Wed, May 06, 2026
Text Size
Monday, 05 January 2026 10:28

House of Lords ECC Committee explores agricultural impact of drought in current inquiry

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee is continuing its inquiry into drought preparedness in England by exploring the impact of drought on the agricultural sector and opportunities to increase resilience.

HOUSE OF COMMONS Parliamentlive TV

The session will take place on Wednesday 7 January from 10am. It can be followed live or afterwards on Parliament TV or in person in the Palace of Westminster (committee room 4).

Witnesses appearing before the committee to give evidence on Wednesday 7 January from 10am onwards will be:

  • Mark Betson, National Water Resource Specialist, National Farmers’ Union (NFU);
  • John Patrick, Group Manager, East Suffolk Water Abstractor Group (ESWAG);
  • Steve Moncaster, Managing Director, Norfolk Environment Food and Farming (NEFF).

Questions from the committee will cover the following areas:

  • how agricultural businesses are affected by drought;
  • the involvement of agricultural businesses in their local, regional and national drought planning processes;
  • how farmers are preparing for droughts;
  • water storage;
  • integrating nature-based solutions for drought and flood resilience.

Click here to follow the evidence session on Parliament TV live on Wednesday 7 January from 10am or afterwards.

The inquiry is focussed on drought management practices and policies and consideration of whether these are sufficient for responding to current and future droughts. The inquiry covers impacts, monitoring, engagement and changes in supply and demand, aiming to identify opportunities for improved drought preparedness and response in England.

News Showcase

Sign up to receive the Waterbriefing newsletter:


Watch

Click here for more...

Login / Register




Forgot login?

New Account Registrations

To register for a new account with Waterbriefing, please contact us via email at waterbriefing@imsbis.org

Existing waterbriefing users - log into the new website using your original username and the new password 'waterbriefing'. You can then change your password once logged in.

Advertise with Waterbriefing

WaterBriefing is the UK’s leading online daily dedicated news and intelligence service for business professionals in the water sector – covering both UK and international issues. Advertise with us for an unrivalled opportunity to place your message in front of key influencers, decision makers and purchasers.

Find out more

About Waterbriefing

Water Briefing is an information service, delivering daily news, company data and product information straight to the desks of purchasers, users and specifiers of equipment and services in the UK water and wastewater industry.


Find out more