A DEVON councillor and sheep farmer has welcomed a £65 million Government support package to help farmers cope with drought, extreme heat and wildfire risk, while calling for greater action over the spread of Bluetongue.

Councillor Cheryl Cottle-Hunkin, Devon County Council’s Cabinet Member for Rural Affairs, said the funding was welcome following a particularly challenging summer for farmers across the county.

The Government has announced the package for farmers in England, including funding for on-farm reservoirs, greater flexibility within environmental schemes and measures to improve access to water during dry conditions.

Drought has been declared across much of England, with the South West among the areas hardest hit. In Devon, farmers have faced difficult decisions over water supplies, crops and livestock, as well as increased wildfire risk.

Councillor Cottle-Hunkin said the additional support could provide valuable help to farming businesses, but questioned how the £65 million was being funded.

‘Any additional support for farmers facing drought and extreme weather is welcome, particularly after such a challenging summer’, she said.

‘However, it appears this £65 million is being found through reprioritisation within Defra’s existing farming budget rather than being genuinely new funding. Farmers will want to see the detail and understand what is being reduced elsewhere to pay for it’, she added.

The councillor said farmers in Devon were dealing with pressures beyond the effects of extreme weather, highlighting the growing impact of Bluetongue on livestock and farming businesses.

Bluetongue is a livestock disease which has affected farms across Devon and the wider South West.

Councillor Cottle-Hunkin has called on the Government to take stronger action to support farmers dealing with the disease.

She has written to ministers asking for faster and simpler testing, clearer reporting of affected farms and better communication with farmers about local cases.

She is also calling for reliable vaccine supplies, financial support for affected businesses, consideration of safe and practical options for disposing of dead livestock where appropriate, and a longer-term plan for managing livestock diseases such as Bluetongue.

Councillor Cottle-Hunkin has pointed to France as an example of a more substantial Government response.

During the BTV-3 outbreak in 2024, the French Government funded millions of vaccine doses and made them available free to farmers.

She said the UK Government should consider a similar approach to protect livestock, animal welfare and the future of farming businesses.

‘Farmers across Devon are under pressure from more than one direction’, she said. ‘Alongside the dry weather and wildfire risk, many are now dealing with the very real impact of Bluetongue on their livestock and their businesses.

‘France has shown that a Government can take decisive action when livestock disease threatens farming communities. We need to see that same level of seriousness here’, she added.

Devon County Council said the drought support package could help some farming businesses if it was delivered quickly, but said ministers must be transparent about how the funding is being provided.

The council also stressed that other important areas of agricultural support should not be weakened as a result of the new measures.

Councillor Cottle-Hunkin said the Government needed to work with the farming industry to tackle both the immediate pressures facing farmers and the longer-term challenges posed by livestock disease and changing weather conditions.

She said: ‘Our farmers produce food, support rural jobs and care for the countryside.

‘They are resilient, but they cannot be expected to face these challenges alone’.