Notts Time Limited Abstractors Group
(Notts TLAG)

The Notts TLAG group was established in 1992 by Paul Tame (NFU) and five farmers in Idle & Torne catchment in East Midlands when the then National Rivers Authority (NRA) announced their intention not to renew their 10-year groundwater abstraction licences. The group was successful in defending their bid for renewal and since that time relations with the Environment Agency have been good – the Agency preferring to work with the group rather than with individual abstractors. The group operates informally, and the main point of contact is Paul Tame (NFU). Working as a group has brought benefits. For example, they are able to afford professional support for negotiating licence renewal. The Idle & Torne catchment has now been named by the Agency as one of the first four CaBA priority catchments.

The group is expected to be listed as one of the stakeholders representing abstractors in the process of developing innovative approaches to catchment management.