'Drought' is declared by NRW when a combination of indicators show a significant shortage of rainfall and water availability, resulting in impacts on rivers, groundwater, ecosystems, agriculture and land management.
NFU Cymru President Abi Reader said: "The announcement that areas of Wales have entered drought status will be of no surprise to Welsh farmers given that our sector is feeling the effects of the sustained hot, dry weather as much, if not more, than any other industry. The lack of rainfall is now having an impact on crop yields and members across Wales have made us aware of the challenges facing them in the respect of making sure that their animals have sufficient access to food and water.
Raising concerns
"With short-to-medium term weather forecasts offering little respite, we have met with Welsh Government and Natural Resources Wales to encourage them to work with the industry and operate a sensible, flexible approach to support our farmers. We have stressed the importance to Rural Payments Wales of the need to act promptly to deal with requests from farmers for derogations from specific requirements of the Sustainable Farming Scheme (SFS), and we are pleased to hear reports that this is the case. We have also been in dialogue with Dŵr Cymru Welsh Water, raising the concerns of our members who have reported issues with their ‘mains’ supply.
Increasing challenges
"With many farmers now having to provide additional feed to their livestock, opening forage stocks that were set aside for this winter, it could mean that these farmers will need to purchase additional feed for the winter at significant cost. These severe weather events are further proof of the importance of the universal payment and, in particular, the social value payment within the SFS, which supports farmer resilience and underpins food production in the face of the increasing challenges faced as a result of the weather and global instability."
As the dry weather spell continues, NFU Cymru is collecting information and analysis from members across Wales and all farming sectors.
For practical advice on areas affected by the ongoing dry weather conditions, please visit the NFU website.
Advice and updates can also be accessed on the NRW website.