Written questions

Farms: Water

Commons · Question 18148 · Tabled 13 Jul 2026 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs · Official record

Answered 16 Jul 2026

Question

Asked by James Wild

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support increased on-farm water storage capacity to capture high winter flows for use during periods of lower water availability.

Answer

Answered by Emma Hardy, 16 Jul 2026

The Government encourages the use of reservoirs to store high winter flows. The Environment Agency (EA) have committed to review its approach to abstraction at high flows and its approach to long duration licences.We are also taking the following measures...