A3 ukia news Jan 0779.170.40.182/iukdirectory.com/iuk/newsletters/Newsletter 32 December...
2
UK Irrigation Association Spring Seminar Climate changing UK irrigation in a global market How can irrigators adapt to the changes? Thursday 1st March 2007 East of England Showground, Peterborough The drought This summer was a difficult one for many businesses dependent on water in the south east and eastern regions as the drought started to bite. Many were impacted by conditions on their licences restricting their irrigation abstraction, but for the 70 golf courses who were subjected to a total drought order banning irrigation from May 27th the situation was of course much more severe. For many other golf courses, this was a ‘wake up’ call that agricultural abstractors had experienced in 1995 when widespread restrictions were last imposed in Eastern England. As a consequence much is now being done to help this sector raise their awareness of water resource issues and to improve dialogue with both the water undertakers and regulatory authority (EA) so that future droughts might be better managed. The next stage must surely be to encourage greater communication and collaboration between different sectors; through, for example, the formation of new abstractor groups in areas where water resources are under pressure, such as in the south east. But one question being asked is really how dry was this summer compared to other years. In a previous newsletter I mentioned the variable potential soil moisture deficit (PSMD) and its role in providing an indicator of agroclimatic variability. PSMD takes into account the daily balance between rainfall and evapotranspiration (ET) during the As another year draws to a close, it’s worth briefly reflecting on the various activities that the UKIA were involved in over the past 12 months. The year started with our annual Spring seminar ‘The pathway to efficiency’. This was a sell-out event for the third year in succession, providing delegates with the latest state of play on the changes to the abstraction licensing system in the context of licence renewal, as well as introducing new concepts such as benchmarking for assessing irrigation performance. This was followed later in the year by a technical meeting for a post-mortem on the 2006 drought, and its impacts on the agricultural and sports-turf sectors. It was again very well attended with 60 delegates. Many of us remember the presentation by Billy McMillan, Chairman of BIGGA, who provided a very personal insight into the importance and value of irrigation water for golf, which to many is still perceived a luxury use of water. There are clearly opportunities for the UKIA to engage with the sports-turf sector to better represent the interests of its irrigators at various regional and national fora on water resource issues. More recently, a group of UKIA members traveled to Bari in southern Italy to meet representatives from a local water user association (akin to our abstractor groups). These farmers were using a system of credit card hydrants to allocate and pay for their irrigation water. An article on this trip is included in this newsletter. page 4 UKIA News News from the UK Irrigation Association December 2006 Issue 32 page 1 summer season and it can be used to compare irrigation need between individual years. Figure 1 shows the calculated PSMD for the last 44 years at Silsoe (Bedfordshire). It shows that 2006 was more of an ‘average year’ and not as extreme as 1976, 1990, 1995 or 2003 in irrigation terms. This was because although there was a long protracted dry period with very little rainfall in June and July, many parts received well above average rainfall at the end of August which helped to temper the drought. However, the real issue now is whether winter rainfall will be sufficient to recharge the aquifers over the remaining winter months. The latest reports from the EA suggest that significant amounts of rainfall are still required. Indeed, it seems that the heavy intense storms we have been receiving are the wrong kind of rain; instead we need gentle precipitation to infiltrate the soil and percolate, rather than heavy downpours that only exacerbate soil erosion and lead to rapid runoff. Changing climate Following publication of the Stern Report and another very dry summer, it is timely that next year’s spring seminar will focus on climate change. For some of us, this year has been a ‘tipping point’ in terms of the public’s awareness and belief that climate change is happening. We need to start acting collectively in dealing with its possible threats, but we must also realise that there will be many opportunities, particularly as water becomes scarcer, less reliable and more valuable. Those that protect and use their resource to best effect will benefit most. However, we also need to remember that climate change is happening elsewhere and in many ways the offshore impacts of climate change in other parts of the world are likely to impact to a greater extent on UK agricultural production than UK climate change per se. These and other climate change issues will be the focus of our next seminar. As before, it is likely to be well supported, so those of you wishing to attend should reserve a place as soon as possible. Finally, may I thank you for your UKIA Irrigation Association To join the UKIA costs just £40 a year Benefits include: • Two news letters and journal on current irrigation issues • Annual conference, technical seminars and visits • Website with members only library/information section • Regular email updates on current issues. Contact: Melvyn Kay Executive Secretary of UKIA. Tel: 01427 717623 Email: [email protected] Website www.ukia.org The views expressed in this Newsletter are not necessarily those of the UKIA. So far so good – irrigation prospects for 2007 An update from the EA on the current situation in Anglian and Midlands regions. The Environment Agency is continuing to monitor rainfall, river flows and groundwater levels in the wake of the dry summer. Rainfall totals across much of the Anglian and Midlands regions were at or above average between August and November and this has helped to kick-start a recovery. It remains to be seen, however, whether this will be maintained over the remainder of the winter. River flows are very responsive to short period, intense rainfall and a number of short-lived, high flows have been experienced. Longer-term flows remain very variable with figures ranging from 50% below average to 100% above average in November. Groundwater levels are a key indicator of the overall state of water resources and these remain substantially below average in many places, although significant recovery has taken place in others. Low groundwater levels give rise to low river flows, especially during the summer, when there is little rainfall to supplement flows. Groundwater is therefore critical to any assessment of the prospects for irrigation next summer. It is too early to forecast the situation next year but if we continue to have high rainfall this will help recharge groundwater and fill winter storage reservoirs. A return to dry weather in the early part of next year, however, could once again increase the risk of problems next summer. A reasonable summary of the current situation might be ‘so far, so good’. For a weekly update on changes in the water resources situation in your region visit: www.environment-agency.gov.uk/subjects/waterres/ 1014767/1131486/ Steve Dines, EA Anglian Region Anne Taylor, EA Midlands Region Hefce enquires into land-based studies Concerns about the future of land-based studies in UK has led the Higher Education Funding Council for England (Hefce) to undertake a study to consider our future needs. This is an opportunity to get educators to think about water and irrigation. The closure of various agricultural courses and colleges up and down the country has led to Government concerns about education provision for agriculture and land management. Questions are being asked such as – do we still have a sustainable educational base to prepare our future agricultural and land managers? Can we leave future provision for the market place to decide what happens or is there a need for Government intervention? Hefce is studying these issues and looking strategically at the capacity we will need in the future and how it can be provided. Irrigators are stakeholders in this future. So a recent stakeholder meeting provided an opportunity for UKIA to stand up and speak about the importance of water management as a strategic issue in any future land-based education initiative. It is a sad fact that most agricultural courses pay little attention to water, which is surprising considering the importance of water for sustaining many thousands of rural livelihoods throughout the country and its contribution to the environment. The growing awareness of the importance of water for high-value irrigated production and the implications of climate change provide us with a vehicle for a change in the way in which land-based education is structured in the future. The report is due in December 2006. www.hefce.ac.uk/aboutus/sis/land.htm Melvyn Kay, Exec Secretary UKIA Dates for your diary Natural England Promoting Irrigation Efficiency Farmer Workshops 30th January 2-5pm Crown Point Estate, Kirby Bedon, Norwich. 5th February 2-5pm Easton Farm Park, Woodbridge, Suffolk. 6th February 2-5pm Oliver Cromwell Hotel, March. (date to be fixed) Rossi’s Sports and Leisure Centre, N Walsham, Norfolk. (date to be fixed) Holt RFC, Holt, Norfolk. 1st March UKIA Annual Spring Seminar Climate changing UK irrigation in a global market. East of England Showground, Peterborough. Editorial Peter White Water Management • Irrigation management for the 21st Century • The supply of top quality soil moisture monitoring equipment at excellent prices - permanent remote multi-depth systems and portable multi-site moniroitng • IMetos Internet weather stations at very keen prices • Excellent Irrimax software for viewing and interpretation of data New for 2006 the Solo multi-depth probe Peter White Water Management Cloverlea, Nuttery Lane, Aldringham Leiston IP16 4QW, UK Tel: 07785 393925 Office Tel and Fax 01728 454 839 Email: [email protected] www.irrigationworld2000.com
Transcript of A3 ukia news Jan 0779.170.40.182/iukdirectory.com/iuk/newsletters/Newsletter 32 December...
UK
Irrigatio
n A
ssociatio
n Sp
ring
Semin
ar
Clim
ate chan
gin
g U
K irrig
ation
in a g
lob
al market
Ho
w can
irrigato
rs adap
t to th
e chan
ges?
Thu
rsday 1st M
arch 2007
East of En
glan
d Sh
ow
gro
un
d, Peterb
oro
ug
h
The d
rou
gh
tTh
is su
mm
er w
as a
difficu
lt o
ne
for
man
y bu
sinesses d
epen
den
t on
water in
the so
uth
east and
eastern reg
ion
s asth
e dro
ug
ht started
to b
ite. Man
y were
imp
acted b
y con
ditio
ns o
n th
eir licences
restricting
th
eir irrig
ation
ab
straction
,b
ut fo
r the 70 g
olf co
urses w
ho
were
sub
jected
to
a to
tal d
rou
gh
t o
rder
ban
nin
g irrig
ation
from
May 27th
the
situatio
n
was
of
cou
rse m
uch
m
ore
severe. For m
any o
ther g
olf co
urses, th
isw
as a ‘wake u
p’ call th
at agricu
ltural
abstracto
rs h
ad
experien
ced
in
1995w
hen
wid
espread
restriction
s were last
imp
osed
in
Eastern
En
glan
d.
As
aco
nseq
uen
ce mu
ch is n
ow
bein
g d
on
eto
help
this secto
r raise their aw
areness
of w
ater resou
rce issues an
d to
imp
rove
dialo
gu
e w
ith
bo
th
the
water
un
dertakers
and
reg
ulato
ry au
tho
rity(EA
) so th
at futu
re dro
ug
hts m
igh
t be
better m
anag
ed. Th
e next stag
e mu
stsu
rely b
e to
en
cou
rage
greater
com
mu
nicatio
n
and
co
llabo
ration
betw
een d
ifferent secto
rs; thro
ug
h, fo
rexam
ple,
the
form
ation
o
f n
ewab
stractor g
rou
ps in
areas wh
ere water
resou
rces are un
der p
ressure, su
ch as in
the so
uth
east.B
ut o
ne q
uestio
n b
eing
asked is really
ho
w d
ry was th
is sum
mer co
mp
ared to
oth
er years. In a p
reviou
s new
sletter Im
entio
ned
th
e variab
le p
oten
tial so
ilm
oistu
re deficit (PSM
D) an
d its ro
le inp
rovid
ing
an in
dicato
r of ag
roclim
aticvariab
ility. PSMD
takes into
accou
nt th
ed
aily b
alance
betw
een
rainfall
and
evapo
transp
iration
(ET)
du
ring
th
e
As an
oth
er year draw
s to a clo
se, it’sw
orth
briefly reflectin
g o
n th
e variou
sactivities th
at the U
KIA
were in
volved
ino
ver th
e p
ast 12
mo
nth
s. Th
e year
started w
ith o
ur an
nu
al Sprin
g sem
inar
‘The p
athw
ay to efficien
cy’. This w
as asell-o
ut
event
for
the
third
year
insu
ccession
, pro
vidin
g d
elegates w
ith th
elatest state o
f play o
n th
e chan
ges to
the ab
straction
licensin
g system
in th
eco
ntext o
f licence ren
ewal, as w
ell asin
trod
ucin
g
new
co
ncep
ts su
ch
asb
ench
markin
g
for
assessing
irrig
ation
perfo
rman
ce. This w
as follo
wed
later inth
e year by a tech
nical m
eeting
for a
po
st-mo
rtem o
n th
e 2006 dro
ug
ht, an
dits
imp
acts o
n
the
agricu
ltural
and
spo
rts-turf
sectors.
It w
as ag
ain
veryw
ell attend
ed w
ith 60 d
elegates. M
any
of
us
remem
ber
the
presen
tation
b
yB
illy McM
illan, C
hairm
an o
f BIG
GA
, wh
op
rovid
ed a very p
erson
al insig
ht in
toth
e imp
ortan
ce and
value o
f irrigatio
nw
ater for g
olf, w
hich
to m
any is still
perceived
a luxu
ry use o
f water. Th
ereare clearly o
pp
ortu
nities fo
r the U
KIA
toen
gag
e with
the sp
orts-tu
rf sector to
better
represen
t th
e in
terests o
f its
irrigato
rs at
variou
s reg
ion
al an
dn
ation
al fora o
n w
ater resou
rce issues.
Mo
re recen
tly, a
gro
up
o
f U
KIA
mem
bers traveled
to B
ari in so
uth
ernItaly
to
meet
represen
tatives fro
m
alo
cal water u
ser associatio
n (akin
to o
ur
abstracto
r gro
up
s). These farm
ers were
usin
g a system
of cred
it card h
ydran
ts toallo
cate an
d
pay
for
their
irrigatio
nw
ater. An
article on
this trip
is inclu
ded
in th
is new
sletter.
pag
e 4
UK
IAN
ews
New
s from
the U
K Irrig
ation
Asso
ciation
Decem
ber 2006
Issue 32
pag
e 1
sum
mer seaso
n an
d it can
be u
sed to
com
pare
irrigatio
n
need
b
etween
ind
ividu
al years.
Figu
re 1
sho
ws
the
calculated
PSMD
for th
e last 44 years atSilso
e (Bed
ford
shire). It sh
ow
s that 2006
was m
ore o
f an ‘averag
e year’ and
no
tas extrem
e as 1976, 1990, 1995 or 2003
in
irrigatio
n
terms.
This
was
becau
sealth
ou
gh
there w
as a lon
g p
rotracted
dry p
eriod
with
very little rainfall in
Jun
ean
d Ju
ly, man
y parts received
well ab
ove
average rain
fall at the en
d o
f Au
gu
stw
hich
help
ed to
temp
er the d
rou
gh
t.H
ow
ever, the real issu
e no
w is w
heth
erw
inter
rainfall
will
be
sufficien
t to
recharg
e th
e aq
uifers
over
the
remain
ing
w
inter
mo
nth
s. Th
e latest
repo
rts fro
m
the
EA
sug
gest
that
sign
ificant am
ou
nts o
f rainfall are still
requ
ired.
Ind
eed,
it seem
s th
at th
eh
eavy in
tense
storm
s w
e h
ave b
eenreceivin
g are th
e wro
ng
kind
of rain
;in
stead w
e need
gen
tle precip
itation
toin
filtrate the so
il and
perco
late, rather
than
h
eavy d
ow
np
ou
rs th
at o
nly
exacerbate so
il erosio
n an
d lead
to rap
idru
no
ff.
Ch
ang
ing
climate
Follo
win
g
pu
blicatio
n
of
the
SternR
epo
rt and
ano
ther very d
ry sum
mer, it
is timely th
at next year’s sp
ring
semin
arw
ill focu
s on
climate ch
ang
e. For so
me
of u
s, this year h
as been
a ‘tipp
ing
po
int’
in term
s of th
e pu
blic’s aw
areness an
db
elief that clim
ate chan
ge is h
app
enin
g.
We n
eed to
start acting
collectively in
dealin
g w
ith its p
ossib
le threats, b
ut w
em
ust also
realise that th
ere will b
e man
yo
pp
ortu
nities,
particu
larly as
water
beco
mes scarcer, less reliab
le and
mo
revalu
able.
Tho
se th
at p
rotect
and
u
seth
eir resou
rce to b
est effect will b
enefit
mo
st. H
ow
ever, w
e also
n
eed
torem
emb
er th
at clim
ate ch
ang
e is
hap
pen
ing
elsewh
ere and
in m
any w
aysth
e offsh
ore im
pacts o
f climate ch
ang
ein
oth
er parts o
f the w
orld
are likely toim
pact
to
a g
reater exten
t o
n
UK
agricu
ltural p
rod
uctio
n th
an U
K clim
atech
ang
e per se. Th
ese and
oth
er climate
chan
ge issu
es will b
e the fo
cus o
f ou
rn
ext semin
ar. As b
efore, it is likely to
be
well su
pp
orted
, so th
ose o
f you
wish
ing
to atten
d sh
ou
ld reserve a p
lace as soo
nas p
ossib
le.Fin
ally, m
ay I
than
k yo
u
for
you
r
UK
IA Irrig
ation
Asso
ciation
To jo
in th
e UK
IA co
sts just £40 a year
Ben
efits inclu
de:
•Tw
o n
ews letters an
d jo
urn
al on
curren
tirrig
ation
issues
•A
nn
ual co
nferen
ce, techn
ical semin
ars and
visits•
Web
site with
mem
bers o
nly lib
rary/info
rmatio
nsectio
n•
Reg
ular em
ail up
dates o
n cu
rrent issu
es.
Co
ntact: M
elvyn K
ay Executive Secretary o
f UK
IA.
Tel: 01427 717623 Email: m
.kay@u
kia.org
Web
site ww
w.u
kia.org
The view
s expressed
in th
is New
sletter are no
t necessarily
tho
se of th
e UK
IA.
So far so
go
od
– irrigatio
np
rosp
ects for 2007
An
up
date fro
m th
e EA o
n th
e curren
t situatio
n in
An
glian
and
Mid
land
sreg
ion
s.Th
e Enviro
nm
ent A
gen
cy is con
tinu
ing
to m
on
itor rain
fall, river flow
san
d g
rou
nd
water levels in
the w
ake of th
e dry su
mm
er. Rain
fall totals
across m
uch
of th
e An
glian
and
Mid
land
s regio
ns
were at o
r abo
veaverag
e betw
een A
ug
ust an
d N
ovem
ber an
d th
is has h
elped
to kick-start
a reco
very. It
remain
s to
b
e seen
, h
ow
ever, w
heth
er th
is w
ill b
em
aintain
ed o
ver the rem
aind
er of th
e win
ter.R
iver flow
sare very resp
on
sive to sh
ort p
eriod
, inten
se rainfall an
d a
nu
mb
er of sh
ort-lived
, hig
h flo
ws h
ave been
experien
ced. Lo
ng
er-termflo
ws rem
ain very variab
le with
figu
res rang
ing
from
50% b
elow
average
to 100%
abo
ve average in
No
vemb
er.G
rou
nd
water levels
are a key ind
icator o
f the o
verall state of w
aterreso
urces an
d th
ese remain
sub
stantially b
elow
average in
man
y places,
altho
ug
h sig
nifican
t recovery h
as taken p
lace in o
thers.
Low
gro
un
dw
ater levels give rise to
low
river flow
s, especially d
urin
gth
e su
mm
er, w
hen
th
ere is
little rain
fall to
su
pp
lemen
t flo
ws.
Gro
un
dw
ater is therefo
re critical to an
y assessmen
t of th
e pro
spects fo
rirrig
ation
next su
mm
er. It is too
early to fo
recast the situ
ation
next year
bu
t if
we
con
tinu
e to
h
ave h
igh
rain
fall th
is w
ill h
elp
recharg
eg
rou
nd
water an
d fill w
inter sto
rage reservo
irs. A retu
rn to
dry w
eather
in th
e early part o
f next year, h
ow
ever, cou
ld o
nce ag
ain in
crease the risk
of p
rob
lems n
ext sum
mer. A
reason
able su
mm
ary of th
e curren
t situatio
nm
igh
t be ‘so
far, so g
oo
d’.
For a w
eekly up
date o
n ch
ang
es in th
e water reso
urces situ
ation
inyo
ur reg
ion
visit: ww
w.en
viron
men
t-agen
cy.go
v.uk/su
bjects/w
aterres/1014767/1131486/
Steve Dines, EA
Anglian Region A
nne Taylor, EA M
idlands Region
Hefce en
qu
ires into
land
-based
stud
iesC
on
cerns ab
ou
t the fu
ture o
f land
-based
stud
ies in U
K h
as led th
eH
igh
er Edu
cation
Fun
din
g C
ou
ncil fo
r Eng
land
(Hefce) to
un
dertake a
stud
y to
co
nsid
er o
ur
futu
re n
eeds.
This
is an
o
pp
ortu
nity
to
get
edu
cators to
thin
k abo
ut w
ater and
irrigatio
n.
The clo
sure o
f variou
s agricu
ltural co
urses an
d co
lleges u
p an
d d
ow
nth
e cou
ntry h
as led to
Go
vernm
ent co
ncern
s abo
ut ed
ucatio
n p
rovisio
nfo
r agricu
lture an
d lan
d m
anag
emen
t. Qu
estion
s are bein
g asked
such
as – do
we still h
ave a sustain
able ed
ucatio
nal b
ase to p
repare o
ur fu
ture
agricu
ltural an
d lan
d m
anag
ers? Can
we leave fu
ture p
rovisio
n fo
r the
market p
lace to d
ecide w
hat h
app
ens o
r is there a n
eed fo
r Go
vernm
ent
interven
tion
? Hefce is stu
dyin
g th
ese issues an
d lo
okin
g strateg
ically atth
e capacity w
e will n
eed in
the fu
ture an
d h
ow
it can b
e pro
vided
.Irrig
ators are stakeh
old
ers in th
is futu
re. So a recen
t stakeho
lder
meetin
g p
rovid
ed an
op
po
rtun
ity for U
KIA
to stan
d u
p an
d sp
eak abo
ut
the im
po
rtance o
f water m
anag
emen
t as a strategic issu
e in an
y futu
relan
d-b
ased ed
ucatio
n in
itiative. It is a sad fact th
at mo
st agricu
ltural
cou
rses pay little atten
tion
to w
ater, wh
ich is su
rprisin
g co
nsid
ering
the
imp
ortan
ce of w
ater for su
stainin
g m
any th
ou
sand
s of ru
ral liveliho
od
sth
rou
gh
ou
t the co
un
try and
its con
tribu
tion
to th
e enviro
nm
ent. Th
eg
row
ing
awaren
ess of th
e imp
ortan
ce of w
ater for h
igh
-value irrig
atedp
rod
uctio
n an
d th
e imp
lication
s of clim
ate chan
ge p
rovid
e us w
ith a
vehicle
for
a ch
ang
e in
th
e w
ay in
w
hich
lan
d-b
ased
edu
cation
is
structu
red
in
the
futu
re. Th
e rep
ort
is d
ue
in
Decem
ber
2006.w
ww
.hefce.ac.u
k/abo
utu
s/sis/land
.htm
Melvyn K
ay, Exec Secretary UK
IA
Dates fo
r you
r diary
Natu
ral Eng
land
Prom
otin
g Irrig
ation
Efficiency Farm
er Wo
rksho
ps
30th Jan
uary 2-5p
m C
row
n Po
int Estate, K
irby B
edo
n, N
orw
ich.
5th Feb
ruary 2-5p
m Easto
n Farm
Park, Wo
od
brid
ge, Su
ffolk.
6th Feb
ruary 2-5p
m O
liver Cro
mw
ell Ho
tel, March
.(d
ate to b
e fixed) R
ossi’s Sp
orts an
d Leisu
re Cen
tre, N W
alsham
,N
orfo
lk.(d
ate to b
e fixed) H
olt R
FC, H
olt, N
orfo
lk.
1st March
UK
IA A
nn
ual Sp
ring
Semin
ar Clim
ate changing UK
irrigationin a global m
arket.East of En
glan
d Sh
ow
gro
un
d, Peterb
oro
ug
h.
Edito
rial
Pe
ter W
hite
Wa
ter
Ma
na
ge
me
nt
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ation m
anagem
ent for the 21st C
entury •
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ply o
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are for view
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r 2006 the So
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ter W
hite
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r Manag
em
ent
Clo
ve
rlea, N
utte
ry L
ane
, Ald
ring
ham
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isto
n IP
16 4
QW
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Te
l: 0778
5 3
93
92
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ffice
Te
l and
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8 4
54
83
9E
mail: P
ete
rWhite
Wate
r@ao
l.co
mw
ww
.irrigatio
nw
orld
20
00
.co
m
Mo
re irrigatio
n train
ing
in th
e New
YearIrrig
ation
trainin
g, fu
nd
ed o
ver the p
ast two
years by R
DS D
efra, isco
ntin
uin
g th
is year un
der th
e Natu
ral Eng
land
ban
ner in
East An
glia.
This is g
oo
d n
ews fo
r abstracto
rs and
dem
on
strates a con
tinu
ing
com
mitm
ent
to
the
imp
ortan
ce o
f im
pro
ving
w
ater m
anag
emen
tp
ractices in th
e regio
n.
Five half-d
ay wo
rksho
ps aim
ed at farm
ers and
gro
wers are p
lann
edfo
r Jan
uary
and
Feb
ruary
2007 in
key
catchm
ents
across
No
rfolk,
Suffo
lk and
Cam
brid
gesh
ire. This is n
ot ju
st mo
re of th
e same. Th
e aimis
to
bu
ild
on
p
reviou
s year’s
wo
rk w
hile
con
tinu
ing
to
fo
cus
on
practical an
d co
st effective mean
s of im
pro
ving
irrigatio
n efficien
cy and
water
man
agem
ent
practices.
Cran
field
Un
iversity, th
e w
orksh
op
org
anisers,
will
presen
tth
e fin
din
gs
of
their
(EEDA
fu
nd
ed)
researcho
n w
ater aud
iting
un
dertaken
with
farmers in
the reg
ion
this su
mm
er. So th
ere areso
me very p
ractical ou
tcom
es to talk ab
ou
t.Th
e ‘practical’ th
eme o
f last year’s wo
rksho
ps w
as greatly ap
preciated
. So m
ore
practical sessio
ns are in
clud
ed th
is time o
n im
pro
ving
soil an
d w
ater man
agem
ent,
evaluatin
g irrig
ation
systems, an
d u
nd
erstand
ing
the im
po
rtance o
f pip
es and
pu
mp
s.Th
ree areas are targeted
– three w
orksh
op
s will b
e run
in th
e Bro
adlan
d R
iversC
AM
S coverin
g b
oth
No
rth N
orfo
lk and
Sou
th N
orfo
lk, on
e in East Su
ffolk C
AM
San
d an
oth
er in th
e Mid
dle Level.
The w
orksh
op
s are free and
are prim
arily for ab
stractors in
tho
se areas. Bu
t as inp
reviou
s years if there are sp
are places th
en U
KIA
mem
bers are w
elcom
e to atten
d.
See – Dates fo
r you
r diary – fo
r details o
f time an
d lo
cation
. Details also
on
ou
rw
ebsite
ww
w.u
kia.org
Are irrig
ated cro
ps safe?
An
FSA stu
dy is u
nd
erway in
to th
e micro
bio
log
ical qu
ality of irrig
ation
water an
d an
assessmen
t of th
e risks to p
ub
lic health
from
differen
t agricu
ltural irrig
ation
practices.
The stu
dy aim
s to id
entify key p
atho
gen
s causin
g fo
od
-bo
rne illn
ess and
their m
od
es of tran
smissio
n, an
d h
ow
irrigatio
np
ractices imp
act the q
uality o
f water an
d th
e level of cro
p co
ntam
inatio
n.
The rep
ort aim
s to id
entify w
heth
er there is a n
eed fo
r furth
er ind
ustry g
uid
ance to
redu
ce risks, and
wh
ether su
fficient d
ataexists to
enab
le regu
lators to
do
this. If n
ot th
en areas o
f furth
er research req
uired
to ach
ieve this w
ill be id
entified
.If yo
u w
ish to
con
tribu
te to th
is stud
y from
an irrig
ator’s p
erspective o
r you
have d
ata that co
uld
assist in risk assessm
ent th
enco
ntact M
ike Payne o
n 01366 501068 o
r Mich
aelpayn
epart@
aol.co
m
Irrigatio
n th
e Italian w
ayA
successfu
l join
t UK
IA/IC
ID trip
to B
ari, Italy in O
ctob
er to see a ‘cred
it card’
irrigatio
n system
in actio
n (n
ewsletter Ju
ne 06). B
ut th
e experien
ce was m
uch
bro
ader th
an ju
st seeing
som
e auto
matic w
ater hyd
rants o
n a larg
e trickleirrig
ation
system. W
e also saw
ho
w a larg
e water u
ser associatio
n w
orked
.A
s on
e particip
ant p
ut it – ‘O
n a trip
like this w
ith o
ther p
articipan
ts in o
ur g
rou
ph
aving
a very wid
e rang
e of irrig
ation
kno
wled
ge an
d exp
erience, yo
u ju
st start tog
ain an
app
reciation
of th
e eno
rmity o
f the irrig
ation
market in
the rest o
f Euro
pe
and
beyo
nd
. Also
, in th
e UK
, you
see just h
ow
specific an
d lo
calisedare
ou
r cro
ps,
the
gro
win
gco
nd
ition
s, the irrig
ation
need
and
the m
ann
er in w
hich
it is satisfied.
It w
as also
g
oo
d,
and
a
bit
surp
rising
, to g
et an in
sigh
t into
ho
w o
ur Italian
cou
nterp
arts app
ear to h
ave fewer co
ncern
s with
regard
glo
bal
warm
ing
and
less red tap
e on
the en
viron
men
t and
local eco
log
y.It also
seems th
at by ag
reeing
collectively th
e extent o
f the availab
le water
resou
rce and
an am
icable m
echan
ism fo
r its distrib
utio
n, th
ey have avo
ided
go
vernm
ental ag
ency co
ntro
l of th
e water fo
r this p
roject. A
h w
ell, back to
reality’.Th
ere will b
e a fuller rep
ort o
n th
e visit in th
e next Jo
urn
al. Bu
t make su
re you
are on
the n
ext majo
r UK
IA visit w
hich
is plan
ned
for Sp
ain in
the N
ew Y
ear.M
elvyn Kay, Exec Secretary U
KIA
pag
e 2
con
tinu
ed su
pp
ort th
is year and
ho
pe th
at you
will m
aintain
you
r mem
bersh
ip o
ver the co
min
gyear.
As
always
we
welco
me
sug
gestio
ns
on
ho
w w
e can im
pro
ve the ran
ge o
f services we
offer o
ur m
emb
ers. I firmly b
elieve that th
eU
KIA
is go
ing
from
streng
th to
streng
th
and
yo
ur
sup
po
rt is
central to
this su
ccess. We are
also o
pen
to o
ffers for site visits,
ideas fo
r techn
ical meetin
gs o
rarticles
for
this
new
sletter o
rjo
urn
al. You
r con
tribu
tion
s areall w
elcom
e.B
est Wish
es for 2007.
2005 Survey o
f Irrigatio
n o
fO
utd
oo
r Cro
ps - En
glan
dTh
e natio
nal resu
lts (for En
glan
d) o
f the 2005 Irrig
ation
Survey, fu
nd
ed b
yD
efra, are abo
ut to
be released
as this n
ewsletter g
oes to
press.
All ag
ricultu
ral ho
ldin
gs th
at repo
rted th
ey had
irrigated
1 ha o
r mo
re in th
eD
efra 2005 Jun
e Ag
ricultu
ral Survey o
r had
repo
rted irrig
ating
in th
e 2001irrig
ation
survey w
ere asked to
com
plete a vo
lun
tary po
stal qu
estion
naire. Th
eresu
lts iden
tify trend
s in irrig
ated areas an
d w
ater use b
y crop
type, w
aterso
urces, irrig
ation
meth
od
, sched
ulin
g m
etho
d, an
d th
e overall p
ositio
n o
nw
ater reso
urces
and
reservo
ir sto
rage.
This
info
rmatio
n
is im
po
rtant
for
plan
nin
g an
d fo
r emp
hasisin
g th
e imp
ortan
ce of irrig
ation
as a water u
ser.Th
ank yo
u ag
ain to
everyon
e wh
o g
ave of th
eir time to
reply. W
e will
no
tify mem
bers w
hen
the resu
lts are available an
d h
ow
to o
btain
them
.K
eith Weatherhead, C
ranfield University
Fun
din
g fo
r water-related
pro
jectsTh
e Ru
ral Develo
pm
ent Service m
anag
ed th
e Ru
ral Enterp
rise Schem
e and
was
a recog
nised
fun
din
g so
urce fo
r storag
e reservoirs in
man
y regio
ns. It ran
for
five years befo
re closin
g in
Jun
e 2006. Wh
at is go
ing
to rep
lace it?Th
ere is curren
tly a gap
bu
t the n
ext rou
nd
of th
e Ru
ral Ag
end
a sho
uld
add
ress this. In
the n
ext ph
ase of th
e Ru
ral Develo
pm
ent R
egu
lation
s (RD
R)
2007-2013, as part o
f Defra’s R
ural Strateg
y 2004, Reg
ion
al Develo
pm
ent A
gen
cies will
be tasked
with
man
agin
g fu
ture fu
nd
ing
. So it is im
po
rtant to
loo
k at the reg
ion
alap
pro
aches acro
ss the co
un
try – they m
ay be d
ifferent d
epen
din
g o
n n
eeds an
dp
riorities.
Each reg
ion
has b
een tasked
with
pro
du
cing
a Reg
ion
al Imp
lemen
tation
Plan (R
IP)settin
g o
ut th
e regio
n’s o
bjectives an
d key p
riorities o
r them
es. The h
igh
level them
esw
ill determ
ine w
here th
e mo
ney is sp
ent an
d w
hat p
rojects w
ill be su
pp
orted
– water
resou
rces man
agem
ent is likely to
fit into
a nu
mb
er of th
e them
es.It is u
nd
erstoo
d th
at som
e of th
e fun
din
g w
ill be targ
eted to
ward
s collab
orative
pro
jects – situatio
ns w
here a n
um
ber o
f existing
, or p
rosp
ective, licence h
old
ers areab
le to w
ork to
geth
er brin
gin
g w
ide b
enefits acro
ss an area.
The En
viron
men
t Ag
ency is keen
to en
cou
rage h
igh
-flow
(win
ter) storag
e, wh
ich in
turn
m
ay red
uce
the
pressu
re o
n
sum
mer
resou
rces. Sto
rage
reservoirs
requ
iresig
nifican
t investm
ent an
d fin
ancial aid
can o
ften m
ake the d
ifference as to
wh
ether
or n
ot a sch
eme is viab
le. The EA
is lob
byin
g to
inclu
de th
is detail w
ithin
the R
DR
.Fo
r mo
re details ab
ou
t fun
din
g m
ake con
tact with
you
r local D
evelop
men
t Ag
ency –
details availab
le on
web
site ww
w.en
glan
dsrd
as.com
. Fun
ds are u
nlikely to
be availab
leb
efore th
e end
of 2007 at th
e earliest. Bu
t man
y Ag
encies w
ill no
w h
ave staff in p
laceth
at will b
e able to
han
dle yo
ur en
qu
iries.D
arren Sm
ith, a U
KIA
Co
un
cil Mem
ber w
ho
wo
rks with
the EA
based
in Lin
coln
, ish
app
y to
act
as a
po
int
of
con
tact o
n
this
for
UK
IA
mem
bers.
darren
.smith
@en
viron
men
t-agen
cy.go
v.uk D
arren Smith, Environm
ent Agency
Jerry Kn
ox, C
ranfield
Un
iversity
Co
un
cil mem
ber p
rofile
Tim Jo
llyTim
started
farm
ing
in
east
Suffo
lk wh
en h
e too
k over th
efam
ily farm in
the 1980s. In
1989h
e mo
ved to
No
rfolk an
d n
ow
farms
1000 acres
of
ligh
tb
reckland
soil g
row
ing
irrigated
vegetab
les and
po
tatoes, su
gar
beet, an
d m
alting
barley.
Tim’s fath
er, Philip
, was a p
ion
eer of farm
scaleirrig
ation
in th
e early 1950s first usin
g m
arketg
arden
equ
ipm
ent, th
en h
and
-mo
ve sprin
klers,b
efore m
ovin
g o
nto
raing
un
s – ‘no
t the easiest o
fjo
bs m
ovin
g p
ipes th
rou
gh
4ft po
tato to
ps! H
isN
orfo
lk farm
h
as five
centre
pivo
ts w
hich
certainly m
ake life easier.Tim
is very mu
ch in
volved
in w
ater resou
rces. He
is a mem
ber o
f his lo
cal abstracto
r gro
up
and
isth
e spo
kesman
for th
e NFU
’s water p
olicy g
rou
p.
He is p
articularly co
ncern
ed ab
ou
t energ
y use in
irrigatio
n as h
e believes th
ere are po
ssibilities fo
rred
ucin
g co
nsu
mp
tion
for th
e ben
efit of b
oth
farmin
g an
d th
e enviro
nm
ent.
pag
e 3
Figu
re 1Po
tential so
il mo
isture d
eficit (PSMD
)fro
m 1962-2006 at Silso
e (Bed
ford
shire), w
ith2006 h
igh
ligh
ted in
a darker sh
ade.
LAN
DSC
APE W
AT
ERIN
G SY
STEM
S LIMIT
ED
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iltshire•SP3 5EB
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enquiries@lw
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