How could the widespread drought and water shortages in England affect the NFU?
NFU may increase lobbying pressure to ease drought permitting for farm storage The severe drought conditions across England have led to critically low reservoir storage, prompting calls for increased on-farm water storage capacity for farmers. To meet the need for 450 new farm reservoirs annually by 2050, the NFU would likely increase pressure on the government to ease the drought permitting system and abstraction licensing. This pressure would be driven by the need to help growers adapt high-value cropping to climate change and secure water supplies for agriculture.
- Effect
- Mixed
- How direct
- 2 steps, 1 inferred by Brind
- When
- Within months
- The story
- No new developments lately
How it reaches NFU
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Widespread drought across England has caused severe operational issues for major water companies, including Anglian Water, Southern Water, and Thames Water. As of early October, reservoir storage in many catchments was below half of normal levels. Parliamentarians debated water resilience, noting that reservoir storage across England stood at 60.1% as of November 3, 17% below average for the time of year.
The full event2independent outlets -
Drought conditions have resulted in reservoir storage across England standing at 60.1%, which is 17% below average for the time of year, leading to calls for urgent action to secure water supplies.
1 report connects these two. Brind only summarizes; follow a link to read the reporting itself.
- newcivilengineer.com Wednesday
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agriculture ministry of United Kingdom (British ministerial department)
Everything about Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs -
To adapt to climate change and secure water, experts and parliamentarians have called for the government to ease the drought permitting system and abstraction licensing to allow farmers to build necessary on-farm reservoirs.
No report states this step directly. Brind drew it from the reporting on each side of it, so treat it as an informed guess.
Tap any step to see the evidence behind it.
The facts so far
As reported. Each one links to where it comes from.
- Reservoir storage across England stood at 60.1%, 17% below average for the time of year, as of 3 November.newcivilengineer.com
- The Country Land and Business Association requires around 450 new farm reservoirs, each of 100,000 m³, to be built every year between now and 2050.newcivilengineer.com
- In the last five years, only 34 reservoirs with above-ground capacity over 25,000 m3 were built.newcivilengineer.com
- The government is investing £65M to help farmers build resilience to future droughts, including £50M for Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements.newcivilengineer.com
Why it matters
For the NFU and its members, the drought represents a direct threat to agricultural viability. The ability of farmers to adapt to climate change and secure water for high-value cropping is dependent on the government's willingness to facilitate new storage infrastructure, which requires changes to permitting and licensing systems.
This debate is framed by a wider critique of the water sector, with campaigners arguing that water companies are not investing in crucial infrastructure due to privatization, while the government simultaneously seeks to balance the needs of households, agriculture, and the environment.
What we don't know yet
- Will the government ease the drought permitting system to accelerate the construction of farm reservoirs?
- How will the government balance the need for agricultural water storage against environmental requirements for chalk streams and groundwater?
Is this still moving?
- Reports
- 2
- Developments
- 5
- Repetition
- 0%
What would change this answer
Who else could feel it
Other possible ripples from the same event.
- Department for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsLikelyDEFRA faces pressure to ease rules for farm water storage amid drought
- governmentLikelyDrought crisis forces government to allocate £65M for farm water resilience
- River ItchenPossibleThe River Itchen may experience reduced flow and lower levels due to widespread drought conditions in England.
Reporting
- newcivilengineer.comWednesday
- express.co.ukJul 28
Keep going
Brind's analysis is written by AI from the reporting linked above and can be wrong. This explainer is a possibility worth considering, not a forecast: steps marked as Brind's reasoning are not stated in the reporting. It is not investment advice; do your own research.