New irrigation initiative to protect Scotland's water

6th May 2007

Farmers are going to be increasingly dependent upon irrigation to grow their crops along the east coast according to climate change predictions.

Some east coast rivers are already over-abstracted and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) is concerned that water may run out in some of the small burns which farmers depend on if the current dry weather continues. This will cause problems for farmers but will also kill fish and other water life.

SEPA will be starting monitoring work on the Elliot Water near Arbroath which has been chosen as a pilot catchment and will be meeting with farmers in the area in the near future to learn more about irrigation practices on site. The lessons learned from this area will then be rolled out to other affected catchments later in the year.

Scotland's environment watchdog is working to ensure that water resources are distributed fairly between farmers and the environment, particularly in areas where it is scarce.

A SEPA spokesperson said "Over the next two years we will be visiting farmers to learn about irrigation needs and to develop plans which will allocate water resources fairly. This will ensure that a farmer's abstraction needs are protected from upstream abstractions and that sufficient water is left to support fish and other water use downstream."

Over the period to 2012, SEPA will identify where storage may be required in order to maintain water flows in small rivers. Such controls will only be required where absolutely necessary and farmers will be consulted throughout the process.

This is an example of how SEPA is actively working with farmers to protect their water resources whilst also protecting the environment.