The Government has announced a package of support to help farmers manage the impacts of this summer’s extreme dry weather.
Heatwaves and below-average rainfall have increased pressure on water resources for agricultural production and Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme activities. Dry conditions and heat have also increased the risk of wildfires across many parts of the country.
Last week, the Prime Minister chaired the government’s emergency response committee (COBR) on extreme heat, wildfires and drought. Following the COBR meeting, over the weekend Defra announced will help farmers manage drought pressures, protect crops and strengthen resilience for the future.
It has confirmed:
- Temporary adjustments to Environmental Land Management (ELM) agreements, including allowing farmers to create firebreaks on land in an agreement and giving farmers more time to plant and establish ELM actions where dry conditions have made planting seed mixes impossible
- An extra £50 million for Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 Window 2, taking the total budget for SFI26 to £290 million
- Reopening the Water Management Grant, with up to £15m available to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs and reducing unnecessary barriers and updating planning guidance.
- Improved access to water during drought conditions, including that the Environment Agency will prioritise requests for short-term variations to abstraction licence conditions.
Defra says this investment supports its Farming Roadmap vision of building a stronger, more resilient farming sector. “We’re committed to working with farmers to improve the resilience of on-farm water supplies. This includes making sure the right planning and abstraction licensing arrangements are in place so farmers can invest with confidence.
“We’ll continue to monitor the situation closely and work with the farming and water sectors. If needed, we’ll take further action to help farmers manage the impacts of drought,” said a Defra spokesperson.
