Latest news with #TomBradshaw
Daily Mail
13-07-2025
- Climate
- Daily Mail
Farmers are banned from watering their crops during Britain's sweltering heatwave as temperatures hit 33C
Farmers have been banned from watering their crops during Britain's sweltering heatwave as temperatures hit 33C. East Anglian growers have been slapped with the 'abstraction ban' until further notice - even though no other kinds of water usage in the area have been forbidden. It comes as parts of Britain sizzle in 30C heat again today, after a searing 33C was recorded yesterday, in Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire. This year's red-hot summer has already seen reservoirs across England run dry, hitting their lowest levels in a decade. Meanwhile, hosepipe bans were implemented this week for around six million householders across Yorkshire and the South East. But while a week's notice was given for these bans, East Anglian farmers saw crop irrigation forbidden by the Environment Agency (EA) without any warning at all. They have erupted into fury, fearing the move poses a serious risk to food security - especially as East Anglia is one of the country's major farming regions. Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), blasted the ban's implementation 'with no prior engagement', The Telegraph reports. 'It seems ridiculous', he added, when no drought or hosepipe ban is otherwise in place. Some 240 farmers in the Ely Ouse catchment, which stretches across parts of Essex, Norfolk and Cambridgeshire, were hit by the ban unawares on July 3. This Environment Agency management zone includes the cities of Cambridge and Ely, as well as market towns Saffron Walden, Bury St Edmund's and Newmarket. The government department's own website notes the area contains 'high-grade agricultural land' and is 'predominantly rural'. It has said it will review the indefinite ban on a daily basis. Tim Young, who owns the 182-hectare Grange Farm near the market town of Thetford, Norfolk, said the ban is a 'huge knock' to profitability and food production. It is especially galling, he added, while 'gardens and grass keep getting water to look nice'. He had expected the ban might only be applied four nights a week - so was shocked to discover irrigation had been completely forbidden. 'Normally, the EA works with farmers and the NFU to give some heads-up. This came out of the blue', he said. Mr Young said he was especially worried about the onions he grows - which easily wilt, rot and decay without regular irritation to beat the fusarium fungal disease. The farmer, who also grows sugar beet, wheat and rye, was devastated at the thought of losing one of the best crops he has ever grown. NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos called for more flexible abstraction rules - and support for farmers in managing increasingly extreme weather, for the sake of preserving food supply. The EA imposes abstraction bans, also known as Section 57 restrictions, when severe drought coincides with irrigation windows. Abstraction is the process of taking water from the environment, such as rivers, streams or springs, for use in agriculture, industry or the home. Section 57 was heavily used in the nineties in the east of England and again during the severe droughts of 2006 - but has rarely been invoked in the last decade. Farmers are rarely prosecuted for breaking the orders - but in 2020, one farm in Cambridgeshire had to pay £8,000 for abstracting water to irrigate potatoes. The breach by Dennis (Haddenham) Limited, based out of Willow Farm Hall, near Ely, came during the ban implemented amid months of dry weather in 2018. The firm then broke restrictions again less than a year later, despite already being under investigation. While breaking abstraction bans can see farmers hit with huge fines, most water companies have never prosecuted customers for breaching hosepipe bans. They can, in theory, be prosecuted and ordered to pay up to £1,000. But most firms rely on homeowners' fear they will be reported by a neighbour, as well as awareness-raising about reducing water usage generally. Growers are allowed to abstract with an EA licence - but breaching its terms can also lead to fines, as one Norfolk farmer saw last year. Brian Rutterford, 77, whose farm is in the village of Hockwold-cum-Wilton, had pay £4,300 after pleading guilty to abstracting three times more water than he was licensed to. It came during the record high summer temperatures of 2022, when East Anglia was in an official drought and many local water sources had run dry. His actions, the EA said, had affected the local community's water supply. The abstraction bans in East Anglia come as Yorkshire Water introduced hosepipe bans this week after the area saw its driest spring in a whopping 132 years. More than a million customers in Kent and Sussex have also been slapped with a hosepipe ban, announced by South East Water on Friday. Thames Water revealed on Thursday is would impose restrictions after 'ongoing dry weather and increased customer demand' unless the situation 'changes significantly'. Customers were urged by the company to use water sparingly given the region it serves has seen just half of its expected rainfall over the last three months. The EA has declared a state of 'prolonged dry weather' in large parts of Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Surrey - meaning a heightened risk of drought. Daily demand in Swindon and Oxfordshire peaked during the UK's last heatwave on June 30 at a level not seen since in the 2022 drought, Thames Water said. People are being encouraged to take shorter showers, turn the tap off while brushing teeth and letting their lawn go dry to help reduce big increases in demand. Bosses also warned that the extended warm weather was bringing 'increased risks of leaks and bursts due to pipe stress and shifting foundations in the ground'. Water companies are often hesitant to put hosepipe bans in place, fearing tanking customer satisfaction ratings. But it comes as the latest figures show reservoirs nationwide were only 76 per cent full in June. This is even lower than in the raging hot summer of 2022, when they were at 77 per cent at the same time of year. The mercury hitting such high levels and thus driving up water use, plus a dry spring and summer, are primarily behind the dramatic decline in reservoir levels. Proposals to build nine more reservoirs by 2050 were announced by the government and water companies last year. None have been completed in England since 1992 - just after the privatisation of the water sector. The hot weather has shown no sign of stopping this weekend, with Scotland yesterday recording its warmest day of the year, as Aviemore in the Highlands hit 32C. The hot weather has shown no sign of stopping this weekend, with Scotland yesterday recording its warmest day of the year, as Aviemore (pictured) in the Highlands hit 32C Meanwhile, areas like Belfast in Northern Ireland were as hot as they had been in almost three years. By this afternoon, temperatures in cities like London, Birmingham and Manchester look set to smash the 30C mark again as the relentless heat continues. Amber health alerts are in place for the Midlands and the south and east of England until 9am on Monday. They warn of a potential rise in deaths, particularly among those aged 65 and over or with health conditions. The risk of wildfires in London is also currently rated at 'severe' by the Natural Hazards Partnership. Fire chiefs have warned of the increased risk of drowning as people try to cool off in water. And National Rail has also warned train passengers that the hot weather may continue to cause disruption today. On top of the amber alerts, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) has yellow warnings in place until Monday for the north east, north west and Yorkshire and Humber. A spokesperson for Water UK said: 'Water companies do everything possible to avoid restrictions on customers, including by moving water around their region and surging activity on leakage. 'However, when government-mandated trigger levels are reached, then unfortunately, a temporary use ban needs to be imposed.' A spokesperson for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs said: 'Rapid population growth, crumbling infrastructure and a warming climate mean that without urgent action, Britain could run out of drinking water. 'We have taken swift and decisive action to secure £104billion of private sector investment to build nine reservoirs and new pipes to cut leaks.' A Thames Water spokesman said: 'The ongoing dry weather and increased customer demand is impacting our water supplies across the Thames Valley. 'Unless the situation changes significantly, we will need to put usage restrictions, including a hosepipe ban, in place to ensure taps keep running for customers' essential use.'
Telegraph
12-07-2025
- Climate
- Telegraph
Farmers' fury over ban on watering crops
Farmers have been banned from watering their crops during the heatwave. Growers in East Anglia are facing an 'abstraction ban', which prevents them from irrigating crops despite no other water restrictions being imposed in the area. The move comes amid the country's third heatwave of the summer, which has left reservoir levels in England at their lowest levels in a decade. Hosepipe bans in Yorkshire and the South East have already been introduced, with millions of customers given a week's notice before restrictions come into force. However, the ban on crop irrigation in parts of Norfolk was implemented without warning, fuelling anger amongst farmers concerned about the impact on their harvests. Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said such bans would be 'risking food production', particularly in East Anglia where many farms are based. He said: 'Abstraction bans have already been implemented in Norfolk with no prior engagement or warning. It seems ridiculous when there is no official drought or hosepipe ban.' Farmers have warned the ban, imposed by the Environment Agency on around 240 growers in the Ely Ouse catchment from July 3, threatens significant crop losses. Tim Young, who grows onions, sugar beet, wheat and rye on his 182-hectare Grange Farm, near Thetford, said: 'An abstraction ban imposed by the Environment Agency (EA) means a huge knock to our profitability and the country's food security whilst gardens and grass keep getting water to look nice.' He added: 'I thought the EA would reduce abstraction to four nights a week. It was a shock to have a complete ban, especially with no warning. 'Normally, the EA works with farmers and the NFU to give some heads-up. This came out of the blue.' Mr Young said that he is particularly concerned about his onion crop, which depends heavily on irrigation to prevent fusarium disease which leads to wilting and root rot and decay. 'I stand in front of what's probably the best crop I've grown, and to know it might just break even is devastating,' he said. 'We managed by spreading abstraction across more days, but now with a complete ban, the risk is very real. If the Government is serious about food security, reservoirs need to be built.' The ban is until further notice, with the Environment Agency saying it will be reviewed on a daily basis. Abstraction bans, known as Section 57 restrictions, are imposed by the Environment Agency during times when severe drought coincides with irrigation periods. Section 57 was widely used in the early 1990s in parts of the East of England and again in 2006, but has rarely been invoked in the last decade. Prosecutions for defying such orders are rare. But in 2020 a Cambridgeshire farm was ordered to pay nearly £8,000 for illegally abstracting water for its potato crop. Dennis (Haddenham) Limited, based at Willow Farm Hall, Ely, abstracted water when restrictions were in place following months of extremely dry weather in 2018. The firm repeated the offence less than a year later – despite knowing they were already under investigation. Farmers are allowed to extract water from a natural source, like a river or groundwater, if they are granted an abstraction licence by the Environment Agency. However, breaching these licences can also lead to fines. A Norfolk farmer was fined last year for taking more water than allowed by his abstraction licence, including during a summer drought. Brian Rutterford, 77, of Undley, Lakenheath, was ordered to pay £4,300 by magistrates after pleading guilty to taking three times the amount of water he was allowed to from a small channel next to his farm in Hockwold-cum-Wilton. The farmer had continued to take water during the record-breaking hot summer of 2022, when East Anglia was officially in drought and many local water courses were dry. The Environment Agency said Rutterford's actions had affected water supplies for the local community. NFU vice-president Rachel Hallos called for more flexible abstraction rules to help maintain food production as well as long-term investment in water resilience, including rainwater harvesting. 'To support a secure and sustainable food supply, it's essential that farmers and growers have the right tools to manage the weather extremes we are seeing more often,' she said. Farmers have already been hit by Labour's inheritance tax raid, under which assets above £1 million will be subject to a 20 per cent charge. While fines on farmers for breaching abstraction bans can be severe, the majority of water companies have never prosecuted any householders for breaching a hosepipe ban. While customers could theoretically be prosecuted and fined up to £1,000, most firms prefer to rely on the fear that neighbours will report them for continuing to use a hose, as well as educating and persuading customers to consume less water. Yorkshire Water has introduced restrictions this week after the region recorded its driest spring in 132 years. South East Water also announced a hosepipe ban for more than one million people in Kent and Sussex on Friday. Water companies are understood to be reluctant to implement hosepipe bans because it affects customer satisfaction ratings, with the firms said by industry sources to be waiting 'until the very last moment' to put bans in place. Meanwhile families are facing higher water bills during heatwaves as part of surge pricing trials for customers with smart water meters at 15 firms. Ofwat, the industry regulator, said that the trials, planned for the next five years, would increase prices 'when water is scarce' and could potentially be extended to all customers. Latest figures show that reservoirs across the country were 76 per cent full in June. This was below their level in the severe drought year of 2022, when they were at 77 per cent capacity at this time in the summer. Dr Jess Neumann, an associate professor in hydrology at the University of Reading, said: 'Water companies need to be proactive. Hosepipe bans can save three to seven per cent of daily water use as long as the public are onboard with the need to conserve water. Hosepipe bans have the additional advantage of increasing awareness of water scarcity and stress amongst communities, further encouraging mindful water use.' The prolonged dry spring and summer, along with the current hot weather driving up water use by consumers, has led to reservoir levels in the Midlands and the North to fall dramatically. Last year the Government and water companies announced proposals to build nine new reservoirs by 2050. No major reservoirs have been completed in England since 1992, shortly after the water sector was privatised. A Water UK spokesman said: 'Water companies do everything possible to avoid restrictions on customers, including by moving water around their region and surging activity on leakage. However, when government-mandated trigger levels are reached then unfortunately a temporary use ban needs to be imposed.' A Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesman said: 'Rapid population growth, crumbling infrastructure and a warming climate mean without urgent action, Britain could run out of drinking water. We have taken swift and decisive action to secure £104 billion of private sector investment to build nine reservoirs and new pipes to cut leaks.'
Sky News
07-07-2025
- Business
- Sky News
UK farmers have 'nothing more to give' as they fear govt will compromise welfare in US-UK trade deal
UK farmers have "nothing more to give" as they fear the government will use agriculture to further reduce US tariffs in a trade deal with the White House. The UK is trying to reduce steel tariffs to zero, from a current reduced rate of 25%, but Downing Street refused to confirm if it was confident ahead of Donald Trump's deadline of 9 July. Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union (NFU), said UK agriculture had already been used to reduce Trump-imposed tariffs on cars but any other concessions would have serious repercussions for farmers, food security and the UK's high animal welfare standards. He told Sky News: "It just feels like we, as the agricultural sector, had to shoulder the responsibility to reduce the tariffs on cars from 25%. "We can't do it anymore, we have nothing more to give. "It's clear the steel quotas and tariffs aren't sorted yet, so we just want to be very clear with the government: if they're sitting around the negotiating table - which we understand they are - they can't expect agriculture to give any more." 'Massively undermine our standards' Since 30 June, the US has been able to import 13,000 tonnes of hormone-free British beef without tariffs under a deal made earlier this year, which farmers feel was to reduce the car import levy Mr Trump imposed. The UK was also given tariff-free access to 1.4bn litres of US ethanol, which farmers say will put the UK's bioethanol and associated sectors under pressure. Allowing lower US food standards would "massively undermine our standards" and would mean fewer sales to the European Union where food standards are also high, Mr Bradshaw said. It would leave British farmers competing on a playing field that is "anything but fair", he said, because US food can be produced - and sold - much cheaper due to low welfare which could see a big reduction in investment in UK farms, food security and the environment. 5:08 'The US will push hard for more access' He said the US narrative has always suggested they want access to British agriculture products "as a start and they'll negotiate for more". "The narrative from the White House on 8 May, when a US-UK trade deal was announced, was all about further access to our agriculture products - it was very different to what our government was saying," he added. "So far, the UK has stood firm and upheld our higher welfare standards, but the US will push very hard to have further access. "No country in the world has proved they can reduce the 10% tariffs further." US 'will target poultry and pork' The Essex farmer said he expects the US to push "very hard" to get the UK to lower its standards on poultry and pork, specifically. US poultry is often washed with antimicrobials, including chlorine, in an attempt to wash off high levels of bacteria caused by poor hygiene, antibiotic use and low animal welfare conditions not allowed in UK farming. US pig rearing methods are also quite different, with intensive farming and the use of feed additive ractopamine legal, with both banned in the UK. A government spokesperson told Sky News: "We regularly speak to businesses across the UK to understand the impact of tariffs and will only ever act in the national interest. "Our Plan for Change has delivered a deal which will open up exclusive access for UK beef farmers to the US market for the first time ever and all agricultural imports coming to the UK will have to meet our high SPS (sanitary and phytosanitary) standards."
BBC News
15-06-2025
- Business
- BBC News
Rift between farmers and government remains despite £2.7bn boost
A rift between farmers and the government still exists despite a spending review providing £2.7bn boost to agriculture, a farming leader has told BBC Politics farmer Tom Bradshaw, president of the National Farmers' Union, said the government's changes to inheritance tax for agricultural land will have a "human impact" which is "simply not acceptable"."This is a very real threat to the farming business. While that hangs over the farming industry, this relationship (with the government) will not be repaired," he government said food security is vital and it is taking further action and providing extra funds to support British farmers. Under the government's plans, from April 2026, inherited agricultural assets worth more than £1m, which were previously exempt, will be subject to inheritance tax at 20% - half the usual President Tom Bradshaw said: "At a time when we're increasing our defence spending that tells us we live in a volatile world."The other side is food security. We need to make sure we still continue to invest in this country's food production."He said it is not an "either/or" situation with regards to food or land management."I think they need to prioritise both at a time of global insecurity," he said the government needs to "take the brakes off investment, because farms are investing in reservoirs, buildings and poultry sheds today". "They are committed to food production for the next decade and beyond," he said."The relationship with the government is overshadowed by the budget and the announcement on inheritance tax and yesterday (the spending review) was another missed opportunity for the chancellor to recognise this needed to be changed," he Bradshaw has criticised the "devastating family farm tax which will mean many farming families continue to be left in the lurch, unable to afford the future tax bill".He said there was a rift with the government despite being supportive of spending review and trade deals."On trade policy so far the government has looked after us pretty well," he said."They said they weren't going to cross those red lines on animal health and welfare standards and they have stuck to that." Farming minister Daniel Zeichner MP (Lab, Cambridge) said: "Food security is vital to our national security, which is the foundation of our Plan for Change, and our commitment to farming remains steadfast."That's why we are investing £2.7bn a year into sustainable food production and nature's recovery, with funding for our Environmental Land Management schemes increasing by 150%."However, we must go further to support farmers across the country. "We are slashing costs for food producers to export to the EU, have appointed former NFU president Baroness Minette Batters to recommend reforms to boost farmers' profits, and we're ensuring farmers get a fair share of food contracts for our schools, hospitals, and prisons." BBC Verify Many of the claims from the government have been hotly contested by farmers, and BBC Verify has come under scrutiny over some of the figures it has relied on to try to establish the number of farms impacted by the debate has revolved around estimates provided by farmers' groups, including that the new tax could "harm" up to 70,000 farms over Verify found that the figure was likely to be somewhere closer to the number provided by the government - about 500 estates per groups say the changes have been "built on bad data". The government says it wants to make the inheritance tax system fairer and discourage wealthy people from investing in land solely to avoid the tax. BBC Politics East will be broadcast on Sunday 15 June at 10:00 GMT on BBC One in the East of England, and will be available after broadcast on BBC Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Guardian
30-05-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
UK farmers warn against including lower-welfare chicken in Gulf trade deal
An imminent trade deal with Gulf states including Saudi Arabia could have a destructive impact for UK farmers, industry figures have warned, suggesting that any deal to import chicken would involve far lower welfare standards in the Gulf than British farmers must adhere to. The £1.6bn deal with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) – Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates – is expected to be signed soon, though the conclusion may be delayed until after Eid al-Adha in early June. Industry figures said the deal could include uncapped access for chickens if the imports met hygiene standards, which is critical because of the agrifoods deal the UK hopes to seal with the EU in the coming months. But those standards do not cover welfare, sparking alarm among farmers who have recently had to meet new, higher standards under British law. The National Farmers' Union president, Tom Bradshaw, said if such a deal was done it would 'mark a clear betrayal of the government's own promises to uphold our high animal welfare, environmental and food safety standards, standards which are globally renowned and driven by consumer demand. 'For example, British poultry farmers are continuing to improve welfare standards by lowering the number of birds per flock. They must not be undercut by imports produced in ways that would be illegal here. I'm not sure how many times we have to repeat it – we must not sign any deal that undermines UK farming. The public won't accept it, and neither will British farmers.' Bradshaw said the prime minister, Keir Starmer, the business secretary, Jonathan Reynolds, and the environment secretary, Steve Reed, all committed to protecting farmers from being undercut by low standards and low welfare in trade deals. 'So we expect the government to stand its ground and ensure that poultry products produced in ways that fail to meet our own production standards remain excluded from market access concessions within this deal,' he said. The UK has previously promised the deal would not compromise environmental, public health, animal welfare and food standards. UK farming is governed by relatively strict animal welfare laws, which differ significantly from GCC countries, including housing density, slaughter methods and living conditions. Farmers have minimum standards to reach in terms of space for birds to live in, and there is mandatory pre-slaughter stunning in most cases. In the six Gulf countries involved in the deal, poultry must be slaughtered according to halal principles, though stunning is sometimes used. Poultry are often raised in intensive indoor systems, especially given the harsh heat. The UK has some of the strictest standards for chicken space in the world. Poultry farmers must give their flock a minimum of 750 cm squared of space per bird, and 600 cm squared must be usable. This is stricter than EU standards, which require the same space per bird but do not specify the amount that must be usable. Chickens are also required to be given enriched areas, with things they can peck such as hay, string or mineral blocks, and perches to sit on. The Gulf states give less than half the space per bird than in the UK, at 300cm squared, and there is no limit on the number of birds raised in one house. Chickens in the Gulf are raised to halal standards and are subjected to non-stunned slaughter. This is legal, but less common, in the UK. The deal, which has been led by the trade minister Douglas Alexander, is likely to be particularly beneficial for the car industry and financial services, though estimates suggest a free trade agreement would be worth less than 1% of GDP by 2035. Trade with the six-member bloc is worth about £59bn a year, according to UK government estimates, as the UK's seventh-largest export market, with a trade deal expected to increase trade by about 16%. The deal has caused alarm among human rights groups about the lack of provisions for improving rights in the region.
