UK: AHDB publishes new water abstraction survey

A new report has been published based on the results from AHDB's water abstraction survey, to help inform future research and development in the light of forthcoming DEFRA licensing reforms.

The survey, conducted during 2016 by consultancy Ricardo Energy and Environment which attracted around 600 responses, was instigated by AHDB's horticulture and potatoes boards who believe some growers may be unable to secure enough of the water they need once new licensing arrangements proposed by Defra come into force. AHDB plans to use the results to present data on the industry's requirements to policymakers and to help individual growers bolster their business's resilience to changes in water availability.

The report summarises the project results and sets them in the context of the requirements of the current abstraction licencing systems in England and Wales and Scotland.

Defra's proposed changes to abstraction licensing include;

Bringing drop and trickle irrigation into the licensing regime
Reforming the abstraction management system
Tailoring individual licenses to business need
Removing seasonality specifications from licenses
Introducing permissions to take water at high flows, for storage
Specifying river flow volumes below which abstraction is prohibited

Defra's proposals have not yet been finalised, so it is difficult to be certain how resilient the industry would be after abstraction reforms. Jenny Bashford, AHDB Potatoes knowledge exchange manager said, "Early findings from the survey highlight several steps growers could take to prepare for change. These include quantifying your individual headroom to take account of in business planning, considering cost-benefit assessments of improved water management and looking at improvements in water storage."

Click here to download and view the report.