THE Environment Agency has been accused of being “in denial” over the fact that increasing river capacity by dredging assists in flood prevention.
The accusation came from Gloucestershire NFU chairman, John Tingey, at an open meeting in Gloucester on the eve of his second term of office.
“I am extremely concerned that the EA seems to be in denial that increasing river capacity by dredging assists in flood prevention, yet it was reported that the problems in Cornwall were not so much that the amount of water was abnormal but more that drains and streams were blocked,” Mr Tingey said.
“We know that if the ditches on our farms are blocked, the fields flood.
“How come the EA does not understand this?”
The biggest challenges facing farmers, said regional director Melanie Hall, were trying to eradicate bovine TB, seeking fair returns for farmers from the food chain and getting to grips with the new government’s switch from regionalism to localism.
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