Defra opens farm drought fund to support storage and water resources planning

The Government has launched a £1.6m fund to support farmers to work together to store water and protect against the impact of drought. Projects could include multi-farm reservoirs, treated wastewater recycling systems, water trading and sharing schemes.

The fund will support around 20 studies and will also investigate water demand and availability in the most water-stressed agricultural areas over the next 25-year period, supporting regional water resources planning.

Groups of two or more neighbouring farms are invited to apply by 16 June.