Country Land and Business Association

You are here : In Your Area » Yorkshire » Regional News Archive » Water » Water Resources

CLA calls on Government to safeguard water for agriculture

The CLA has called for assurance that water for agriculture and land management will be safeguarded due to changes proposed for the water abstraction licensing system, as announced in the Government's Water White Paper today (8 December).

The White Paper proposes a shake-up to the abstraction licensing system to help the UK meet its future water needs. However, the CLA said it is disappointed the Government is not offering compensatory measures to those farmers and land managers affected.

CLA Yorkshire Regional Director Dorothy Fairburn said: "It is extremely important any revision to the system also addresses the issue of blight which some farmers will undoubtedly suffer when changes are made to how and where their water can be used.

"Population growth and climate change are significant pressures on water resource so the Government must also put measures in place to secure the water supply for food production. Making it easier to trade water rights could benefit some land managers, but safeguards need to be established during the deregulation of the water market so that agriculture is not priced out by other industries. 

"Less than two percent of water is abstracted for agriculture but as an industry we must provide more food in the future. A two-tier market could help to meet food security needs and ensure the industry gets a fair allocation of the available water."

Miss Fairburn added: "With many changes unlikely to be in place until around 2030, this long transition period must include support for farmers and land managers to adapt their businesses and the Government must relax planning regulations to allow the building of more on-farm reservoirs."

The CLA published its own policy paper on water, The Tide is High, in 2010 which also called on the Government to extend current compensation deals beyond 2012 to increase the security of water rights and increase licence periods to encourage investment.

Member LoginCLA Member Login





Remember me

Contact


Dorothy Fairburn
Regional Director

A farmer’s daughter from the North York Moors, where her brothers still farm, Dorothy has clocked up more than 30 years’ service to the rural economy since graduating from Wye College (University of London) with a degree in agriculture.

She qualified as a rural practice chartered surveyor (land agent) whilst working for Savills plc in London and York, dealing with sales and purchases of country houses and estates as well as the management of investment estates for financial institutions.

Prior to joining the CLA, Dorothy worked for the National Trust in Yorkshire. There she managed some 30,000 acres of outstanding countryside as well as being responsible for historic houses open to the public and the acquisition of major new properties.

Dorothy was awarded an MBE in the 2011 New Year Honours List in recognition of her services to rural affairs.



T: 01748 907070
F: 01748 907075
dorothy.fairburn@cla.org.uk

Have a problem - need advice?


Contact the regional office - the sooner you call, the sooner we may be able to help.

Yorkshire Office


Aske Stables
Aske
Richmond
North Yorkshire
DL10 5HG

T: 01748 907070
F: 01748 907075
info.north@cla.org.uk

Join the CLA today


Join the CLA today Anyone who owns rural land or runs a rural business will benefit from joining the CLA.


Click here to find out how

The CLA Game Fair 2013


19 - 21 July 2013 Ragley Hall, Alcester, Warwickshire
B49 5NJ

CLA Member Ticket Box Office


Visit The CLA Game Fair website

To receive our regular email newsletter containing advice and the latest news affecting the region - contact the office or send your email address and membership number to yorkshire@cla.org.uk


© 2013 Country Land and Business Association Limited (CLA). All rights reserved. No part of this website may be reproduced or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, or stored in any retrieval system of any nature without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as expressly permitted by law.

Disclaimer

No responsibility for loss occasioned to any person acting or refraining from action in reliance on or as a result of the material included in or omitted in this website can be or is accepted by the author(s), the CLA or its officers or trustees or employees or any other persons.

The Advisory Services are made available to members on the basis that members' rights to compensation and the liability (if any) of CLA and its officers and/or its staff advisers, are restricted in the following ways. In the event of any advice given by any CLA staff adviser being given negligently or otherwise being incorrect no liability whatsoever is accepted by the CLA or its officers or by its staff advisers concerned

(a) towards any person who is not the current CLA member to whom the advice was directly given,

(b) to any person in the respect of consequential loss or loss of profits, or

(c) to any person for any sum exceeding £50,000 in respect of any one enquiry (whether made or responded to orally or in writing and whether dealt with at one time or over a period of time).

Any person making use of the Advisory Services accepts such restrictions. Members should refer to appropriate professional advisers in private practice before taking any particular course of action potentially or actually involving any substantial amounts of money.

Please note that whilst the advisers are able to advise on a wide range of subjects relating to land ownership, they cannot act in place of a member's own solicitor, accountant, surveyor and tax specialist by, for example, drafting documents or corresponding on their behalf and may be precluded, by the rules of their own professions, from advising one CLA member against another CLA member in the case of conflict.

Solicitors Indemnity Fund . Solicitors in the CLA Legal Team are not covered by the Solicitors Indemnity Fund in relation to professional negligence in relation to any advice given by them.

Please note that from time to time telephone calls maybe recorded for training purposes.