Extreme weather guidance for farmers and land managers
What to do if your land is affected by extreme weather, such as flooding, extreme heat or drought.
Applies to England
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is aware of the ongoing challenges farmers face following wet weather and flooding events. Winter 2023 and Spring 2024 have been described as some of the wettest seasons on record. This is why funding is being considered for many farmers affected over that period. Once more information on this funding is available, we will update the Defra farming blog. Please subscribe to the blog to find out more.
Temporary adjustments were made to some agri-enviroment scheme options and actions in May 2024. If your situation is not covered by the temporary adjustments, contact RPA as soon as you can, if you think the extreme weather either:
- means you may not be able to meet your agreement requirements
- may change the area eligible for a scheme
- may impact your reporting of movements of livestock
Please give details about the weather, including the date and time.
Short-term effects
When extreme weather means that you cannot temporarily manage your agreement according to the Countryside Stewardship (CS) or Environmental Stewardship (ES) option requirements, you can request a minor and temporary adjustment to those requirements. You need to complete the Minor and temporary adjustment (MTA) form.
Once you have filled in the form, post the form to us. Or you can scan it, then email it to us and include the following in the subject title:
- ‘Adjustment request’
- the scheme you need to request an adjustment for
- your agreement or Single Business Identifier (SBI) number
If agricultural land or woodland is flooded
Flooded agricultural land or woodland may not affect land in a CS or ES agreement, if the flooding is temporary and the land would otherwise still be available for agricultural activity. Please write to us and provide further detail to allow us to assess eligibility.
You should:
- return the land to agricultural or woodland use as soon as practically possible
- continue to meet the requirements of agreement options on the affected land parcels
Long-term effects
You should contact us when the impact of extreme weather is more serious and permanent, and prevents you from meeting either:
- your scheme requirements
- your agreement obligations for the current year
When to request a permanent change
Extreme weather can be considered under ‘good reasons’ or ‘force majeure’ if you are unable to meet scheme requirements or agreement obligations due to exceptional and unforeseeable circumstances outside your control.
‘Force majeure’ applies to ES agreements and CS agreements with a start date before 1 January 2023.
‘Good reasons’ applies to:
- CS Higher Tier and Mid Tier and Wildlife Offer agreements with a start date of 1 January 2023 or later
- CS Capital agreements from the 2022 application round, with agreement start dates from 2022 onwards
You may also need to consider requesting a permanent change to future years of your agreement.
For ES and CS, the impact may result in a permanent change to the agreement land, or land features, or both. This means that you can no longer manage the land according to the requirements of the options in your agreement. For example, a hedgerow or newly created woodland that is part of your CS or ES agreement has been destroyed, or as above, part of a land parcel may have been washed away.
When extreme weather changes your land permanently, you should check whether you need to make corresponding changes to your digital maps. It is important to let us know if this will change the areas you’re able to manage under ES, CS or a Woodland scheme.
How to request a permanent change
For CS and ES agreements, you must email or write to us using the subject title ‘Extreme weather’, your Single Business Identifier (SBI), and your agreement numbers. You will need to provide written evidence to show:
- what has happened
- how the event means you are unable to meet the scheme rules or agreement requirements or both
You must send your email or letter within 8 weeks of being able to do so. This means within 8 weeks of the time you realise that you cannot meet any of the scheme requirements or agreement obligations. This may not be 8 weeks from the extreme weather event itself.
You will need to prove that, despite taking every care that could have been expected of you, the exceptional circumstances prevented you from meeting your obligations.
Your evidence should include details of the actions taken with an explanation of the events and the dates they occurred.
A Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreement is affected
Where there is a change of circumstances or your land is affected, you will need to contact RPA as soon as reasonably practicable. For more information, read the ‘Good reasons for a breach’ in the ‘Checking you’re complying with your SFI agreement’ guidance.
A Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) Pilot agreement is affected
Where there is a change in your circumstances or your land is affected, you will need to contact RPA as soon as reasonably practicable. For more information, read the ‘Good reasons for a breach’ in the SFI Pilot’s terms and conditions.
When Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) land is affected
If SSSI land is affected and you need to carry out remedial work or boundary repairs or both, you may need consent from Natural England before you start any work.
Where you need to carry out emergency works you can do this without Natural England’s consent. However, you must notify Natural England and include details of the emergency as soon as you can.
Farm Woodland Premium Scheme or English Woodland Grant Scheme is affected
If you have concerns about a grant scheme that is administered by the Forestry Commission rather than by the Rural Payments Agency, contact them directly using the relevant mailbox. If you’re not sure what that is, email the Forestry Commission.
Deal with dangerous or fallen trees on your land
You do not need a felling licence to fell a dangerous tree or remove a fallen tree.
You should gather evidence that supports your decision that the tree was an imminent danger. If possible, you should take photos (with reference to scale) that show the tree setting and condition before and after felling or if fallen. Other forms of evidence might include maps, site surveys or reports and, importantly, a record that confirms when tree felling took place.
For information on the felling licence process, please read Felling licence: getting permission.
Keeping farm animals and horses in extreme weather
Read about keeping farm animals and horses in extreme weather.
Report animal movements
Where the welfare or survival of livestock is at risk due to any extreme weather event, as an animal keeper you must move them to a safe location. You should do this as soon as possible, providing it is safe to do so.
For cattle keepers, you must record and report cattle movements. You may not be able to report the movements to another holding, or cattle births and deaths, within regulatory deadlines. You must update your farm records and report births, movements, and deaths as soon as possible after moving the animals to a safe location.
If you have any problems:
- keepers in England should contact the British Cattle Movement Service (BCMS) on 0345 050 1234
- keepers in Wales should call 0345 050 3456
- keepers in Scotland should contact Scot EID on 01466 794323
For sheep, goat and pig keepers, where it has been necessary for you to move the animals to land on another holding, you may not be able to complete the movement documents normally required before moving the animals. You must update your records with details of the movement and complete the movement documents as soon as possible after moving the animals to a safe location.
If you have already moved or still need to move your livestock inside the 6-day standstill period, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) will licence these moves. You should contact APHA on 03000 200 301.
Report movements for unregistered calves and cattle under restrictions
You may need to move cattle when some or all of them are very young, unregistered calves that don’t have a passport, or are under one of the following restrictions.
- Individual Movement Restriction (CPP 27)
- Whole Herd Movement Restriction (CPP 28)
- Notice to Identify (CPP 30)
- Notice of Registration (CPP 35)
If you’re moving them to a safe location that is part of the same holding, you do not need to notify BCMS or Scot EID because no movement has taken place off the holding.
If the safe location is on a different holding, you must ask for a movement licence, which will be backdated to the movement date, as soon as possible after the animals have been moved. To do this:
- keepers in England should contact BCMS on 0345 050 1234
- keepers in Wales should call 0345 050 3456
- keepers in Scotland should contact Scot EID on 01466 794323
If the animals without passports are very young calves and ear tags have not yet been fitted, you do not need to fit ear tags before the calves are moved.
You must keep movement licences with your on-farm herd records and update those records with movement details as soon as possible.
Once the extreme weather has subsided, you can return animals to the original holding. You will need to request a further movement licence by calling BCMS, or Scot EID. You will need to give the reference number of the original movement licence. This second licence will only allow you to move the animals back to the holding they came from.
Report delays to TB testing
You should tell Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) that you have not or cannot complete your TB test due to flooding.
What happens if site visits are affected
We will postpone any scheduled site visits in affected areas until the situation eases.
Contact us
Email ruralpayments@defra.gov.uk or write to us at:
Rural Payments Agency
PO Box 352
Worksop
S80 9FG
Call us on 03000 200 301
Updates to this page
Last updated 14 October 2024 + show all updates
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temporary adjustment date changes
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Updated to include information about the new wet weather guidance
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Removed references to BPS
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Addition of information about the government's announcement to provide financial support through the Flood Recovery Framework and the Farming Recovery Fund.
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Removed cross compliance requirements for England. Cross compliance no longer applies in England from 1 January 2024.
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First published.