New framework for responding to drought published

NFU national water resources specialist, has welcomed the Agency’s new drought framework

The NFU is pleased to see the unveiling of a new ‘drought framework’ by the Environment Agency that builds on the lessons learned from the 2010 to 2012 dry spell.

The framework, ‘Drought response: our framework for England’, seeks to demystify some of the terminology that surrounds the communication of drought-related issues.

For example, it defines an agricultural drought as one where “there isn’t enough rainfall and moisture in soils to support crop production or farming practices such as spray irrigation”.

That may sound obvious, but by differentiating between an agricultural drought, environmental drought and water supply drought the framework should reduce future confusion at times when farmers and growers face local licensing restrictions while adjacent water companies and their customers are not impacted in the same way.

An important element of the new framework, and one particularly welcomed by the NFU, is the creation of new definitions applied to the various stages of a drought.

The language used during an ongoing drought to describe the current situation featured prominently during the NFU’s own member workshops post-2012.

Members told the NFU that the Agency’s communications were excellent as the drought developed, but that it became increasingly difficult to know whether or not the drought had ended as the rain fell. This confusion about describing where we are on a day by day, week by week basis became a central part of their own ‘NFU: Learning the lessons of drought’ project.

In future, the Agency will use a traffic light system of green, yellow, amber and red colour coding to illustrate an improving or worsening drought situation. Drought stages will be given greater clarity by being described as normal (green), developing drought (yellow), drought (amber), severe drought (red), recovering drought (amber).

NFU national water resources specialist, has welcomed the Agency’s new drought framework.

“At their worst, droughts can be civil emergencies that demand a clear understanding of the role and responsibility of each organisation and each sector. Crucially, it needs a consistent message from all the sectors to be communicated whenever possible,” he said.

“The NFU has been pleased to work with the Environment Agency on elements of its new framework, both directly and through our membership of the Water for Food group.

“Everyone involved seems determined that the framework will not simply become a document gathering dust on a shelf, and so we look forward to further dialogue with the Agency to create more specific guidance and advice for farmers and growers on drought risk management.”