Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers in Wiltshire to (a) retain soil moisture and (b) protect (i) crops and (ii) livestock from high temperatures.

Defra is aware of current concerns around ongoing dry conditions, including in Wiltshire, and continues to closely monitor the situation.

Defra has provided support through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), where many farmers are carrying out actions that support soil management including cover cropping, companion cropping, and planting herbal leys which can help protect the soil surface and help improve soil structure and resilience to drought. We are now considering options for a reformed SFI scheme.

Defra’s Farming Equipment and Technology Fund provides grants for commercial livestock farmers towards the cost of a list of items that deliver improvements in animal health and welfare. The latest round launched in May 2025 with a budget of £16.7m and includes kit intended to specifically target heat stress such as cooling systems and fans.

The Environment Agency has produced an updated irrigation prospects report for summer 2025 to inform the agriculture sector of the current water resources situation, to help farmers plan their water needs for summer and improve their water resilience in the longer term.