Following a period of consultation with interested parties the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has introduced revised water abstraction licensing that requires most previously exempt abstractors of water from the ground and water courses to now apply for licences.
Amongst those no longer exempt are users of drip, or trickle irrigation, as defined within the legislation. This will impact many soft fruit growers in England and Wales.
This important part of the UK farming sector will need to apply within the next two years from 1st January 2018 for a license to continue to draw water from ground or surface water sources.
A key part of the reform is that growers will have to demonstrate their water use over the last seven years with the quantity of water granted in their licence being based on the historical data. It is unlikely that access to additional water will be granted and therefore water will need to be used as efficiently as possible if farmers are to be able to expand their growing hectarage and increase yield.