Energy & Climate
Terra Madre 2026
From conflict to climate disruption: why Slow Food will debate the future of food this September.
28 July 2026
Farmers across England will receive new support to help manage the impact of prolonged dry weather, including a £65 million funding boost, as the government steps up its response to the ongoing drought.
After chairing the government’s emergency response committee (COBR) this week on extreme heat, wildfires and drought, the prime minister is setting out new support for farmers. This follows the driest July on record in England and Wales.
The package forms part of a coordinated cross-government response to the drought, bringing together action on farming, water and vital infrastructure.
It will help farmers get water to crops, keep livestock fed where grass has failed and continue their environmental agreements without losing payments when drought makes agreed activity impossible. Farmers will also be supported to build on-farm water storage, helping farms prepare for future dry summers.
Visiting a farm in the South West today (15 August), alongside Farming Minister Stephen Morgan, the prime minister will meet farmers affected by the drought and set out the government’s plan to support the sector through the immediate challenges posed by this exceptionally dry summer.
‘I am meeting with farmers here in the South West who brought in the earliest harvest of their working lives and watched the yield come in well down on what it should be. Lower income, higher costs, and no rain in the forecast. I understand the worry that comes with that.
The ability to grow our own food is national security, and I will treat it that way. So we are acting now: more money into farm support, help to get reservoirs built, and easier access to water when it is scarce.‘This is the third drought in five years. Farmers are at the sharp end of a changing climate, and they should not be carrying that risk alone.’
ANDY BURNHAM
Prime Minister
The package includes more flexibility in environmental schemes, so farmers affected by drought can continue to receive payments and take practical steps to protect livestock, crops and land.
An extra £50 million will be given to the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026, taking the total budget to £290 million and helping more farmers access support.
It will become easier to build reservoirs, with updated planning guidance and actions to reduce unnecessary barriers. Further details will be set out in an updated National Planning Policy Framework, which will be published on Monday.
Up to £15 million has been allocated for on-farm reservoirs, helping farmers store water and become more resilient to future droughts.
Access to water during drought conditions will be improved, including Environment Agency support and simpler water access arrangements.
‘This package will provide welcome relief to farmers in a year where they are facing the worst harvest on record after months of extreme weather, drought and spiralling costs. The climate and nature crisis is pushing our farmers to breaking point and putting our long-term food security at risk.
‘The government needs to get serious – not just about adapting to a changing climate, but about tackling the fossil fuel and agrochemical industries that are causing it head-on. Packages like the one the Prime Minister has delivered today are necessary and very positive; however, emergency relief is no substitute for bold climate action.’
GEORGE DUNCAN-JONES
Biodiversity policy lead at Greenpeace UK
The government has already announced plans to support the development of nine new reservoirs, strengthen the country’s water infrastructure and improve resilience to future droughts, floods and extreme weather.
It is also investing almost £100 million to strengthen the country’s response to wildfires and extreme weather.
The government will continue working closely with farmers, water companies, environmental organisations and local partners.
‘I am acutely aware of the pressures exceptionally dry weather is placing on farm businesses.
Our farmers are facing some of the toughest conditions in decades, which is why we’re stepping in with practical support to help them through these challenging conditions and build resilience for the future.‘We’ll continue working closely with farmers and our partners to respond to the impacts of the drought, while building a stronger, more resilient farming sector through our Farming Roadmap.
While immediate action is being taken, ministers are clear that the country must also adapt to a changing climate.’ANGELA EAGLE
Environment Secretary
While the dry weather is not expected to affect national food security, the government is taking action now to strengthen that resilience further, through the Farming Roadmap, stronger food supply chains and its work with the National Drought Group and Farming and Food Partnership Board.
‘This is the worst arable harvest since records began, and farmers are being asked to absorb a changing climate. This package rightly recognises they shouldn’t do it alone. What’s telling is the mechanism. When government needed to get help to farms fast, it chose the scheme that pays them to look after nature. It’s being used as drought relief, but it works because nature-friendly farming and drought resilience are largely the same investment.’
‘Yields are the clearest signal of nature risk we have. Whether a heatwave costs you a harvest depends on the soil that holds water and the roots that can reach it. Businesses buying British produce depend on the same ground as the growers, and resilient supply is built in the field long before it shows up on a balance sheet. No one party can fix this alone. Government can fund the shift or shape policy, growers know their land, and business has both the commercial stake and the capital to invest at the scale nature actually works. The harvests we get in ten years’ time depend on those three investing together, starting now.’DR SAM SINCLAIR
Co-founder and director of Biodiversify
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