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.