The WFF (Water for Food) group is an independent, lead point of contact for technical matters relating to water resource planning and food production.
The group has incorporated as a not-for-profit company limited by guarantee, with a Board made up of representatives from abstractor groups, aquaculture and food processors and manufacturers, plus the NFU Water Resources Specialist, Mark Betson.
The group has set out to achieve two main goals:
- Organise abstractors into WAGs (water abstractor groups) so that they can work more effectively with each other, abstractors in other sectors and the Environment Agency to better understand and manage the risks they face.
- Help abstractors with technical matters related to water resource management planning. This includes preparing templates to help WAGs produce agricultural water resource management plans and drought plans.
Protecting food and farming abstractor’s interests
The group has a seat on the National Framework planning groups along with the NFU and is being promoted by the Environment Agency alongside the regional planning groups as a key partner in delivering sustainably abstracted catchments.
As part of the National Framework, WFF and the NFU will be working with each of the regional planning groups for water resources that have been set up and the WAGs within them to make sure that the interests of food and farming abstractors are protected.
This will involve working on the following:
- Updating the ‘Working together to protect water rights’ booklet originally published by the Environment Agency and Cranfield University to help abstractors form WAGs.
- A toolkit for new WAGs will be developed. This will deal with the mechanics of setting up and running a WAG, including how best to work with the regional planning process and abstractors in other sectors.
- Supporting the Environment Agency LRO (Local Resource Option) and SDBA (Supply Demand Balance Assessment) programmes for enhancing resilience in the food and farming sector.
- A technical review of policy, planning and regulation for managing abstraction in the food and farming sector.
- Preparations for the transition to EPR (Environmental Permitting Regulations) and the Environment Agency Catchment Permit reviews.
To deliver a vision of obtaining a fair share of available water for agriculture, the partnering of the NFU and the technical expertise of WFF will help give practical ways forward for abstractors.
