Industry body calls for investment in water infrastructure and reforms to reservoir planning and abstraction, as growers face consecutive heatwaves and drought
Crop association British Berry Growers (BBG) has called on the government to remove barriers to water storage as exceptionally dry conditions continue in the UK.
Despite years of investment in reservoirs, rainwater storage and more efficient use of water, BBG says planning constraints, the cost of major water infrastructure, and the current abstraction regime are compromising future British food production.
The calls come as the UK faces its fifth heatwave of the summer and over two-thirds of England has been declared in drought. The NFU has also called for ‘immediate’ water action to ensure food security.
Currently, complex planning rules, restrictive abstraction licenses, and tight margins make water infrastructure investments highly challenging for many British growers.
Among its key demands, the BBG called for government grants to offset the steep costs of modern horticultural water infrastructure.
Furthermore, reforms to planning for on-farm reservoirs, including areas where current planning constraints are disproportionate, were urged. The industry body also wants to see the modernisation of water and abstraction licensing to better capture winter flows and periods of high rainfall.
The association also emphasised the need to prioritise water for food production during drought, and to work together with water companies and the Environment Agency.
In recent years, UK berry growers have continued to invest to become more resilient, the association added. According to BBG’s 2025 Sustainability Report, 61 per cent of soft fruit growers have invested in on-farm reservoirs or rainwater storage, and 65 per cent have reduced water use by an average of 16 per cent over the past three years.
Despite investment, businesses are now coming under increasing pressure during one of the hottest, driest summers on record.
BBG chair Nick Marston said: “British growers have shown that investment in water resilience works. The next step is enabling more businesses to make those investments so we can continue supplying high-quality British berries for consumers in the years ahead.
“That means government grants to support high-value water infrastructure, streamlined planning for on-farm reservoirs, modernised abstraction licensing so more winter and high-rainfall water can be stored, and recognition that food production must be a priority when water resources come under pressure.”
BBG said a long-term approach that enables growers to capture and store more water when it is plentiful will reduce pressure on water resources during prolonged dry periods. This will help protect the UK’s continue to produce fresh food as periods of extreme heat and drought become more frequent.
