Farming Minister George Eustice has urged farmers affected by flooding in December to apply for support grants.

The deadline for access to support funding for farmers in Cumbria, Lancashire, Yorkshire, Durham or Northumberland who suffered losses or damage to land or property is 1st April. Grants of up to £20,000 are available as part of the government’s Recovery Fund for ‘uninsurable losses’, such as help restoring farmland, rebuilding tracks, repairing drains and rebuilding boundaries.

On Wednesday, Farming Minister George Eustice said, “These payments are part of a wider £200million package of government support set up to help communities affected by the devastating floods in Northern England. The grants could make a real difference to farm businesses trying to get back on their feet.

“So far 107 applications worth over £1.1million have been submitted to the RPA and the agency has been acting swiftly and doing a great job approving applications within 10 working days.”

Farmers seeking support should call the Rural Services Helpline on 03000 200 301.

Responses from just 144 out of 1,000 farmers contacted by farming industry’s Cumbrian Farm Flood Action Group this month reported a collective £1.7 million in losses. Defra has estimated that 650 Cumbrian farms were affected by storm damage, suggesting the survey represents detailed information from a third of those farms.