The number of flood warnings issued for England's prime farmland during the winter reached an unprecedented high of over 1,000, surpassing the previous record by 20%.
The Environment Agency issued a total of 1,008 flood warnings for grade one and two farmland, the most fertile and productive land, up from the previous high of 775 during the winter of 2019-2020.
Flood warnings signify that flooding is ‘expected’ in an area. Additionally, 3,344 flood alerts were issued for grades one and two land, indicating that flooding is ‘possible’.
This also set a record, breaking the previous winter high of 2,808 set in 2019-2020.
The UK experienced its second-wettest October to March period on record, with rainfall on the stormiest days increasing by about 20% on average.
Tom Lancaster, a farming analyst at the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU), said that farmers had been severely impacted by extreme weather linked to climate change over the winter.
“It’s clear now that climate change presents a systemic risk to our best farmland, and therefore our food security. he cautioned.
“With much of England’s best farmland low lying and in flood plains, the increasing likelihood of extreme weather that climate change brings presents an outsized risk for UK food production.”
Grade one farmland covers around 355,000 hectares, or 3.1% of all agricultural land in England, while grade two covers 1.8m hectares, or 16% of farmland.
Despite its limited area, grade one land is crucial for sectors such as horticulture, as it is especially suitable for growing fruit, winter vegetables, and salad crops.
These are the highest value crops produced by British farmers, but self-sufficiency in these sectors is low, at just 16% for fruit and 53% for vegetables.
Considering just grade one farmland, the best land used for high-value crops like vegetables, bread wheat, and potatoes, over 11% experienced at least one flood warning during winter.
Colin Chappell, a farmer from Lincolnshire whose farm received two flood warnings and nine flood alerts, described the winter as the worst he can remember.
"It fills me with dread for what climate change might mean for my business and our industry." he said
"On our farm, we’ve struggled to get crops in the ground, with fields flooded and soils saturated.
“Climate change is hitting farmers like me here and now and affecting our best farmland more than most."
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