UK: Potato growers urged to help with irrigation survey

Potato and vegetable growers are being urged to take part in a crucial AHDB water use survey to generate robust data showing how they could be affected by forthcoming changes in water abstraction rules for crop irrigation. With changes due to be implemented over the next four years, AHDB’s Horticulture and Potato divisions are concerned that growers may not have access to sufficient water in some areas to maintain and grow their businesses. The levy board points to recent NFU research in the Cam and Ely Ouse river catchment which concluded the financial value of irrigation for potato and vegetable production was £91m, with £40m attributed to groundwater. The report concludes time-limited abstraction licences could mean growers scaling back production considerably. More