Appendix
FLOOD IMPACTS
IMMEDIATE FLOOD
IMPACTS
Among the casualties of the recent floods were
950 sheep and lambs from just two farms in the Tamworth area.
One lost 600 and the other 350. A third farm lost more than 220
sheep. In the same area crops such as potatoes have been lost,
and livestock have proved reluctant to eat grass that has been
under flood water. Other losses include at least 50,000 chickens
lost in Lincolnshire through flooding and over 70 piglets in their
farrowing shed, close to the Humber.
In Gloucester, a number of dairy farms have
had to dispose of milk as collections have been impossible with
impassable roads. Access to fresh water supplies have been a major
issue for those trying to keep their animals in the best possible
condition. Some farms were completely cut off by floodwater with
no mains supply.
The Teme valley was inundated for a second or
third time in as many weeks, with damage to hopyards and many
farms. An arable farmer has lost his whole crop, a loss of around
£100,000 to the business, in his first year of trading.
Storage facilities have also been flooded, with
a report of a farm losing all their stored hay to flooding of
their barn. Another reports 22 acres of big bagged silage floating
around in the floodwaters.
PROLONGED FLOODING
A farmer in Lincolnshire has written off 70
acres of potatoes due to banked drains and rivers overflowing.
Alongside this he has had 140 acres of wheat under water for up
to a week. He considers this will cost him £14,0000-£200,000
in loss revenue on the potatoes alone.
One farmer who grazes 72 ha on marshland has
approximately two thirds either flooded or waterlogged and the
livestock had to be moved. The flooded marsh is still too wet
and most of the grass is dead and rotting so it will not be available
this season.
A number of farms in Oxfordshire still (17th
August) have 300 acres under water following the flooding on 20th
July. This is four weeks after the flood event, these crops will
be irrecoverable.
Potatoes submerged in flood water are a total
write off and will eventually be ploughed in. There have been
reports of a blight-affected crop being so bad that it has been
ploughed in. Where blight spraying has worked then the unknown
factor now will be yield and storage potential. Both will have
been impaired by the disease and weather issue.
Calculations by farmers have indicated that
the weather conditions have resulted in a 3% loss of potato crop
in England and Wales, this is approximately 4,300 hectares and
196,000 tonnes. Some 56% of peas have also been lost in England
and Wales.
Waterlogged soils and localised flooding has
meant that one farmer in Lincolnshire has lost 30-40% of their
total sprout crop. After harvesting and grading this resulted
in a 50-60% losses due to quality. This equates to £200,000
gross profit loss, and means they would need a minimum farmgate
return of £600 per tonne across the whole sprout harvest
campaign to ensure any return to the business. This is compared
to average £300/350 per tonne. They mention if it does not
reach this value it is likely that they, like many others, go
out of business.
LIVESTOCK IMPACTS—BEDDING,
FODDER AND
YIELD
Silage and hay making have been badly affected,
with little or no hay made during July, and silage quality affected
through both wet conditions, waterlogging and flooding. Contractors
are concerned that they won't cope when the dry weather does come.
Already there is talk of a shortage of straw for winter bedding
and feed. And with the cost of cereals on the up, producers are
beginning to be worried.
Cattle have been housed during the wet conditions
and flooding and winter stocks of feed already being eaten into.
Some report reduced condition and fertility because of poor pasture
growth and poaching as well as poor quality silage. This results
in higher feed bills as greater quantities of fodder and concentrates
are needed to replace this lack of quality. There are also reports
of difficulties in traveling on the land and collecting straw.
Reports from the end of July highlight that grassland is badly
affected and hay is costing anything up to £10 for a small
bale.
A dairy farm described the situation as dire,
worst in 30 years of dairying. Their normal dry farm was a complete
swamp, and even with a good track system to the grazing fields
they believed they were causing serious damage to the soil structure.
Their cows are already eating their way through first cut silage
and the surfeit of water seems to be preventing grass growth.
The second cut silage is delayed and forage quality as well as
quantity will be poor this coming winter. They are also feeding
more concentrate feed and achieving less milk per cow than in
a normal year. Another farm indicates his yields are down by 250
litres per day.
OTHER IMPACTS
ON CROP
QUALITY AND
YIELDS
The highest proportion of cereal Crops lodged
(fallen over flat) is north Lincolnshire and the north west of
England. Lodging will hit quality more than yield, and some fields
will have been planted to milling wheat or malting barley and
quality may well be affected for those markets.
DELAYS TO
PLANTING AND
HARVESTING OPERATIONS
Vegetable growers have just been able to resume
planting programmes after a long, disrupted period where successions
have gone out the window. The whole season is really upside-down
and the ramifications on supply and price will be felt for sometime
to come. Those crops planted before the wet weather are all going
to suffer in yield terms with green and white brassicas badly
affected. Delays in planting has meant that effects may be felt
into the spring with over-wintered crops.
Severe soil water-logging is preventing succession
planting of autumn and winter brassicas; one grower reports that
upwards of 15% of his autumn cropping is still unplanted. Crops
that are in the ground are turning all the colours and not growing.
Harvesting was constantly interrupted by heavy rain and travelling
on water-logged soils is leading to soil structural damage. Growers
report that supermarket programmes are running short on a wide
range of product with some gaps filled by imported vegetables
some from as far a-field as California.
The daffodil bulb harvest is proceeding slowly
and is behind schedule. Some growers are having difficulties with
waterlogged soils, taking longer and using more fuel to harvest
their crops. Drying is also taking much longer and is more expensive
and labour costs have risen as more manpower is needed.
OTHER IMPACTS
We are aware of costs to farmers of the clean
up and repair of damage after the floodwaters have receded. One
farmer in Derbyshire describes his farm as filthy with all the
silt carried down with the floodwaters. Dry stone walls are down
and will need repair as will his fencing. There is considerable
debris in hedges, fences and dry stone walls and he is very concerned
about the costs of disposal of this waste under the Agricultural
Waste Regulations despite the waste not coming from operations
on his farm.
NFU
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