In brief...
The NFU has welcomed Defra promise of a ‘light touch’ approach to the licensing of trickle irrigation, but warned that proposed abstraction constraints will result in significant adverse impact on horticultural businesses if implemented.
The NFU has highlighted the importance of the horticultural sector, and stressed that its reliance on access to a secure supply of water could be compromised if proposed new regulations are unduly onerous.
The warning comes in the NFU response to a Defra consultation called Changes to water abstraction licensing exemptions: New Authorisations, which closes on 8 April.
Our focus is on Defra’s intention to make trickle (or drip) irrigation a licensable activity. This change will have a significant impact on the estimated 1,000 operators who rely on trickle methods of crop irrigation in England and Wales.
Ali Capper, chairman of the NFU Horticulture and Potatoes Board, described water management and availability is one of the biggest policy focus areas for her board members.
“The UK has excellent year-round precipitation and is one of the few countries in the world growing fruit and veg, plants and flowers so sustainably”, she said.
“However, we must ensure that the water we need to provide a secure supply of food is available where and when we need it - that requires a common sense approach and joined up government policies. We must never forget that UK farmers and growers use less than 2% of total water abstracted so water allocation for food production is minor compared to public and energy supplies."
Paul Hammett, NFU national water resources specialist, welcomed government promises of a ‘light touch’ approach to the licensing of currently exempt operations.
“The NFU submitted detailed comments to Defra’s last consultation on ‘New Authorisations’ in 2009 and it is reassuring that many of our recommendations have been adopted, particularly those that recognise trickle irrigation as a lawful operation”, he said.
But he warned that the proposal to grant licences subject to flow constraints to protect rivers during dry and drought conditions will result in significant adverse impact on trickle irrigation operations.
“We believe that any ‘Hands off Flow’ conditions be applied to New Authorisations must have regard to the special nature of trickle irrigation,” Paul said.
“In particular, derogations from these’ conditions must be offered so that the special nature of protected and container grown cropping systems can be accommodated. The new rules must be consistent with existing regulations that already acknowledge those special circumstances.”
The NFU has also expressed concern with Defra’s proposal to significantly curtail or even refuse without the payment of compensation those applications where there is a risk of the abstraction causing ‘serious damage’ to the environment.
“We note that the current definition and practical implementation of what is considered to be ‘serious’ is in its legal infancy and so dialogue between Defra/Environment Agency and the NFU to explore the application of this principle before it is applied will be crucial”, Paul added.