HOME GROWN
Anna Hall* on how UK farmers are improving their
sustainability and rising to the climate change
challenge.
Despite the terrible weather experienced in the UK last summer,
we must be prepared for droughts and possible water restrictions to
return in the future. Agriculture and horticulture is highly
dependent on water, whether it is for irrigating crops, watering
livestock or ensuring first-class hygiene in milking parlours or
packing houses. Water is the very lifeblood of our farming
industry.
To identify the importance of water to farmers and growers, the
NFU undertook a survey during 2006 to identify how water is used,
the prevalence of water efficiency measures and the true cost of
water. We had over 1,500 respondents, from all types of
agriculture and horticulture, including arable, dairy, livestock,
mixed, poultry and ornamentals. Of these respondents 82 percent
said they were more water efficient than they were five years ago,
in comparison to 62 percent of respondents who took part in the
survey in 2001. This exemplifies how the profile of water
efficiency has increased amongst the farming community in the last
five years.
We asked farmers and growers about several aspects of water use
on the farm. The survey identified that 88 percent of farmers carry
out at least one and 64 percent at least two of the following
water saving measures: insulating pipes to prevent leaks,
employing leak detection systems, having stop valves and/or drain
valves at pipe locations, emptying and closing unused pipes in the
winter and having trigger controls on hoses. Information was
provided by 446 respondents on how much they had spent on water
efficiency measures. This totalled £3.3 million, an average of
£7,350 per farm. Twenty-one percent of the respondents
irrigate crops and approximately 60 percent of the irrigated area
is now scheduled scientifically. In addition, some 48 percent
carry out some form of water audit.
The cost of water is another element we surveyed as an OECD
study suggested that farmers (in OECD countries) spent on average
0.01 pence per cubic metre of water used. Our survey reveals
this is much higher, with those using less than 50 percent mains
water spending on average 71 pence per cubic metre, with 45 percent
of respondents spending more than £1 per cubic metre. Though
water may be seen by others to be 'free,' the cost of abstracted
water to be pumped, perhaps treated, stored and, in some cases,
disposed of adds considerably to the cost.
Farmers are also well aware of other sources of water. One of
the most popular ways of reducing their mains or abstracted water
volumes was to invest in rainwater harvesting or reuse of water,
for example plate cooling water used in dairies. Our survey
showed that 68 percent of dairy farms reuse or recycle some of
their water.
Farmers and growers are often some of the first people to feel
the direct impacted of extremes of weather, as we saw with the
drought conditions in the south and east in 2006 and the floods in
2007. The survey found that 58 percent of respondents were
affected by the 2006 drought, most reporting a reduction in yield
and/or quality. The region most affected was the east of
England. We also found that those sectors which rely more heavily
on water, such as the dairy and ornamental sectors, are more likely
to be hit hard at times of drought. Of those respondents
affected by the 2006 drought, 61 percent thought climate change as
a genuine threat to future water resources.
In summary, survey results showed that farmers and growers take
water conservation seriously. It also revealed how important
water is to all sectors of the agricultural community. Without it
the industry would not be able to provide quality produce that
meets the high food and animal welfare standards that the consumer
demands. Clearly, there will be challenges in the
future, particularly with predictions of climate change, but
farmers are aware of their role and making great improvements on
water efficiency year- on-year.
However, it is important to remember that we must consider
efficiency and not simply reduction in water use. If water
use is reduced below an optimum in irrigated crops the yield or
quality could decline resulting in less 'crop per drop' - something
that we should be looking to maximise. Globally, we must also
consider the impact of importing produce from water scarce areas of
the world and the air miles that entails. It is an understatement
to say simply that water matters to farming. Farmers are making
efforts to keep our streams and rivers flowing, our lakes full,
and, crucially, our food and plants growing.
To download a copy of the Water Matters document visit www.nfuonline.com/watermatters.xml
*Anna Hall is Water Policy Adviser at the NFU.
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