Meeting will look at how well prepared and resilient England is to drought
The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee is set to scrutinise England’s drought preparedness this week as it impacts upon food production.
In a session that will be of great interest to the horticulture sector, the committee is sitting on Wednesday 7 January from 10am to continue its inquiry into drought preparedness in England by exploring the impact of drought on the agricultural sector and opportunities to increase resilience.
The session can be followed live or afterwards on Parliament TV, or in person in the Palace of Westminster’s committee room 4.
The experts scheduled to give evidence are Mark Betson, national water resource specialist at the NFU; John Patrick, group manager at East Suffolk Water Abstractor Group (ESWAG); and Steve Moncaster, MD of Norfolk Environment Food and Farming (NEFF).
Questions from the committee will explore how agricultural businesses are affected by drought; the involvement of agricultural businesses in their local, regional and national drought planning processes; how farmers are preparing for droughts; water storage; and integrating nature-based solutions for drought and flood resilience.
