UK Government Provides £65 Million Drought Support for Farmers

The United Kingdom government announced a £65 million support package to assist farmers facing widespread drought and falling crop yields. Funded through the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the measures allow farmers to use protected grass areas for feed without losing subsidies and provide increased funding and fewer restrictions for constructing on-farm reservoirs.

To combat wildfire risks, the government banned the sale of temporary barbecues and issued emergency alerts across England and Wales. Government official Burnham-on-Crouch stated that the ability to grow food is a matter of national security and argued that farmers should not carry the risks of a changing climate alone.

The Country Land and Business Association described the measures as pragmatic but criticized them as a temporary fix. President Gavin Lane noted that the support does not address the broader absence of a national climate change adaptation plan or the difficulties of farming in the current business environment.