A drought meeting has been held between Defra and the Environment Agency and the stakeholders in the land-based sector, several recommendations have been made for farmers concerned over the likelihood of drought next year, and continued dry weather in their regions.

image expired

Following the meeting, which was held on Monday, and was attended by farming industry bodies such as the NFU and Potato Council, the Environment Agency has advised farmers to contact its local offices if they have concerns over the potential impacts of the current drought on irrigation in 2012.

An EA spokesperson at the meeting said that “the silence from farmers is deafening” over the issue of irrigation. The agency said very few, if any, farmers had come forward to express concerns about water availability or to ask for support.

Defra said that, although it cannot change the abstraction rules and regulations, which are enshrined in law, the EA, who administer the regulations, are willing to be as flexible as they can to accommodate changes in licences which may help farmers through particularproblems e.g. extending the abstraction period, daily abstraction limits, taking high flows when they occur, using larger pumps, and looking at the specific local abstraction issues to see how requirements can be accommodated.

The agency also said it may fast-track any changes; it recommended farmers come forward with their concerns as soon as possible