Union calls for long-term solutions to ensure producers have guaranteed access to water during dry periods for sake of national food security
More than 150 farmers and growers in Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire will be able to resume water abstraction after the NFU raised their case with the Environment Agency (EA).
The EA confirmed at an NFU-organised meeting on Wednesday that the current restrictions – imposed because of the hot, dry weather – will be lifted for approximately 150 of the 240 farmers impacted by a recently announced cessation order.
The NFU said it will work to find solutions for members who have not had restrictions lifted. It is also continuing its calls for the authorities to work with the farming community to deliver long-term solutions to ensure farmers and growers have guaranteed access to water during dry periods for the sake of national food security.
NFU vice president Rachel Hallos, who spoke at the meeting, said: “This was a huge and very immediate concern for many of our members, who are already having great challenges due to the extreme dry weather we have been experiencing.
“We are pleased to have been able to work collaboratively with the EA and Internal Drainage Board (IDB) to find a quick solution for some members. We will work with those members who have not had restrictions lifted and see what solutions can be found for them.
“But it is vital, moving forward, that we continue to work with the government and the EA to find long-term solutions to the increasing extreme weather incidents we are experiencing in this country. This problem will not just go away.
“I completely understand the importance of public access to water and the environmental protection that is needed, and we need to work together to find long-term solutions for everybody’s needs.
“The scale of the problems we are seeing due to the dry weather on farms on the ground is horrendous. It is costing farm businesses enormous sums of money, and some businesses will never be able to recover. This will threaten our national food security. We need to fix this because we could be in this situation again.
“There is huge pressure on water in this country. It’s about the bigger picture, storing the water when it rains for future use.
“We need to ensure that agriculture’s voice is heard, and I’m doing my upmost to ensure that is the case.”
The NFU called for an urgent meeting with the EA after members across the Cam and Ely Ouse catchments received notices of cessation of abstraction licences last week.
Farmers in this area were in prolonged dry status, with many already making voluntary reductions, and anticipating that they had further restrictions to go before this last resort, so were surprised to no longer have access to vital water for their crops.
A meeting was held on Wednesday 16 July, when it was confirmed that for a limited number of licences, the water restrictions will be lifted, with the IDB able to add more water into the system.
New restrictions will be put in place allowing irrigation on Monday, Wednesday and Friday nights only, from 6pm to 6am. This will be on a temporary two-week basis and then reviewed.
A spokesperson for the EA said: “Prolonged dry weather continues to affect East Anglia.
“Low river levels and dry conditions means we have had to apply temporary abstraction restrictions in the South Level of the Fens.
“These pre-agreed abstraction licence conditions are there to protect the environment and the rights of other abstractors.”
Those impacted were due to receive letters from the Environment Agency on Friday 18 July.
