Photo by Johnny Such on Unsplash

The UK government announced a £65mn funding package on Friday (14 August), to improve water access and drought resilience for struggling farmers. The measures announced include up to £15 million for on-farm reservoirs and plans to make it easier to develop new water storage infrastructure.

Using the “C” word

The Prime Minister is seemingly stepping up his response to the climate crisis after facing criticism from his own MPs for remaining silent on the issue, despite the increasing devastation being wrought by wildfires tearing through Britain and the drought destabilising food supplies. Labour MPs expressed frustration Burnham had taken too long to talk about the climate crisis and had not made it a priority.

Speaking after visiting the scene of a fire in Stourbridge in the West Midlands on Friday, Burnham said: “We have to face up to the changing climate. I think we need a different debate about that. There’s no point denying where we are. We need to face up to it. We need more clean energy. We need to see that transition accelerate. Those are all of the issues that are right now in discussion.”

Burnham has recently chaired a Cobra meeting on extreme heat, wildfires and drought, with a view to establishing a cross-government response by bringing together action on farming, water and infrastructure, including more flexibility for food producers.

Support being rolled out for farmers

Some farmers have had to harvest their crops early, while others are seeing low-quality produce and low yields, with farmers warning Britain could face food shortages if the drought continues. Most of the £65m will go to the sustainable farming incentive (SFI), which pays farmers in England to support nature. Officials have said this extra £50m will bring the total SFI budget to £290m, with extra money prioritised for areas of greatest need during the drought. Farmers who are paid to look after nature on parts of their land and are usually barred from cutting or grazing it until later in the year are now able to do so where grass is scarce, without losing payments.

Farmers will also get £15m in support for building on-farm reservoirs to provide supplies during future dry summers. 

Farmers need a sustained programme, not a temporary fix

Campaigners have warned the £15m for on-farm reservoirs is reallocated money from existing funds and will only fund a “fraction” of reservoirs needed. They will get improved access to water through simpler arrangements around how much they can take from the environment and changes to the speed at which licences are given, making it easier for farmers to use water where it is most needed.

While the package has been welcomed, it has also reportedly been regarded as a “temporary fix” by Gavin Lane, the president of the Country Land and Business Association; “The announcement that government will make it easier to build on-farm reservoirs is a positive step, but the £15m made available will fund a fraction of the reservoirs we need. This needs to become a sustained programme, with planning and abstraction lined up in support. “The vast bulk of the cost of building on-farm reservoirs will still fall on farmers, who are already facing record costs as well as absorbing new tax burdens.”