A delegation of farmers from Norfolk has today travelled to Westminster to share their concerns about drought with Defra minister Richard Benyon. The Environment Agency, upon releasing its latest drought briefing has pledged continued support for farmers.

The agriculturalists will discuss the long-term impacts that drought in East Anglia could have on the farming sector. East Anglia has been in drought since last spring and experts are forecasting that its effects will be felt until Christmas at the earliest.

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The meeting was organised by Norfolk MP Elizabeth Truss. The farmers said they wanted to express the problems they face first hand and are seeking to encourage Defra ministers to consider facilitating water storage and reservoir building as drier years can be expected as climate change begins to take effect.

This month, much of South and Central England has officially entered drought status and, despite rainfall in parts of the country over Easter and earlier this week, the recharge window in which groundwater levels can replenish effectively has closed, meaning scarce groundwater and river flow supplies are likely.

The Environment Agency has said it is working with water companies and farmers to minimise the impact of the drought on food producers. Following a number of drought summits held by Defra, where farmers, utilities representatives and wildlife organisations discussed the impacts of drought, Environment Minister Caroline Spelman urged businesses and households to use water wisely, but pledged to ensure enough water is available for energy generation and food production.  

Last spring in France, drought affecting a large part of Western Europe led to the closure of power stations and saw stock being transported around the country to aid farmers in drought-stricken regions, whose own grasses had failed and who, in some cases, were forced to send their livestock for slaughter early due to lack of available feed.

The Environment Agency is preparing for an increase in environmental incidents in severely affected areas where wildlife is at risk this summer. Agency officials are stepping up river monitoring and increasing supplies of water aeration and fish rescue equipment; at the beginning of the month, fish had to be rescued when a stretch of the river Lathkill in Derbyshire dried up.  

The Environment Agency said it is also working to help farmers top up their storage reservoirs, to ensure they are better supplied for the summer months. The EA has introduced a fast track process for farmers to apply to take additional water when river flows are high, and said it will attempt to be  “as flexible as possible around existing regulations” to help farmers, who are suffering significant impacts from the drought.

In a statement made this morning, the Environment Agency’s National Drought Co-ordinator, Polly Chancellor, said, “While we’ve had some welcome rain this week, the environmental drought affecting large parts of England could last until Christmas.

“The soil is so dry that only steady rain over the winter will restore rivers and groundwaters. We would urge everyone – right across the country – to help by using less water. We are working with businesses, farmers and water companies to plan ahead to meet the challenges of a continued drought.”

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