Memorandum submitted by Rev Robert Barlow
(FL 48)
FLOODING—LESSONS
LEARNT
I would suggest that experience of the floods
in Worcestershire gives various learning points.
1. The Polluter Pays
This principle is accepted across the political
parties. The reality of the floods is that the farmers are paying
for clearing/decontaminating their land but the filth that has
been washed onto their land is not of their making. It is society's
rubbish and the clean up costs morally ought to be borne by society
out of the public purse.
2. Public Generosity
The generosity of the general public to the
ARC Addington fund and other Farming Help organisations shows
there is a willingness to give to farmers who suffered through
the floods. Government could/should recognise that and be similarly
generous in match funding donations
3. The need for a robust and profitable agricultural
industry
With an average income per farmer last year
of under £14,000, the floods have hit an industry that is
already under pressure and is heavily reliant on Single Farm Payment.
Rural Payments Agency ought to be fast tracking single farm payments
for those counties that have suffered flooding
4. Post flood support
AWM announced £2 million of support to
those affected, but was it the support that was most appropriate?
A £2,500 grant to buy in a consultant to tell you what to
do is unlikely to be the most appropriate support for a landowner
who is trying to clear rubbish out of ditches.
5. Public Good
Generally when farmland is flooded it serves
to protect towns/villages down stream (though in this case the
floods were so severe the towns flooded anyway). Land owners should
be compensated on the basis of the costs avoided by the downstream
towns.
Rev Robert Barlow
August 2007
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