'Drought grants for farmers are kind but won't go far'

A farmer has said grants of up to £2,000 for those hit by drought over the summer are "better than nothing" but warned more help is needed.

The money is coming from a £2m fund set up by the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution (RABI) to help eligible farming households meet personal and household living costs.

It comes after the UK experienced its hottest summer on record and droughts were declared in much of the south of England.

RABI, which is a charity, said it hoped the money would "provide a good couple of months of support, if not longer".

BBC South spoke to farmers at the Newbury Show to ask for their reaction.

Wowie Dunnings welcomed the support, but added: "Two million pounds is not going to go very far and it won't hit every farmer - and this is the problem.

"It's lovely, it's very kind they've actually said 'here is the money', but it's not going to go very far at all.

"But something is better than nothing."

And Sarah Sladen, a pig farmer based in north Hampshire, said the grants were the "right idea", but questioned how the applications would be policed.

"How will you say no to some people who are perfectly well off?" she said.

She added that despite the difficulties of the drought in the summer, she would not be applying as there were people "far more in need than me".

RABI rolled out the support in Dorset first and has now extended the scheme to those eligible in Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, Kent, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, East Sussex and West Sussex.

The Environment Agency said that despite some wet weather during the first half of September, almost three-quarters of England remains in drought following an exceptionally dry spring and summer, as well as a succession of heatwaves.

Helen Sisk, from RABI, said the grants were designed to support "immediate needs".

She said the money was "not intended to reimburse farmers for the financial pressure that the drought has caused" and would instead provide "breathing space".

Sisk said the eligibility criteria was on the charity's website.

"We're also asking for documentation as well, which obviously the team at RABI will work through," she said.

"So we're very confident in terms of our eligibility criteria."

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) said it was providing £65m to farms across the country affected by the drought.

Last month, Environment Secretary Angela Eagle said: "I am acutely aware of the pressures exceptionally dry weather is placing on farm businesses.

"Our farmers are facing some of the toughest conditions in decades, which is why we're stepping in with practical support to help them through these challenging conditions and build resilience for the future."