First ever water ban in Scotland
Farmers are ordered not to use scarce supplies to irrigate crops, with curbs set to spread within days
SCOTLAND will be hit by its first ever water restrictions tonight amid warnings it will lead to ‘complete crop failure’.
As rivers and groundwater levels dwindled to critically low levels, fruit and vegetable growers were told their ability to draw water from the River Eden in Fife will be suspended from tonight.
It is the first time authorities have been forced to suspend farmers’ rights to irrigate their land.
Broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce crops in the affected areas are likely to fail, leading to a loss of revenue running into millions of pounds, which could be the final straw for some struggling growers.
Yields of parsnips, Brussels sprouts, cabbages, onions and carrots will also be severely affected.
Farmers in the area take water from the Eden, which has seen its levels drop to the lowest in more than 30 years.
Andrew Faichney, managing director of East Scotland Growers, a farmer-owned cooperative with 6,500 acres in Fife, said: ‘It couldn’t be a more critical point in time for us. We just can’t keep up with the demand for water on crops when it’s this dry. If we don’t see rain and don’t irrigate in August, I think we will have a 50 per cent crop loss, and if that stays through August then in September it will be between a 50 per cent crop loss and 100 per cent.’
Further suspensions are expected from the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in the Tweed catchment area in the Borders. The areas have been placed on Sepa’s highest alert for water scarcity, and it has warned the situation is worsening.
Iain Brown, chair of the National Farmers’ Union Scotland horticulture committee, said: ‘The suspension of surface water abstraction licences in the Eden catchment will be a devastating blow for vegetable growers. We asked Sepa to allow priority crops such as broccoli, cauliflower and lettuce to continue to be irrigated.
‘Without water for these crops growers will now have complete crop failure, which will cost our members millions of pounds of lost revenue and threaten the viability of their businesses.
‘Blanket abstraction bans are wrong. Food production is critical and should be prioritised.’
Water abstraction means the use of boreholes, pipes or pumps to divert water from rivers, burns or underground sources, and it is an offence to do it without a licence from Sepa. Most licences in the River Eden catchment have been suspended by Sepa to ‘protect the sustainability of local environments’.
Enforcement officers will be deployed to check farmers are complying with the ban but Sepa’s enforcement policy states ‘advice and guidance will continue to be our main route to securing compliance’.
Options are being assessed by Sepa and the Scottish Government to protect soft fruit production in the catchment.
David Harley of Sepa said: ‘We’re working with farmers to ensure the sustainability of local water environments for all who rely on them. Without action, there is a risk of impacts on fish populations, natural habitats and longer-term damage to watercourses.’
A Scottish Government spokesman said: ‘As soon as conditions improve, suspensions will be lifted. This is the first time in Scotland abstraction licences have had to be suspended due to water scarcity.’
Forecasters have predicted Scotland’s heatwave will last over the weekend, and the risk of wildfires will be ‘very high’ for the South and East. Around 60 firefighters yesterday spent a third day tackling a fire on moorland and woods near West Calder, West Lothian.
‘Millions of pounds of lost revenue’