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    Re: Mass crop failures expected in England as farmers demand hosepipe bans Archived Message

    Posted by Ian M on August 13, 2022, 11:13 pm, in reply to "Mass crop failures expected in England as farmers demand hosepipe bans"

    'Half of the potato crop is expected to fail as it cannot be irrigated, and even crops that are usually drought-tolerant, such as maize, have been failing.'

    Here in the west midlands there has been a ban on pumping water out of the river for about a month but I'm told the big potato farmers have been ignoring it because the fine if caught by the Environment Agency is only £20K whereas the crop will be worth ten times that and worthless if not watered. I would be surprised if the EA have any clout to go after farmers or enough resources to monitor what happens anyway, their budget having been axed so brutally since austerity days...

    We have reservoirs that get filled in the winter, also from the river, so are okay for now, but levels have dipped quite dramatically. Sprinkler irrigation in mornings and evenings when we can, but I'm sure a lot of it evaporates in the afternoon heat. Rain for continental Europe, unless it falls in the sea...

    I

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