CLA Cymru Writes to the Rural Resilience Minister Warning of Emerging Water Shortage Crisis for Farms

Cabinet Minister for Rural Resilience and Sustainability, Welsh Government.

Re: Urgent need for a statement and coordinated response on the emerging water shortage crisis on farms across Wales

Dear Minister,

I am writing to you as Director of CLA Cymru to raise a matter of immediate and serious concern. The availability of water on farms across Wales is now a real issue for many farms and an emergency is developing that requires urgent attention.

Over recent weeks, CLA Cymru has spoken to many members and farmers during the agricultural show season. This story is being relayed to us time and time again. In fact, one CLA Cymru officer has a family farm which is reliant on spring water, and they have absolutely no access to water at all. This demonstrates that this is a serious and real issue.

Those farms, mainly farmhouses, that are on mains water supplies are less affected. However, most farms do not have mains access when it comes to meeting their livestock water needs. Those who rely on tanked water for field use are telling us that supplies are dangerously low, or that they have already run dry. Farmers are also telling us that they do not want a situation where desperate farmers are gaining illegal access to their land to gather water from streams and rivers on their land.

While overall supplies across the country remain adequate at around 80% of capacity, as reported by the water companies, getting practical access to this supply is a major challenge for farmers.

There are both human and livestock issues at play. No one wants to see dead and seriously unwell animals across the fields of Wales and while the human impact must take primacy, the impact on animals must also be a major priority.

I therefore urge you to make an urgent statement on this emerging emergency as soon as possible. It would be very helpful to have a guidance note on who farmers can contact to access water if they have none. Every hour now counts. A coordinated response must be put in place without delay.

CLA Cymru stands ready to work with Welsh Government to relay information and guidance to farmers across Wales and we would be happy to assist in any way we can.

I look forward to your prompt response and to hearing of the action you intend to take.

Yours sincerely,

Victoria Bond, CLA Cymru Director