Liberal Democrats Push Government to Back East Riding Farm Reservoirs Against Floods and Droughts
For farmers across the East Riding of Yorkshire, the problem is rarely just water, it is water arriving at the wrong time of year. With extreme weather swinging unpredictably between severe dry spells and heavy downpours, local agriculture is facing a mounting crisis. Storing excess water when it is plentiful is vital to protecting crops during periods of drought, while simultaneously holding back surface water to safeguard surrounding rural communities from flooding.
Despite this clear need, the Liberal Democrats are warning that current Government measures fall woefully short. The administration's offering of up to £15 million for on-farm reservoirs across England, announced back in August with no confirmed opening date, is heavily restricted. Limited strictly to arable and horticulture sectors, it leaves livestock and mixed farms completely out in the cold, failing to match the scale of a crisis that saw estimated drought losses hit around £550 million this year.
In response, the Liberal Democrats are pressing for the fund to open immediately, scale up to match actual farming losses, and expand to include livestock and mixed holdings. Central to this push is a national "call to store" programme designed to unlock Britain's vast, untapped on-farm capacity for holding water.
Locally, Cllr Jeremy Wilcock highlighted the pressing reality for the region:
"Farmers in East Yorkshire are facing unprecedented pressures from extreme weather, swinging between severe drought and flooding. We need a proper 'call to store' programme that cuts planning red tape, genuinely backs our agricultural community to build the resilient water storage they need for periods of drought, and potentially help protect our local villages during periods of flooding."
The national party leadership has echoed these demands, emphasising that bureaucratic hurdles continue to frustrate agricultural resilience.
Liberal Democrat Leader Ed Davey noted:
"Britain's farms have enormous, largely untapped potential to store the water our communities will need as our climate changes. But farmers are being blocked by outdated planning rules and a lack of proper support. The Government’s £15 million fund doesn’t even scratch the surface of what farmers have lost to this drought. We need a national call to store programme right now, identifying where that capacity exists, removing the barriers, and backing farmers who want to be part of the solution."
Adding to these calls, Liberal Democrat Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson Tim Farron MP stressed the importance of a coordinated approach across entire regions:
"Partnerships between farmers, water companies, and local bodies could unlock solutions that benefit whole catchments, not just single farms. The potential is there, what is missing is Government action to match the urgency of the crisis."
"Food security must be a priority for this Government. With extreme floods projected this Autumn, we must tackle the constant back and forth of flooding and drought currently plaguing our country. And on-farm reservoirs could play a pivotal role in managing the impacts felt by our communities, whilst restoring water security for future harvests."
You can read the full Liberal Democrats plan to secure UK food production through climate-ready water storage here:
Along with the Food Security plan here:
Comments
Post a Comment