It is disappointing that members who believed they were in prolonged dry status, making voluntary reductions and anticipating that they had further restrictions to go before this last resort, have so quickly gone to agricultural drought status and no longer have access to vital water for their crops.
We have been in touch with the EA (Environment Agency) both regionally and nationally to understand what has gone on and are raising these concerns at the highest level.
We hope to have an online regional meeting available next week for members to hear directly from the EA.聽
鈥�It鈥檚 essential that farmers and growers have the right tools to manage the weather extremes we are seeing more often.鈥�
NFU Vice-president Rachel Hallos
Long-term planning needed
Commenting on the news, NFU Vice-president Rachel Hallos said: 鈥淭o support a secure and sustainable food supply, it鈥檚 essential that farmers and growers have the right tools to manage the weather extremes we are seeing more often.
鈥淭hat means long-term planning and investment in water resilience 鈥� such as on-farm rainwater harvesting and more short-term measures such as flexible abstraction rules 鈥� so farmers can better manage these conditions and continue to produce more fresh, homegrown food for the nation.鈥�
