Tag: Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 12 December 2022.

Projects awarded funding in the latest round of the Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) scheme.

Five pioneering research projects have been awarded over £3.5 million to gather vital evidence to inform how we manage our fisheries and protect marine habitats across the UK.

Successful projects include the University of Plymouth Enterprise Ltd who will collaborate with organisations including the Angling Trust and Professional Boatman’s Association to collect crucial data to help protect species vulnerable to overfishing such as sharks, skates, rays and black bream. Participating boats will tag and track 200 black bream and 100 rays and sharks to shed light on their complex life histories and help ensure the sustainability and survival of these important species.

Meanwhile Bangor University, in partnership with the British Geological Survey, Orkney Fisheries Association and Welsh Fisherman’s Association, have been granted nearly £400,000 to investigate the impacts of climate change on the common whelk. The research will look at how temperature changes and location can impact on the growth, distribution and survivability of this commercially valuable species.

All the projects are from the third round of the Fisheries Industry Science Partnership (FISP) scheme, part of the government’s landmark £100m UK Seafood Fund investment, which brings together the seafood industry with research organisations to improve knowledge and data and help manage and protect often rare and valuable species.

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:

A proper understanding of important marine species is vital if we are to manage our fisheries sustainably and safeguard the fishing and seafood sector for future generations.

By drawing on the expertise of the fishing community and combining this with our world class researchers, we can discover new ways to manage our stocks and protect vulnerable fisheries.

Dr Emma Sheehan, Associate Professor of Marine Ecology at the University of Plymouth, said:

The UK’s coastal waters are rich and diverse environments home to a huge range of important species. However, many of them are vulnerable to overfishing and exploitation which poses real challenges from both a conservation and an economic perspective. These projects will build on our previous work alongside fishing communities and authorities, and gather much needed data about critically important species such as pollack, black bream, sharks, skates and rays. By studying where they live, and why, we can develop more effective ways of managing their habitats sustainably now and in the future.

In addition, the fourth and final round of the FISP scheme opened last week to eligible applicants and runs until midday on 19 January 2022. Projects which involve a partnership between research organisations and a member of the UK seafood industry are encouraged to bid for funding by visiting GOV UK.

The £100m UK Seafood Fund was set up to support the long term future and sustainability of the UK fisheries and seafood sector and provides funding under four pillars: science and innovation, infrastructure, skills and training, and export support.

Last month also saw the second round of the UK Seafood Fund Infrastructure scheme open to applicants. With £30 million of funding now available to help pay for upgrades to ports, processing and aquaculture facilities, these schemes are ensuring the sector is equipped to meet future demand. A further round of the infrastructure scheme is set to open in 2023 to support fleet modernisation in the wild catching sector, with another future round focusing on the recreational fishing sector.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 9 December 2022.

The UK has reached agreements with the EU and Norway, and wider coastal states, to secure valuable fishing opportunities for the UK fishing industry.

The UK has secured fishing catch limits worth £202 million to the UK fishing industry, a £33 million increase from last year, after reaching an agreement with Norway and the EU, Defra has announced today (Friday 9 December).

Negotiating as an independent coastal State, the UK agreed catch levels for 2023 for six important fish stocks in the North Sea including North Sea cod, haddock and herring.

This comes as the UK also concluded negotiations on catch limits with coastal States in the North East Atlantic on three more key stocks to the UK fishing fleet – blue whiting, mackerel and atlanto-Scandian herring. In total, UK quota in these stocks will be worth around £256m to the UK fishing industry next year.

Sustainability has been at the heart of the UK’s approach to these negotiations, pushing for decisions based on the best science available to ensure key fish stocks are protected and to support the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. All catch levels were set in line with, or lower than, the level advised by scientists at the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES).

Fisheries Minister Mark Spencer said:

I’m pleased we have reached agreements with the EU and Norway, and wider coastal states, to secure important fish stocks worth over £450 million for the UK fishing fleet in 2023.

The deals will help support a sustainable, profitable fishing industry for years to come while continuing to protect our marine environment and vital fishing grounds.

The catch levels agreed for North Sea stocks for 2023 (compared to 2022) are:

• Cod +63%
• Haddock +30%
• Herring -7.3%
• Plaice +5.8%
• Saithe +18.7%
• Whiting +30%

Last month, the UK reached an agreement with Norway, with the UK fleet benefiting from fishing opportunities worth £5 million. Further talks with the EU are continuing over the total allowable catches and other stock management measures

Throughout the negotiations, the UK Government worked closely with the devolved administrations to ensure that fishing communities across the UK will benefit from the agreement.

An assessment on the number of individual Total Allowable Catches set consistent with ICES advice will be published on the conclusion of the UK’s annual fisheries negotiations.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 7 December 2022.

The United Kingdom Government is set to lead a coalition of high ambition countries in crucial UN talks with the aim of halting species extinctions and biodiversity loss.

The UK Government is today (7 December) calling on the world to unite and agree a deal that delivers for nature and ends species extinction.

The 15th Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15) is taking place in Canada from today until 19th December. The meeting will set the framework for the next decade of global action on biodiversity loss.

We are losing nature around the world faster than ever before, with more than 1 million species at risk of extinction, and there is stark evidence of habitat loss as coral reefs, rainforests and peatlands reduce in numbers globally. Nature is the foundation of our livelihoods, supporting food production, economic prosperity and security.

The UK has already led the way in driving action to tackle these challenges and is a global leader on the environment and nature. Under the UK’s COP Presidency, 145 countries – representing over 90% of the world’s forests – signed a pledge to halt deforestation and land degradation by 2030 while delivering sustainable development and rural transformation. At home, we have introduced the Environment Act which delivers a raft of measures to protect our rivers, tackle deforestation and preserve habitats, and will be backed up by a set of legally binding targets due to published soon. This government has also committed £750 million of nature for climate funding to restore peatlands, drive tree planting, and create wildlife rich habitat.

Hosting a reception with prominent environmentalists at the Natural History Museum (Wednesday 7 December), the Environment Secretary will reiterate the importance of reaching a robust agreement to restore and conserve nature at this year’s summit and set out the UK’s role in helping drive this.

Environment Secretary Therese Coffey is expected to say:

After two years of intensive global effort towards making ambitious environment targets, it is vital that the world agrees to tackle together the decline in nature and habitats and set out a road to recovery.

WWF Chief Executive Tanya Steele said:

COP15 is about saving our own life support system.  Nature is the source of our health, security and prosperity but WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 revealed the sheer scale of its loss, with an average 69% decline in the size of global wildlife populations since 1970.

The stakes are high, and time is running out.  This summit is a chance the world must not miss to agree a global deal to reverse nature loss by 2030. World leaders must deliver a landmark agreement for nature to bring our world back to life.”

At the conference, the UK will negotiate to:

• Halt and reverse biodiversity loss
• Protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030.
• Halt species extinctions
• Increase the mobilisation of resources from all sources to fund the global effort to halt nature loss
• Eliminate environmentally harmful subsidies
• Align all financial flows with the goals and targets of the Global Biodiversity Framework
• Agree mechanisms for holding countries to account for implementing the framework
• Share benefits that arise from the use of digital sequence information on genetic resources.

The UK government is also pledging today to launch a new multi-million fund next spring as a key part of our plan to help halt and reverse species decline in England. The new funding will support habitat creation and ecosystem restoration, including in England’s most special sites for nature, and support delivery of our own ambitious commitments at home, including our legally binding 2030 species target and ‘30by30’ pledge.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 4 December 2022.

The economic value of individual trees planted outside of our forests and woodlands has been revealed for the first time today (Sunday 4 December) at £3.8 billion. The figures are revealed in a new groundbreaking study published by Forest Research and Defra as part of National Tree Week.

Trees outside woodlands are defined as single trees in urban and rural areas and are some of the most iconic trees in our landscape, ranging from the classic, spreading hedgerow to the single trees lining our streets, making up almost a quarter of trees in Great Britain.

The valuation is based on the important role they play in sequestering and storing carbon, regulating temperatures, strengthening flood resilience and reducing noise and air pollution. Together, these help to mitigate against climate change, reducing damage to infrastructure and people from the impact of flooding, cooling our cities in summer and improving health and wellbeing.

By quantifying their significant value, the report will help to incentivise councils, land managers and local communities to plant more trees outside of woodlands for the varied and numerous benefits they provide. As outlined in our England Trees Action Plan, this will contribute to wider Government efforts to treble planting rates in England by the end of this Parliament and achieve net zero by 2050.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

Today’s groundbreaking research reaffirms the unique value of non-woodland trees which exist all around us – from the trees lining our streets to those dotted around our beautiful countryside.

It makes clear the immense environmental and economic value and benefits trees bring to society which cannot be underestimated. As set out in our England Trees Action Plan, we have committed to trebling tree planting rates in England by 2024 and by quantifying the significant value of trees, this research will help to incentivise planting in our communities across our country.

Kieron Doick, Head of the Urban Forest Research Group, Forest Research said:

Trees outside of woodlands are all around us: in our gardens, along our roads, in our parks and open green spaces. Understanding their value can help make sure councils and landowners invest in the planting of more trees, and their aftercare so that they may continue to provide us with their abundant beauty and benefit.

While our valuation of non-woodland trees is substantial, we recognise that our research valued just a handful of the many benefits that trees provide. Future research will allow greater understanding and increased values as more of the benefits are included.

Our report shows that trees are valuable infrastructure assets across multiple land uses, much as one might think about lampposts or drains. Moreover, it highlights the much greater role of mature trees in delivering benefit to society – in comparison to their younger counterparts.

Richard Stanford, Chief Executive, Forestry Commission, said:

This first-of-its-kind research demonstrates the dynamism of trees outside woodlands – from tackling many of the prevailing issues of our time, like air quality and climate change, to damping down noise and helping people to get a better night’s sleep.

This landmark report will inform the continued rollout of our England Trees Action Plan and be instrumental to future policymaking. Continuing to make informed decisions based on robust scientific evidence will help us to realise the numerous environmental, economic and social benefits that trees provide – now and in the future.

The report also estimates the Natural Capital Value of non-woodland trees to be between £68.5 billion and £151.5 billion, in 2020 prices. This represents the value of the trees over the course of a century and provides a useful means of comparison to other natural assets.

In 2021/22, over half a million trees were planted outside of woodlands thanks to Government grants, such as the Urban Tree Challenge Fund, boosting deprived urban areas; the Local Authority Treescapes Fund accelerating tree planting in local communities; and the Levelling Up Parks Fund which helps people across England to benefit from spending time in nature.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 2 December 2022.

New funding to plant trees in communities nationwide in honour of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth has been announced by Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison.

Defra will provide lead delivery partners of The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) with half a million pounds in funding to plant trees in communities across the country in honour of the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth.

As part of the national tree planting initiative in Her Majesty’s name – The Queen’s Green Canopy – funding of £499,000 will be provided for a special programme of planting to be delivered by QGC Partners including Trees for Cities, The Tree Council, The Conservation Volunteers and Earthwatch.

Working in cooperation with local authorities and communities, the funding will enable thousands of trees to be planted in over 60 locations across England, engaging communities that have limited access to nature and green spaces. The projects include:

• The Tree Council will plant 69,000 whips to create 14km of hedgerow in up to 50 locations, which will be chosen to increase biodiversity, local nature recovery and future flood alleviation.
• Trees for Cites will extend their “Forgotten Places” programme across five areas that are nature-deprived, planting a total of over 5,000 trees.
• Earthwatch will plant 1,800 trees to create three “Tiny Forests” in urban areas with low woodland cover. A Tiny Forest is a dense, fast-growing native woodland the size of a tennis court.
• The Conservation Volunteers will plant 1,500 saplings and propagate native species, including 2,500 Oak acorns, in their nursery for planting in the future.

Forestry Minister Trudy Harrison said:

The Queen’s Green Canopy is a fitting tribute to the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth. Trees are at the heart of our communities and today’s funding will ensure that thousands more trees are planted across the country in her honour.

Forestry Commission Chair Sir William Worsley said:

Healthy and productive trees play a vital role in tackling climate change and protecting biodiversity. They also make our towns and cities healthier, from improving air quality to providing mental health benefits, enriching the quality of life for people from all socio-economic backgrounds.

This network of trees will provide continue to provide benefits to local communities as a lasting tribute to Her Majesty’s extraordinary service to her country and her people.

Chief Executive Officer of The Queen’s Green Canopy Dan Rex said:

The Queen’s Green Canopy is proud to be working with Defra and delivery partners to continue our programme of nationwide tree planting to honour the late Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and build a greener environment for generations to come. This funding will make a significant difference to benefit local communities in nature-deprived areas.

As a partner of The Queen’s Green Canopy, Defra is proud to work with QGC delivery partners to bring together this special planting programme in honour of Queen Elizabeth to the benefit of local communities and future generations.

The trees planted will become part of the living legacy which is being created in honour of Queen Elizabeth through The Queen’s Green Canopy, which has inspired over a million trees to be planted across the country in her name.

This Government is committed to trebling tree planting rates in England, as part of the landmark England Trees Action Plan, backed up by £675 million of funding. This will reflect England’s contribution to meeting the UK’s overall target of planting 30,000 hectares per year by the end of this Parliament.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 1 December 2022.

Defra Minister Lord Benyon has confirmed the appointment of Julia Wrathall as Non-Executive Director of the Animal Health & Welfare Board for England (AHWBE).

Julia Wrathall has been appointed for three years from 1 December 2022 and will replace Emma Slawinski as a Non-Executive Director.

The appointment has been made in accordance with the Ministerial Governance Code on Public Appointments. There is a requirement for appointees’ political activity (if significant) to be declared. Julia has declared that she has not taken part in any significant political activity in the past five years.

The Animal Health & Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) is principal adviser to Defra on all strategic health and welfare matters relating to all kept animals in England. The Board’s role is to set the strategic policy framework, with responsibilities including developing and implementing animal health and welfare policy and ensuring value for money, assessing of the risk of animal disease threats and establishing surveillance and research priorities, monitoring the regulatory framework, approving the operational plans of the Animal and Plant Health Agency and other bodies, and reviewing contingency plans for dealing with new disease outbreaks.

Biographical details

Julia Wrathall

• Julia is an independent animal welfare consultant with a background in applied welfare science and policy development across many species and areas of human-animal interaction.
• She worked for the RSPCA for many years, where her roles included Chief Scientific Officer leading the work of the Society’s Science & Policy team, the development of the RSPCA’s farm animal welfare standards, and the Assurewel on-farm welfare outcome assessment programme.
• She has served on a number of committees in the animal welfare, farming and academic sectors, including the Farm Animal Welfare Forum, Pig Health and Welfare Council, RUMA and Beak Trimming Action Group.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 30 November 2022.

97.1% of bathing waters in England have passed water quality standards following testing at over 400 designated sites carried out by the Environment Agency (EA).

The results, released today (30 November), show that for the 2022 bathing season, 72.1% of beaches and inland waters met the ‘Excellent’ standard, the highest since new stringent standards were introduced in 2015. 92.8% of beaches and inland waters gained an ‘Excellent’ or ‘Good’ rating, while 4% achieved the minimum ‘Sufficient’ rating. This compares with 99% passing the required standards in 2021.

Bathing waters are monitored for sources of pollution known to be a risk to bathers’ health, with up to 20 samples taken from each site during the bathing season. Each sample is tested for bacteria, specifically E coli and intestinal enterococci.

The EA has been monitoring bathing water sites since the 1990s, and in this time there have been significant improvements. In the early 1990s, for example, just 28% of bathing waters met the highest standards in force at that time. Based on today’s data, over 97% of bathing waters meet the minimum standard, with 72% reaching the highest standards. While progress has been made, there is still much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy. The Environment Agency is clear that more needs to be done on the part of water companies, and is taking robust action to support businesses, farmers and councils to help clean up our waters.

Since 2015 the EA has required water companies to install Event Duration Monitors at bathing water sites. This captures data on the frequency and duration of storm overflow discharges, with all the data published online so the public can see what is happening in their local area. More than 12,000 of England’s 15,000 storm overflows now have these monitors, and the remaining 3,000 will have them by end of next year.

As part of the Government’s Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, water companies must improve all storm overflows discharging into or near every designated bathing water by 2035; and improve 75% of overflows discharging to high priority nature sites by 2035. The Government has also committed to consult on policy options in 2023 to review the Bathing Water Regulations and revise guidance to make applying for new bathing water designations easier.

Knowing more about water quality helps people make informed decisions on when and where to swim. The EA’s Swimfo website provides detailed information on each of the 400+ bathing waters in England, and notifies bathers when Pollution Risk Forecasts have been issued.

Environment Agency Chair Alan Lovell said:

“Public confidence in our bathing waters is key to the tourism industry as well as people’s health and wellbeing.

“Overall bathing water quality has improved massively over the last decade due to targeted and robust regulation from the Environment Agency and the work carried out by others. In most places it is now better than it has been for many years, but there is much more to be done to ensure cleaner and healthier waters for people to enjoy.

“We know that improvements can take time and investment from the water industry, farmers and local communities, but where the investment is made, standards can improve.”

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“I welcome the good news that more bathing waters than ever have met the highest standard of excellent at just over 72% of all our bathing waters – an increase from last year – but there is more to be done to improve our bathing waters and we must not rest on our laurels.

“That is why we are going further and faster than any other government to protect and enhance these precious sites.

“We have brought in strict targets to protect our bathing waters and new rules to crack down on water pollution will require water companies to deliver a £56 billion infrastructure improvement programme – the largest in their history.”

This is the first year that the Wolvercote Mill Stream at Port Meadow, Oxford, and the East Cowes Esplanade in the Isle of Wight have been given official classification after being added to the list of bathing waters in 2022.

Designation does not guarantee clean water for swimming. Bringing rivers up to bathing water standards will be a challenge and places greater responsibility on farmers, water companies and communities to remove pollution that is harmful to swimmers.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affair on 30 November 2022.

Money from fines handed out to water companies that pollute our rivers and seas will be re-invested in schemes that benefit our natural environment, under new government plans.

Water companies were handed a record amount in fines for pollution incidents last year as part of ongoing action to hold rule-breakers to account.

Since 2015, the Environment Agency has concluded 56 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies, securing fines of over £141m.

At present, money from fines imposed by Ofwat and those arising from Environment Agency prosecutions is returned to the Treasury. Under the new plans, ringfenced funds will go to Defra and will be invested directly back into environmental and water quality improvement projects.

This could include initiatives to restore our water environments by creating wetlands, re-vegetating river banks and reconnecting meanders to the main channel of rivers.

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“The volume of sewage being discharged into our waters is unacceptable, and can cause significant harm to our wildlife and sensitive habitats .

“It is right that water companies are made to pay when they break the rules, but it is also right that this money is then channelled back into improving water quality.

“Water company fines reached a record level last year, and moving forward these plans will significantly increase funding that will be used to recover, protect and enhance our natural environment.

“This is on top of the £56 billion investment we’re requiring water companies to invest in improving our water infrastructure, as well as holding them to account through tough new targets.”

Chancellor of the Exchequer, Jeremy Hunt said:

“These fines hold rule-breaking companies to account and mean record investment in our waterways.

“It comes on top of our requirement for water companies to invest in the natural environment – raising the largest ever environmental infrastructure investment of £56 billion over 25 years.”

To crack down on water pollution, government has boosted funding for the Environment Agency, with £2.2 million per year specifically for water company enforcement activity, including at least 4,000 farm visits per year and 500 sewerage inspections.

Where water and sewerage companies are found to be breaking the law, they will face substantial penalties.

This can include the Environment Agency imposing civil sanctions or pursuing criminal prosecutions with the courts, for which there can be unlimited fines, and in some cases prosecution of CEOs and company directors where there is evidence against those individuals and where it is in the public interest to prosecute.

Earlier this year, government announced plans to expand the use of, and raise the cap on, the civil Variable Monetary Payments that the Environment Agency can issue, meaning sanctions can be imposed more often without lengthy and costly court cases.

Ofwat also has the power to issue fines up to 10% of a company’s turnover for the affected business and order companies to take the action necessary to return to compliance where they are in breach.

The EA and Ofwat are currently carrying out the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever, at over 2200 treatment works, as a result of increased monitoring.

Earlier this year the government published its Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, which brought in strict targets on sewage pollution and will require water companies to deliver the largest infrastructure programme in their history to tackle storm sewage discharges – a £56 billion capital investment over 25 years.

Further details on the plans will follow next year.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on 29 November 2022.

The press release issued by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in the House of Commons on 28 November 2022.

The latest National Drought Group meeting reiterates expectation that water companies start planning now to manage potentially significant impacts next year.

Water companies must start planning now to avoid potentially significant water supply and environmental impacts next summer, National Drought Group members were told yesterday (28 November).

At its latest meeting, chaired by Environment Agency Executive Director John Leyland and joined by Water Minister Rebecca Pow, the National Drought Group discussed how significant risks remain for water supplies and impacted sectors next year, despite an improving water resources situation in some parts of the country.

Recent above average rainfall in October and November has been beneficial in wetting up soils and improving river flows, which is recharging groundwater and refilling reservoirs across the country. As a result, reservoir stocks across England are now around 68% capacity. This has led to some water companies revoking drought permit applications and removing restrictions such as Temporary Use Bans (hosepipe bans).

The Environment Agency also confirmed yesterday that the West Midlands is moving from drought status to recovery, and Greater Manchester, Merseyside and Cheshire from Prolonged Dry Weather to Normal status, reflecting the improved reservoir and river levels in these areas.

Despite this, the group – made up of senior decision-makers from the Environment Agency, government, water companies and key farming and environmental groups – heard that some reservoirs remain well below the levels we would expect at this time of year:

Colliford Reservoir in Cornwall (24% of capacity)
Roadford Reservoir in Devon (43% of capacity)
Grafham Water in Cambridgeshire (63% of capacity)
Normally at this time of year water resources start to recharge as rainfall increases river flows and refills reservoirs, groundwater and winter storage on farms. The start of the recharge has taken longer this year because soils that need to be re-wetted first have been so dry. This means that above average rainfall is still needed to fully replenish stocks and prevent drought conditions in some areas next year. As a result, many farmers and growers are likely to experience the effects of drought into next year and environmental impacts are expected to continue as ecology and habitats take longer to recover from drought stress.

This July’s heatwave saw many comparing it with the hot, dry summer of 1976, when water supplies were at their lowest on record. One of the reasons for the 1976 drought was that it was preceded by a dry 1975.

If rainfall levels through winter are 80% or less of the long-term average, National Drought Group projections show that currently depleted reservoirs and groundwater aquifers are unlikely to fully recover and farmers would be concerned their water supply storage reservoirs may not fully refill. Large parts of the country would be at risk of drought continuing into next summer – most notably in parts of the South West, South East, East Anglia, Yorkshire and East Midlands. In more severe rainfall scenarios, the projections suggest drought conditions would be widespread, covering most of the country.

EA Executive Director and NDG chair John Leyland said:

“We cannot rely on the weather alone – if we are to avoid a worse drought next year, it will require action by us all. Early and precautionary planning must start now to manage the risks that this would bring.”

“Building on the work of the EA, water companies and NDG members this year – from implementing drought plan measures such as Temporary Use Bans and drought permits to helping customers use less water – we must keep up our preparations for the worst-case scenario.

“Over winter we expect water companies to fix and reduce leaks, identify new sources of water and work with farmers, growers and other sectors to protect our precious water resources should drought remain next year.”

Water companies are responsible for maintaining public water supplies and along with other National Drought Group members, have assessed the effectiveness of their drought plans for 2023. This includes reflecting on this year’s responses to ensure that the plans remain agile and resilient to drought conditions like those experienced this summer. Some of the actions the Environment Agency expects water companies to take over winter are:

Increasing activity to reduce leakage and undertaking winter readiness actions such as contingency planning for freeze-thaw events which cause leaks.
Continuing to identify all possible new sources of water and network improvements to increase water supply whilst limiting environmental risk.
Continuing or enhancing winter communication campaigns with customers to maintain awareness of the drought risk and promote efficient water use.
Exploring collaborative opportunities to support agriculture and other sectors to improve resilience for next summer, for instance maximising opportunities for abstraction and reviewing water needs for 2023.
All sectors have to play a role in supporting the actions needed to avoid significant impacts on water supply and the environment next year, and everyone should use water wisely to continue to reduce water consumption.

Water Minister Rebecca Pow said:

“The recent rainfall will be a relief for many, but we should approach the improving drought situation with cautious optimism.

“I urge water companies to continue to plan their water resources and take precautionary steps to ensure water resilience. This includes emphasising to the public that water shouldn’t be taken for granted. The work of the National Drought Group is crucial in ensuring everyone plays a part in managing our precious water resources both in to next year and in the long term.”

Will Lang, Head of Situational Awareness at the Met Office said:

“Winters in the UK usually include a wide variety of weather, and this winter looks to be no exception. Although we expect to see high pressure dominating our weather through much of the early winter, which increases the potential for cold spells, we could still see wet and windy weather at times.

“The risk of unsettled weather increases as we head into 2023 with wet, windy, and mild spells a real possibility.”

Recent heavy rain and flooding, whilst most of England remains in drought, highlights how climate change is happening now. The country is seeing more extreme weather – in this year alone three named storms in a week, record-breaking temperatures and the joint hottest summer on record leading to a widespread drought. Across the globe, the effects of climate change are becoming clearer, from China experiencing its worst heatwave in decades to devastating floods in Pakistan.

Flooding and drought can occur at the same time, and it is essential to plan and prepare for increasingly extreme events such as these through collaborative forums such as the National Drought Group.

The National Drought Group will meet again in the new year to continue its close working to manage water resources and the impacts of drought.