Analysis: What is being done to secure water resources for UK farmers?

Agriculture faces a raft of water-related challenges, and industry leaders are highlighting the need for a fully integrated management plan to ensure growers and livestock producers have access to adequate supplies.

The combined effects of climate change and an expanding population is putting pressure on UK water resources, and agriculture is expected to face increased competition for water resources in the coming decade and beyond.

While the pattern of change is unlikely to be uniform, future water availability will vary across the UK and over time, making constraints inevitable in times of extreme heat and drought.

For this reason, making sure there is enough water allocated to farming is a priority, says NFU national water specialist Kelly Hewson-Fisher.

See also: Farming rules for water: What’s in store?

Farm policy

Policymakers must devise a plan that recognises the critical role it plays in agricultural production and food security.

“We need good planning and investment in infrastructure in order to be confident of withstanding current and future pressures,” she says.

“Building resilience into our water system makes sense – for all users, not just farmers.”

At the same time, the effect of farming practices on water quality and the environment is also being scrutinised, after land management was identified as a contributing factor in the declining quality of the UK’s surface and groundwater.

As a result, farmers are expected to take action to prevent both point source and diffuse pollution and manage any impacts on water quality, while using water efficiently to maintain production.

Farming Rules for Water

Clean and plentiful water is one of the six public goods that the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme will contribute to, showing the government’s intent to address the nutrient and sediment pollution that comes from farming activities.

Under the Environment Act, Defra has committed to a long-term target of at least a 40% reduction in nitrates, phosphates and sediment going into the water environment from farming by 2038 – a target that many green groups describe as weak and unambitious as they ramp up the pressure on government to take tougher action.

Already, the Farming Rules for Water, which were introduced in 2018, are in place to minimise water pollution and retain nutrients on-farm through better practice, with all farms legally obliged to comply.

Their interpretation required clarity after an inflexible approach to muckspreading was taken in 2021, effectively preventing manure applications to most fields in the autumn.

After urgent consultation, updated guidance on how the Environment Agency should apply the Farming Rules for Water cleared the way for muckspreading and the application of other organic manures in autumn and winter, providing there was no water pollution risk from their use.

Far from being a green light for all types of spreading, the pollution risks associated with different types of manures and the need to demonstrate that applications have been planned and accounted for are central to the new guidance.

Abstraction licence changes

For farmers who rely on abstraction for irrigation or filling reservoirs, there are changes coming to abstraction licences, which will see charges rise and a move to an Environmental Permitting Regulations system in 2024. “The change is all about sustainable abstraction to protect water bodies,” says the NFU’s Kelly Hewson-Fisher. “Farmers actually use less than 2% of the total water abstracted in the UK, but there are hotspot areas.”

Be aware of expiry dates on licences and note that all licences will be referred to as converted permits once the new system is up and running. It is just part of a big shake-up of water resources that’s coming, she adds. “We are active at a regional and a national level and will keep issuing updates, but all farmers should aim to keep themselves abreast of developments.”

“Put simply, healthier soils absorb and retain more water for longer periods of time,” she says.

Other water management benefits can be gained, she adds – especially when combined with other practices, such as reduced or no tillage, the use of cover crops and strategic residue management.

Jackie Evans, managing director of agriculture and land at farm consultancy Adas, says adapting existing farm buildings and infrastructure to capture and store rainwater can have a big impact, as this water can be used for washing down and cleaning, as well as spraying.

“There will be arable farms where growing more autumn-sown crops makes sense from a water availability perspective, or where switching to crops such as rye and grain maize, which have a lesser water requirement, is the right course of action.”

Boreholes and reservoirs may have a place in the long term, depending on individual farm circumstances and their water use, but they have greater cost implications, she notes.

Flooding

Last year’s heatwave underlined the pressure on water supplies, and extreme weather is also triggering flooding events, says NFU flooding and drainage adviser Zoe Moore. Farmers have a role to play in flood management and can help to alleviate flood risk, she says – especially where actions are a planned element of catchment management and participants get compensated for providing a service.

“We’re still waiting to see if ELM will provide for this, as there isn’t provision otherwise,” says Ms Moore. “Unless they’ve entered into a private agreement, farmers are currently doing this at a cost to themselves.”

Natural flood management techniques used as part of a package of measures may be supported, she acknowledges, as there are grants available for wetland development as well as tree and hedgerow planting. These techniques, which take their inspiration from nature, catch and detain water where it falls, helping to reduce and slow peaks of water after a rain event.

Advice and grant support

The Catchment Sensitive Farming programme – a partnership between Defra, Natural England and the Environment Agency – offers training, advice and grant support to farmers to help them improve water quality and reduce flood risk on their land.

Advisers cover the whole of England, and the advice comes on a one-to-one basis free of charge.

Most of the water companies also offer grants and expert advice on environmental solutions that protect river health and drinking water quality.

In addition, Water Management Grants from the Farming Transformation Fund are for capital items that help increase productivity through the efficient use of water, such as new reservoirs and associated equipment.

Water security

All farm businesses can take action to safeguard water security now, believes Ms Hewson-Fisher, who says that there are short-, medium- and long-term strategies that can be applied to ensure that agriculture gets its fair share of supplies.

“Having had a summer in 2022 that featured prolonged dry conditions and high temperatures, water resources are front of mind,” she says.

“So it makes sense to think about what you can do to help manage water availability on your farm.

“Understanding the risks to your business of changing water availability is really important – this is an issue that isn’t going to go away.”

If you haven’t already done so, improving soil health is a good place to start. Increasing soil organic matter content will bring corresponding improvements in both infiltration rates and water holding capacity, making soils more resilient and better able to cope with deluges and droughts.

Case study: Garth Weston, Oxfordshire

Drought last spring and summer was far more impactful on Garth Weston’s Oxfordshire farm than he was prepared for – and it hit him hard.

© Gareth Weston

Crop yields and lamb performance were affected by the lack of rainfall, he reports, while he was unable to return some of his temporary grass leys to arable production.

In addition, the AHDB Monitor Farm host suffered high losses on its cricket bat willow enterprise and some of the chosen Countryside Stewardship options failed to establish successfully after harvest, given the lack of moisture.

“It was so dry we couldn’t take the leys out or get the kill we needed from glyphosate applications,” he recalls.

“A grass ley must be actively growing for glyphosate destruction to work, so a key element of that approach was missing in 2022.”

The hot, dry weather also meant that he was left with higher blackgrass numbers in cereal crops than he had aimed for. The prolonged drought conditions also affected glyphosate activity after harvest and reduced pre-emergence herbicide performance.

Farming just over 400ha at Sydenham Grange Farm, near Thame, Mr Weston is in the process of integrating livestock into the arable rotation and has introduced four-year grass leys to both fatten lambs and help with blackgrass control.

Reducing inputs

He is also looking to reduce reliance on artificial inputs, use less fuel and produce higher quality forage, while farming with his environmental responsibilities in mind.

The overall plan is that the sheep and arable enterprises will share the heavy, low-lying land. The 1,100 ewes will then be housed from Christmas onwards in readiness for lambing.

Cover crops are being considered, both for their soil function benefits and to extend the grazing provision for the sheep.

Finishing the lambs last year proved difficult, as forage growth slowed and the ground needed to be rested.

A lack of available grass meant that the worm burden increased and parasite control was challenging.

Crop yields were down, and spring beans were particularly disappointing at 2.81t/ha.

His Group 1 winter wheat averaged 7.83t/ha but didn’t make milling specification, most likely due to it being unable to take up the nitrogen required to meet grain protein levels

As a result, Mr Weston has now made the decision to install a borehole to supply the whole farm.

Having done the research and initial surveys, he believes it will bring the resilience that the business requires for its future. “It is costly but we’ve calculated that it will have a two-year payback,” he says.

“We are not alone as farmers in having to manage either too much or not enough rainfall, but this step will mean we can access a secure water supply when we need it most.”