Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture, UK Food Valley and Lincolnshire County Council welcome Government’s commitment to make it easier to build on-farm reservoirs.
A repeat issue identified throughout the county is the need for reliable water supplies in the face of increasingly common hot spells and droughts.
In April, the county council, through the Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture and UK Food Valley, brought together farmers, water companies, regulators and other local councils from across the region together at an event to tackle this issue.
On-farm reservoirs were identified as a proven, practical solution, that allows farmers to collect water during wetter weather for use during dry summers.
As well as uses during droughts, they can help create new habitats for wildlife and lower flood risks by capturing peak flows during storms and reducing pressure on rivers.
Following this event, the Forum, UK Food Valley, and regional partners have been lobbying the Government to introduce changes that would allow on-farm reservoirs to be built and used more easily.
Now, following a Summer of extreme drought across the UK, the Government has announced changes and commitments that look to make it easier for farmers to build and use on-farm reservoirs.
Matt Riddington, Chair of the Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture, said: “Farmers in Lincolnshire have been telling us repeatably that reservoir infrastructure is the single biggest barrier to managing water risk on their land.
“The commitment to speed up planning for farm reservoirs is welcome and matches the case we made at our reservoir event in April.
“We now need to see it translated into a planning system that actually delivers reservoirs on the ground, to help support farmer resilience.”
Cllr Rob Gibson, Deputy Leader of Lincolnshire County Council, said: “It is fantastic to see the Government listening to voices of the sector, and beginning to take the decisions needed to make on-farm reservoirs easier to develop.
“Alongside partners, the county council through the Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture, and our UK Food Valley team, have consistently raised water supply as an issue, loudly making the case for greater water resilience through events, industry engagement and lobbying government.
“It’s unfortunate that it has taken a severe drought to accelerate progress, but the recognition of the challenge and the action being taken is very welcome.
“Our focus now will be to work with farmers, planners and Government to understand the detail of the new measures and ultimately support the delivery of the on-farm reservoirs to strengthen the future resilience of our fantastic farming businesses across Lincolnshire.
"As the custodian of over 16,000 acres of land across 159 tenants through our County Farms Estate, we'll also be working with our landowners and tenants to explore available options if they wish."
Lincolnshire County Council is committed to continuing work with partners, through the UK Food Valley and Greater Lincolnshire Forum for Agriculture and Horticulture, to help shape future farming policy and champion local Lincolnshire farmers.