Key Points

• Seven regions declared in drought: East Anglia, Hertfordshire and London, Thames Valley, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, West Midlands, and Wessex – covering 51.4% of England
• Record-low rainfall: July 2026 has delivered just 7% of expected rainfall across England, falling to only 1% in southern areas
• 1,506 abstraction licence restrictions imposed due to low river flows, severely limiting farmers’ access to irrigation water
• NFU demands urgent government action: flexible abstraction licences, faster planning for on-farm reservoirs, Water Management Grant opening, and vulnerability risk register for farm businesses
• Farmers report critical water shortages: Riverford Organic’s three of four reservoirs completely dry; livestock grazing land described as “Sahara Desert” with grass completely disappeared
• Second consecutive summer drought: England experiencing its third drought in five years following 2022 and 2025 events
• Defra acknowledges crisis: Water minister Emma Hardy states “droughts are becoming increasingly common” and government is delivering long-term infrastructure including nine new reservoirs
• Food security threat: NFU warns 29 million households depend on farmers who now face unprecedented water access challenges
• House of Lords report warns of 5bn litre daily deficit by 2055 without urgent action on water storage and drought preparedness

Devon (East London Times) July 30, 2026 – More than half of England has been declared in official drought status as the nation’s agricultural sector confronts an acute emergency following weeks of unrelenting heatwaves and just 7% of expected July rainfall, with farming leaders warning that domestic food security faces an unprecedented systemic threat.

The Environment Agency’s declaration on Wednesday (29 July 2026) covers seven regions spanning 51.4% of the country, including East Anglia, Hertfordshire and the whole of London, the Thames Valley, Hampshire and the Isle of Wight, Devon and Cornwall, the West Midlands, and Wessex.

What do farmers say about water shortages across England?

At the frontline of this crisis are growers of fresh produce, horticulture specialists, and livestock farmers whose daily operations depend entirely on reliable access to water.

Guy Singh-Watson, founder of Riverford Organic Farmers in Buckfastleigh, Devon, speaking to the BBC, delivered a blunt assessment of the unfolding situation as three of the company’s four irrigation reservoirs ran completely dry. “We’re running out of water,” he stated, emphasising that shallow-rooting, quick-growing salad crops such as spinach, rocket, and mizuna cannot survive modern climate extremes without dedicated irrigation.

While planning permissions for new water storage infrastructure can occasionally move forward, Mr Singh-Watson voiced widespread industry frustration over the regulatory hurdles imposed by the Environment Agency, noting that obtaining necessary abstraction licences has proved to be very exacting, very expensive, and very slow. Without immediate administrative relief, agricultural enterprises face agonising decisions about which crops to prioritise and which to abandon as supplies dwindle within weeks.

How severe is the rainfall deficit across affected regions?

The scale of the rainfall deficit has shocked meteorologists and water resource managers. July 2026 has so far delivered just 7% of its expected rainfall across England, falling to only 1% in southern areas. The country is experiencing its second consecutive summer drought, with widespread effects on agriculture, nature and public water supplies.

According to the Environment Agency, some areas in Devon, Cornwall, the Thames Valley, the West Midlands, Wessex, and East Anglia have recorded barely 3% of expected July precipitation. Reservoirs that have sustained agricultural enterprises for decades are now sitting entirely empty, soil moisture levels have plummeted to critical depths, and farm businesses across the country are grappling with soaring costs and dwindling resources as extreme weather alters the baseline of British agriculture.

Some 78% of England’s rivers are below normal levels and reservoir storage has fallen to 75.3% of capacity. Low river flows have led to 1,506 restrictions on abstraction licences, while high irrigation demand is rapidly depleting farm storage reservoirs.

What impact is drought having on livestock and dairy farmers?

The crisis extends far beyond arable farming, striking hard at livestock and dairy producers who are confronting severe forage deficits.

Neil Shand, chief executive of the National Beef Association, painted a harrowing picture of grazing land reduced to dust across the country.

“Grass in some places, it’s not just shrivelled up; it’s completely disappeared. People have been left with the equivalent of the Sahara Desert. It’s just dust,” he remarked.

With grass growth having effectively ceased across large swaths of the countryside, livestock farmers have been forced to consume precious winter forage reserves months ahead of schedule. Compounding this pressure, rigid environmental stewardship rules continue to restrict grazing on specific field margins and herbal leys.

Other industry experts have joined calls urging Defra and the Rural Payments Agency to urgently review and relax these restrictions through temporary drought grazing derogations, warning that the situation on many livestock farms is now becoming critical and directly impacts animal welfare.

What demands is the NFU making of the government?

In response to these compounding pressures, the National Farmers’ Union has laid out a comprehensive package of immediate demands for central government and regulatory bodies.

NFU Deputy President Paul Tompkins emphasised that the current crisis is a manifestation of broader environmental shifts, declaring:

“Farmers and growers have always had to contend with the weather, but what they are experiencing now is climate change in action. Across every sector and every part of the country, farmers and growers are seeing first-hand the impact of dry weather and drought, with more extreme conditions making it harder, riskier and more costly to produce the nation’s food.”

The NFU’s action plan calls for:

• Flexible abstraction licences that enable farmers to capture and store water during heavy rainfall events
• The establishment of a robust risk register for vulnerable farm businesses
• Streamlined planning pathways for on-farm reservoirs
• The prompt opening of the Water Management Grant to catalyse necessary capital investment

The NFU warned that farmers and growers need secure and reliable access to water if they are to continue producing food for 29 million households. Livestock, poultry and high-value horticulture businesses could be particularly exposed because dependable supplies are essential for animal welfare, crop production and business viability.

How has the government responded to the drought emergency?

Government officials engaging with industry stakeholders through the National Drought Group have acknowledged the severity of the conditions, though pressure remains high for tangible, rapid interventions.

Defra water minister Emma Hardy acknowledged the drought conditions facing rural communities, noting:

“Our climate is changing, droughts are becoming increasingly common, and we need to be prepared for this new normal.”

Adding:

“We’re delivering long-term change in the water industry and driving record investments in infrastructure, including nine new reservoirs. We expect water companies to follow their drought plans, to go further and faster to reduce leaks, and to ensure supplies are not disrupted even in the driest of weather.”

While long-term infrastructure projects and catchment management strategies are underway, agricultural leaders maintain that Whitehall must match policy rhetoric with immediate regulatory flexibility.

The dry conditions are already affecting farms, with early cereal harvesting, reduced yields in some crops and an increased risk of field fires. The Environment Agency has described the situation as a “flash drought” – which develops quickly and is caused by a combination of very low rainfall and higher temperatures.

What are the long-term implications for British agriculture?

The House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee’s report, ‘Surviving drought: reclaim the rain‘, published in May 2026, echoes NFU concerns on England’s drought resilience. The report recognises agriculture as one of the sectors most exposed to drought, with serious implications for farmland viability and long-term resilience. This echoes NFU concerns that farming businesses experience the impacts of dry weather early and severely, often before public water supply restrictions are triggered.

The committee’s report provides practical recommendations for the government, including utilising data and drought monitoring to better understand the problem, conducting a full environmental and economic assessment of drought, and publishing a prioritisation plan for an emergency drought by no later than autumn 2026.

The report calls for:

• Improved drought resilience for abstraction-dependant sectors by prioritising changes in regulations to make it easier to build on-farm reservoirs, and increasing the flexibility of abstraction licensing
• Publication of a prioritisation plan for an emergency drought by autumn 2026 to strengthen planning and response, and use nature-based solutions more widely
• More flexible abstraction licensing to support catchment-scale water sharing and storage and greater support for on‑farm storage, including reservoirs
• Promotion of water reuse and rainwater harvesting as part of a strategy to drive a whole of society approach to drought

Baroness Sheehan, chair of the House of Lords Environment and Climate Change Committee, warned:

“We heard during our inquiry that if action is not taken now, public water demand could exceed supply by five billion litres every day (equivalent to 2000 Olympic swimming pools) by 2055. As a result, serious thought, planning and investment must go into managing the environmental and economic threats that drought poses to England.”

For Britain’s farmers, who feed millions of households daily, the window to secure both water and livelihoods is closing fast.

Background: How Did England Reach This Drought Crisis Point?

England’s agricultural drought crisis of July 2026 represents the culmination of a multi-year pattern of increasingly extreme weather events. This is England’s third drought in five years, following significant drought events in 2022 and 2025.

The Environment Agency had warned throughout 2025 and early 2026 that water resources remained critically low. Despite some rainfall in autumn 2025, much of England remained in drought as the country headed into winter, with reservoirs still far below expected levels and experts warning of continued water shortages into 2026. The Environment Agency told the National Drought Group that England needed at least 100% of average rainfall (482mm) between October 2025 and March 2026 to recover largely from drought.

Historical data shows that British agriculture has always been weather-dependent, but the frequency and intensity of drought events has increased markedly since 2020. The House of Lords report published in May 2026 explicitly recognised that farming businesses experience drought impacts early and severely, often before public water supply restrictions are even triggered.

The regulatory framework for water abstraction has remained largely unchanged since the Water Resources Act 1991, despite repeated calls from the NFU and other agricultural bodies for reform. Abstraction licences remain complex, expensive, and slow to obtain, with the Environment Agency maintaining strict environmental protection requirements that farmers argue do not account for climate-driven water scarcity.

Infrastructure investment in on-farm water storage has lagged behind need, with planning permissions for reservoirs often taking years to approve and capital costs running into hundreds of thousands of pounds for individual farm businesses. The Water Management Grant, which could support such investment, has remained closed or limited in scope despite NFU lobbying.

The House of Lords committee noted that the experience of the 2025 drought sent a warning signal to the water and drought management system, yet critical action was delayed. With a dry start to spring 2026 and entry into a reported El Niño year, the conditions for severe drought were already in place before July’s record-low rainfall.

Prediction: How Will This Drought Development Affect Farmers, Food Prices, and Rural Communities?

The drought declaration and ongoing water crisis will have cascading effects across multiple audiences in the coming months and years.

For farmers and growers, the immediate impact will be difficult crop prioritisation decisions and potential abandonment of water-intensive produce. High-value horticulture businesses, particularly those growing salad crops and vegetables, face the greatest risk as shallow-rooting crops cannot survive without irrigation. Livestock farmers will continue depleting winter forage reserves, potentially forcing early animal sales or expensive feed purchases that erode profit margins.

For food prices and consumers, reduced yields and early harvesting will likely translate into higher prices for fresh produce, particularly salad vegetables, soft fruits, and dairy products. The NFU’s warning that 29 million households depend on farmers highlights the systemic risk to food security if water access remains constrained. Import dependency may increase as domestic production becomes less reliable.

For rural communities, the economic impact extends beyond individual farms. Agricultural contractors, farm suppliers, and rural businesses tied to the farming economy will feel reduced activity and income. Mental health pressures on farming families facing impossible decisions about their businesses are likely to intensify.

For policymakers and regulators, the crisis will increase pressure for rapid regulatory reform. The House of Lords report’s call for an emergency drought prioritisation plan by autumn 2026 suggests political momentum for change. However, the tension between environmental protection and agricultural water needs will remain contentious.

Long-term, if abstraction licence flexibility, faster reservoir planning, and water storage investment do not materialise quickly, the UK may see structural changes in what crops are grown where, with some regions becoming unsuitable for certain types of farming. This could reshape British agriculture fundamentally, with implications for rural employment, landscape management, and national food security.

The House of Lords committee’s warning that public water demand could exceed supply by five billion litres daily by 2055 underscores the urgency of immediate action. Without comprehensive drought preparedness, England faces not just agricultural crisis but systemic water insecurity affecting all sectors of the economy.