UK: AHDB survey to secure water access

Water is vital to agriculture with the potato and horticultural sectors having the highest requirements. Forthcoming changes to legislation on water abstraction has the potential to result in insufficient access to water in some areas.

Recent research conducted by the NFU in the Cam and Ely Ouse river catchment area concluded the financial value of irrigation for potato and vegetable production was £91 million, with £40 million attributed to groundwater. The report concludes time-limited abstraction licences could result in growers needing to scale back production.

There is the opportunity for industry to inform policy and the way it is implemented to help secure adequate water supplies. However, the lack of reliable data about water use is hampering the industry’s ability to provide sufficient evidence to policymakers. By building as clear an understanding as possible and generating data that reflects the wide range of crops, business types, geographical locations and ways of obtaining water, AHDB says it can help provide that evidence base. They urge potato, field vegetable and growers of ornamental crops to take part in AHDB’s water usage survey to help generate the data needed.

For more information:
AHDB
Jenny Bashford, KT Executive, AHDB Potatoes
07500 100 715
[email protected]

Anne Stone, Research and KT Manager, AHDB Horticulture
024 7647 8668
[email protected]
horticulture.ahdb.org.uk