Farmers form water abstraction group to protect supplies

Farmers in North Shropshire have formed a new water abstraction group amid growing pressures on supplies in the area. 

The aim of the Shropshire Severn Water Abstraction Group (Sswag) is to ensure a fair share of water in the catchment to underwrite production. 

It comes as the Environment Agency (EA) has been issuing letters to abstractors asking them to consider reducing the volume taken, or even revoke any long-term unused licences, due to over-abstraction locally.

See also: Complete water abstraction ban hits grower with no warning

Farmers and growers attending the Sswag’s first meeting at the Apley Estate, near Telford, Shropshire, said the tone of these letters was “aggressive”.

They also expressed fears that it will be the start of diminishing licensed quantities, akin to what has been happening in the eastern counties.

Water need

However, the EA told the meeting that licences in regular use, or those with plans for future use, would not be removed, as long as sufficient evidence was provided to justify a need for that water, such as seed purchases.

The emergence of the Sswag group takes the number of water abstraction groups  operating in England to seven, with half a dozen more starting to emerge, driven by climate changes and increasing demand for water. 

“Since February, we have received 50% of the average long-term rainfall,” revealed Phil Betts from the EA.

He said this had resulted in an extra 30bn litres of water being released from reservoirs and groundwater supplies, so as to maintain River Severn flow rates.