Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the financial impact of drought conditions during summer 2026 on farmers; what support is available to assist affected farmers with additional costs arising from those conditions; and whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing any further financial assistance for farmers facing increased expenditure on (a) feed, (b) water supply, (c) irrigation, (d) crop losses and (e) other drought-related costs.

Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise, including to farmers. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors UK agricultural markets throughout the year, including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments.

As announced in August 2026, the Government is supporting farmers through a range of measures. These include temporary Environmental Land Management flexibilities and up to £15m in funding million for on-farm reservoirs.

Defra has announced an extra £50 million for Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2026 Window 2, which opens later this month. This takes SFI26’s total budget to £290 million and helps more farmers access support.

The Environment Agency is prioritising short-term abstraction licence variations, and the Government is committed to continue working with the farming sector to improve resilience of on-farm water supply to ensure farmers can invest with confidence.

The Government will continue to monitor the situation closely and work with the farming and water sectors, taking further action if needed.