Farmers are being advised to take immediate steps to conserve water and secure sufficient supplies for their crops following England’s driest spring since 1893.
The Environment Agency has warned the dry spring has meant many farmers have used their stored water to irrigate earlier than normal. Without significant rainfall, concerns about water shortages later in the summer are mounting.
Some regions including the north west and Yorkshire are already in drought with others, including East Anglia, at risk.
The impact, the agency has warned, extends beyond agriculture, with the natural environment also showing signs of stress from the prolonged dry conditions.
The Environment Agency has provided extra support to help farmers manage supplies more efficiently, as well as increasing river monitoring and communication of the situation.
Farmers are being encouraged to consider how they can conserve their water supplies, especially those taking from farm reservoirs. Steps include reducing leakage of water from their equipment, closely monitoring crop need to conserve water, and considering the time of day when they irrigate.
Read more: Better water storage needed as growers begin irrigation earlier
“Our officers are working with farmers to ensure they have access to water whilst also protecting the environment,” said Richard Thompson, deputy director for water resources at the Environment Agency. “I urge farmers to take action now to conserve water as we enter the summer and to use water resources as efficiently as possible.
“In the longer term, our new National Framework for Water Resources includes a range of measures to help farmers build water resilience, support local water solutions, and build in real-time data to manage water abstraction more sustainably.”
The framework was published last week, revealing that by 2055 the UK will face a daily shortfall of 5 billion, litres and showing how the agriculture sector can respond.
“As our climate changes, co-ordinated action is critical to secure our water future, protect food production, and drive resilience and growth across farming and rural communities,” said Thompson.
The NFU has said that more needs to be done beyond using water wisely and that there needs to be more investment in infrastructure. “There needs to be water there in the first place to deliver the food we rely on,” said Rachel Hallos, NFU vice president.
“What we need now is for the Environment Agency to work with us and local farmers on flexible abstraction options, where appropriate, to enable rapid access to water when summer storms bring high flows, along with promoting sensible actions on farm, in order to reduce water use,” Hallos added.
Other concerns were raised that consumers were not being advised to conserve water.
“I’d like farming and household water consumption to be treated equally and if they’re calling for farming to conserve water, I would like us to be considering whether we need to be filling swimming pools and using hose pipes to clean cars,” said Ali Capper, executive chair of Brtish Apples and Pears.
“We just need equality.”
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