PM: Farmers should not carry the risk of a changing climate alone

Farmers across England will receive new support to help manage the impact of prolonged dry weather, including a £65 million funding boost, as the government steps up its response to the ongoing drought.

After chairing the government's emergency response committee (COBR) this week on extreme heat, wildfires and drought, the Prime Minister is setting out new support for farmers. This follows the driest July on record in England and Wales.

The package forms part of a coordinated cross-government response to the drought, bringing together action on farming, water and vital infrastructure.

It will help farmers get water to crops, keep livestock fed where grass has failed, and continue their environmental agreements without losing payments when drought makes agreed activity impossible. Farmers will also be supported to build on-farm water storage, helping farms prepare for future dry summers.

Visiting a farm in the South West on Saturday, alongside Farming Minister Stephen Morgan, the Prime Minister will meet farmers affected by the drought and set out the government's plan to support the sector through the immediate challenges posed by this exceptionally dry summer.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham is expected to say:

I am meeting with farmers here in the South West who brought in the earliest harvest of their working lives and watched the yield come in well down on what it should be. Lower income, higher costs, and no rain in the forecast. I understand the worry that comes with that.

The ability to grow our own food is national security, and I will treat it that way. So we are acting now: more money into farm support, help to get reservoirs built, and easier access to water when it is scarce.

This is the third drought in five years. Farmers are at the sharp end of a changing climate, and they should not be carrying that risk alone.

The package includes:

• More flexibility in environmental schemes, so farmers affected by drought can continue to receive payments and take practical steps to protect livestock, crops and land.
• An extra £50 million for the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026, taking the total budget to £290 million and helping more farmers access support.
• Action to make it easier to build reservoirs, including reducing unnecessary barriers and updating planning guidance. Further details will be set out in an updated National Planning Policy Framework, which will be published on Monday.
• Up to £15 million for on-farm reservoirs, helping farmers store water and become more resilient to future droughts.
• Improved access to water during drought conditions, including Environment Agency support and simpler water access arrangements.

Environment Secretary Angela Eagle said:

I am acutely aware of the pressures exceptionally dry weather is placing on farm businesses.

Our farmers are facing some of the toughest conditions in decades, which is why we're stepping in with practical support to help them through these challenging conditions and build resilience for the future.

We'll continue working closely with farmers and our partners to respond to the impacts of the drought, while building a stronger, more resilient farming sector through our Farming Roadmap.

While immediate action is being taken, ministers are clear that the country must also adapt to a changing climate.

The government has already announced plans to support the development of nine new reservoirs, strengthen the country's water infrastructure and improve resilience to future droughts, floods and extreme weather.

It is also investing almost £100 million to strengthen the country's response to wildfires and extreme weather.

The government will continue working closely with farmers, water companies, environmental organisations and local partners.

The UK has a resilient food system, and the dry weather is not expected to affect national food security. But the government is taking action now to strengthen that resilience further, through the Farming Roadmap, stronger food supply chains and its work with the National Drought Group and Farming and Food Partnership Board.

Additional information:

• This package applies to England only; farming is devolved. Drought status in England is declared by the Environment Agency, and currently covers: East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, Kent, the Thames Valley, Sussex, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, the East and West Midlands and Wessex, with around three-quarters of England in drought.
• The government is making an additional £65 million available to support farmers through reprioritisation within Defra's farming budget, ensuring funding is directed to the areas of greatest need during the drought.
• Farmers who are paid to look after wildlife habitat on parts of their land are normally barred from grazing or cutting it until later in the year. With grass barely growing, that land is often the only feed they have left. These changes let them use it without losing the payments, so long as they do not damage the soil. The same was done in the 2022 drought. The flexibilities cover the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship and legacy stewardship agreements.
• Farm abstraction is licensed and subject to hands-off flow limits, which halt abstraction when river flows fall too low. The Environment Agency recorded over 1,500 licence restrictions in the week to 12 August. With Section 57 spray irrigation restrictions applied to 302 licences in East Anglia. Dry weather and drought in England 2026: summary reports - GOV.UK.
• Those limits stay. This package changes the speed and administration of licence variations and makes it easier to share water between holdings so it reaches where it is most needed.
• Environmental agreements are long-term commitments. Forcing a choice between animal welfare and agreement terms risks farmers leaving schemes altogether, losing that environmental delivery permanently over a temporary shortage. These measures keep agreements intact through the drought.
• We are working with the National Farmers' Union on an evidence led review of permitted development rights for on-farm reservoirs.