NFU responds to proposals to reform the water abstraction regime

The NFU has responded to a review being undertaken by Martin Cave, Professor and Director of the Centre for Management under Regulation at Warwick Business School, on competition and innovation in water markets. The interim report makes a series of recommendations, but most significantly for agriculture and horticulture includes a discussion on reform of the abstraction regime.

In response, the NFU heeded a word of caution in stimulating more competition through the reforms and expressed concern that although various reassurances had been offered to water companies on the proposed changes, no such re-assurances were offered to agricultural or horticultural users of water. The review will continue in the next few months before delivering its final recommendations in the spring of 2009.