Water issues raised in the Environment Agency’s report on drought prospects over the next few months will come as no surprise to farmers, the NFU said today.
After calling for water to be treated as a resource rather than a problem, the NFU is pleased that Government is now looking to work with farmers and growers to increase their resilience to climate change.
NFU water policy adviser Jenny Bashford said: "Farmers and growers have been working constructively with the Environment Agency throughout the difficult water resources situation which has been developing since the winter of 2009, particularly in the East Anglia and Midlands regions.
"The NFU welcomes the continuation of this positive relationship and will be taking every action to help farmers and growers by working with the EA to help it achieve the report’s recommendations.
"Farmers and growers make a significant contribution to the economy in many parts of the country especially in those parts which have been hardest hit. Ultimately, they are prepared to plan for drier summers and adapt if necessary as water is essential to their businesses."
Only last month, the NFU raised its concerns over possible water issues that could arise in the coming year as it published the results of its quinquennial water survey.
It revealed how hundreds of farmers and growers throughout the UK are using water resources responsibly, what steps they are taking to conserve water and how they will tackle challenges in the future. This includes using run-off from greenhouse roofs, increasing capacity of reservoirs and plans to improve water efficiency in coming years.
Farmers and growers are making all these efforts despite the fact that only one per cent of the total amount of water abstracted is used by the agricultural sector in England and Wales.
