Farmers in North and East Yorkshire today denied MPs' claims that farming methods were partly responsible for the recent flooding.
A cross-party Commons Environment Select Committee Farmers report released today said that farmers have contributed towards Britain's flooding problem by planting more winter wheat, installing field drainage and ploughing up meadows - sometimes supported by Ministry of Agriculture (MAFF) grants.
The report said that MAFF may also have been partly to blame for this autumn's floods because it failed for 15 years to impose upon farmers planning rules designed to prevent the floods.
But David Collier, the NFU's technical advisor for the North East region refuted the charges, claiming poor river maintenance and urban development were the real reasons behind the flooding, which swamped more than 6,500 homes nationwide.
"Any responsibility that farmers have for flooding is minimal," he said.
"It is much more a question of allowing development in flood plains, having vast expanses of concrete and poor maintenance of rivers and flood defences."
Mr Collier added that Yorkshire farmers had serious concerns about river management and dredging. The MPs said it was vital to ensure that farmers complete environmental impact assessments, before changing the use of their land, to determine whether planned developments would heighten the risk of floods.
But they noted that MAFF has so far failed to require farmers to do this, despite the assessments having been mandatory for other types of development for up to 15 years. This year's floods were being discussed today at a full meeting of North Yorkshire County Council. Councillors were pressing for a report on the contingency plans in place to deal with future incidents, and praised council staff and other organisations for their efforts in minimising the damage.
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