Ed Davey: Secure UK food production with climate-ready water storage on British farms

EMBARGOED: 0001 Wednesday 9th September 2026

On Back British Farming Day [9th September 2026], Ed Davey and Tim Farron have called on the Government to introduce a national “call to store” programme to tackle widespread water insecurity.

The Liberal Democrats have challenged the Government to launch a national programme for unlocking the vast water storage potential sitting idle on Britain's farms by removing the planning and funding barriers blocking it. Whilst Andy Burnham has openly admitted he does not understand farming, Ed Davey and Tim Farron visited farms in Cumbria last week to speak directly with farmers and the NFU about the perfect storm facing farming this year.

The party is warning that the Government’s current package - a £15 million reservoir grant that won’t open until autumn - is nowhere enough to address the scale of the crisis, with farmers’ drought losses running into hundreds of millions of pounds this year alone.

The Liberal Democrats are calling for the fund to open immediately and to be resourced at a scale that matches the losses farmers are facing, and be extended beyond arable and horticulture to livestock and mixed farms as well. This measure would help address the extremities of drought and flooding, which have become the new normal for Britain due to climate change.

Liberal Democrat Leader, Ed Davey, said:

"Britain's farms have enormous, largely untapped potential to store the water our communities will need as our climate changes. But farmers are being blocked by outdated planning rules and a lack of proper support.

"The Government’s £15 million fund doesn’t even scratch the surface of what farmers have lost to this drought.

“We need a national call to store programme right now - identifying where that capacity exists, removing the barriers, and backing farmers who want to be part of the solution. The demands of our changing climate will not wait for Whitehall to catch up.”

Liberal Democrat Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson, Tim Farron MP, added:

"Partnerships between farmers, water companies, and local bodies could unlock solutions that benefit whole catchments, not just single farms. The potential is there, what is missing is Government action to match the urgency of the crisis.

“Food security must be a priority for this Government. With extreme floods projected this Autumn, we must tackle the constant back and forth of flooding and drought currently plaguing our country. And on-farm reservoirs could play a pivotal role in managing the impacts felt by our communities, whilst restoring water security for future harvests. ”

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

Guardian coverage of new Government SFI funding here. The Government's drought support package includes £50 million in additional Sustainable Farming Incentive funding and up to £15 million for a Water Management Grant to help farmers build on-farm reservoirs, alongside a review of planning barriers to reservoir construction with the NFU. The grant is expected to open in autumn 2026, with no confirmed date.

Analysis by the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) put UK arable farmers' losses from the 2026 drought at up to £390 million based on earlier AHDB yield data, rising to an estimated £550 million once revised, lower AHDB harvest forecasts (18.5 million tonnes, a record low) were factored in.

The 2026 harvest is on course to be the worst on record since 1984, with four of the five worst UK harvests on record now having occurred this decade.