supplementary memorandum from the county council
on the recurring losses to farmers in Somerset.
(Councillor Temperley) We deal with that point in
point 6 of our memorandum.
284. Point 6 is a slightly different point.
(Councillor Temperley) With respect, no. The area
I referred to which was flooded was flooded because of the management
system of the river basin. In the lowlands of Somerset you choose
very much where you are going to put the water in each flood event
and you can manage the system and manage the way the pumping stations
work in order to put more water into one area and less into another
area. There is an argument which we debated for many years about
whether we should choose a particular moorland basin to allocate
the water to and pay compensation for that. That would be very
helpful if we had the power either through the county council
or through the Environment Agency, going back to the point East
Riding were making, to steer the water in a particular direction
to protect some areas and deliberately flood other areas.
285. Your answer is that if farmers farm where they farm
then they must take the consequences.
(Councillor Temperley) Not quite.
286. It was the spirit of your answer at least.
(Councillor Temperley) I do believe that if by deliberate
action we choose to allocate water to a particular moorland basin,
there should be some scope for compensation in those circumstances.
Chairman: If accidents happen, accidents happen, that is
the nature of life. Thank you very much indeed. I am sorry to
have run past one o'clock. We have enjoyed it greatly. Thank you
very much indeed for your trouble and time.
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