The government must make it easier for farmers to build reservoirs and help secure the UK’s food supply, say industry leaders.
The warning follows a £65m drought aid package – including £15m to build on-farm reservoirs. The funding was announced last month by Prime Minister Andy Burnham and Defra farm minister Stephen Morgan. Speaking on a farm visit to Cornwall, Mr Burnham said action to make it easier to build reservoirs would include reducing unnecessary barriers and updating the government’s planning guidance.
Funding gap
Storing water would help farmers become more resilient to future droughts, said the Prime Minister. The Environment Agency would prioritise requests for short term variations to abstraction licences during drought conditions, he added. The government’s Water Management Grant, with up to £15m available to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs, is expected to open this autumn. The scheme will focus on supporting water storage for crop irrigation.
Mr Burnham said it would help the horticulture and arable sectors adapt to climate change and improve resilience to drought. The government says it will consider additional funding if demand exceeds the grants available. The money is being reallocated from elsewhere within Defra’s farming budget. Farm leaders welcomed the move – but said a longer-term strategy was needed to ensure agriculture had access to adequate water.
NFU president Tom Bradshaw said: “The Prime Minister was clear about the vital role farmers play in keeping the nation fed, and their role within communities, and that today’s announcement is the start, not the end, of government action.
But he added: “But more detail is needed to understand how these will work in practice. Investment in water is critical, it is the lifeline of our food system, and we must ensure the process is streamlined and that grants are accessible.”
Country Land and Business Association president Gavin Lane said the vast cost of building on-farm reservoirs would still fall on farmers. “This is a welcome and pragmatic move but little more than a temporary fix,” he added. “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.”
Weather records
Multiple weather records have been broken this year. England and Wales recorded their driest July on record, with southern England seeing its driest month since records begin in 1836.
The month was also exceptionally sunny, with the UK, England and Wales recording their sunniest Julys on record, and England and Wales experiencing their sunniest calendar month ever. The remarkable conditions came during a summer already marked by multiple heat records. Temperatures provisionally reached 38.1°C at Kew Gardens in London, making it the 5th hottest day on record for the UK.
Five heatwaves this summer also means 2026 has seen the most number of days reaching or exceeding 36°C (four days) and 37°C (three days) with it also equalling 2022 for seeing two days of 38°C.a