The eligibility criteria for Defra's new recovery grant for flooded farmers has been updated to remove the '150 metre limit' following a backlash from the industry.
In a new update, the government said farmers will now be able to receive payments for all land parcels which are flooded contiguous to an eligible river.
The Farming Recovery Fund was opened earlier this week to support farmers who have suffered uninsurable damage to their land due to flooding this winter.
Under the scheme, producers can access grants of between £500 and £25,000 to return their land to the condition it was in before flooding due to Storm Henk.
However, shortly after the scheme's launch, the NFU warned there were 'major issues' with its eligibility, particularly for farmers who had flooded land more than 150 metres from 'main' rivers.
Under the scheme, eligible agricultural land parcels must be located within 150m of the midpoint of a named river within specific counties.
The union said some farmers who were told they were not eligible by the Rural Payment Agency (RPA) included those who had 90% of their land saturated or underwater, as well as damage to buildings and equipment, following winter flooding.
In an update issued today, Defra said: "Following feedback from farmers, the eligibility criteria for the scheme has been updated to fully remove the 150m limit.
"This means that farmers will be able to receive payments for all land parcels which are flooded contiguous to an eligible river."
Relentless heavy rain since October 2023 has left vast swathes of agricultural land saturated and in many cases still under water, with many arable farmers unable to plant crops and losing those that were in the ground.
The rain, combined with unseasonal low spring temperatures, is also having a major effect on livestock farmers, with a bleak attrition rate for lambs born this spring already clear.
