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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with farming representatives on the potential impact of water security on domestic food supply.

The Environment Agency’s recently published National Framework for Water Resources sets out the pressures on each of the water using sectors, including the food industry. It sets out how we are engaging with the sector and promotes actions to support the sector as it adapts to growing pressure on water resources. This includes establishing collaborative Water Abstractor Groups, helping to identify options to improve water supply resilience and the promotion of smart farming.