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Written question asked by Lord Roborough (Conservative) on Tuesday, 13 January 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Tuesday, 27 January 2026. It was answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Wednesday, 21 January 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.


Farming Recovery Fund

Question

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the farming recovery fund.

Answer

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) agri-environment schemes currently fund a range of actions offering multi-year support for farmers to manage and reduce flooding on their land. Defra provides grants such as BFS1: 12-24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land and CSW24: Manage grassland for flood and drought resilience and water quality. The Government will be opening a new round of SFI for applications from small farms and those without an existing SFI agreement this summer and the CSHT scheme is open to those who have been invited to apply by the Rural Payments Agency.

The Farming Recovery Fund was used to make exceptional, one-off recovery payments to support farmers affected by Storms Babet, Henk and severe wet weather over the winter of 2023 and 2024 to help cover the uninsured costs of restoring farmland. Farmers are encouraged to continue managing their own risk by taking actions in their own business to build resilience, including taking advantage of commercial insurance markets. There are no plans to open the Farming Recovery Fund at this time.


Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
HL13558
Session
2024-26
Registered interest declared
Yes
Grouped for answer
Yes
Subjects
Farming Recovery Fund
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk