Agriculture Act 2020 Alert Sample


Alert Sample

View the Parallel Parliament page for the Agriculture Act 2020

Information since 9 Nov 2023, 2:58 p.m.


Agriculture Act 2020 mentioned

Parliamentary Debates
Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024
13 speeches (3,837 words)
Monday 25th March 2024 - Lords Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Lord Douglas-Miller (Con - Life peer) These regulations make use of powers in the Agriculture Act 2020, introduced by the Government to help - Link to Speech
2: Lord Grantchester (Lab - Excepted Hereditary) Act, opposite the noble Lord, Lord Gardiner. - Link to Speech
3: None While it is now four years since the Agriculture Act, there has been exhaustive consultations and discussions - Link to Speech
4: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab - Life peer) It is four years since the Agriculture Act was passed. - Link to Speech

Food Security
33 speeches (16,930 words)
Thursday 21st March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Philip Dunne (Con - Ludlow) Act 2020, the Government are required to produce a food security assessment every three years. - Link to Speech
2: Theresa Villiers (Con - Chipping Barnet) Act 2020, including the three-yearly report. - Link to Speech
3: Robbie Moore (Con - Keighley) Act 2020 to present to Parliament every three years. - Link to Speech

UK Food Security
24 speeches (4,284 words)
Tuesday 19th March 2024 - Westminster Hall
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Robbie Moore (Con - Keighley) are supported in the foundations of food security, such as the health and the resilience of soil.The Agriculture - Link to Speech
2: Robbie Moore (Con - Keighley) as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors.In the Agriculture - Link to Speech

Draft Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024
9 speeches (2,452 words)
Tuesday 19th March 2024 - General Committees
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Mark Spencer (Con - Sherwood) Farmers are often the victims of such unfairness.The Government introduced new powers in the Agriculture - Link to Speech
2: Daniel Zeichner (Lab - Cambridge) It is almost four years to the day that we sat here discussing the Agriculture Act 2020 which paved the - Link to Speech

Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [Lords]
92 speeches (25,304 words)
Report stage
Tuesday 19th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department for Business and Trade
Mentions:
1: Thérèse Coffey (Con - Suffolk Coastal) One of the key measures in the Agriculture Act 2020 was brought in to validate people’s concerns. - Link to Speech

Oral Answers to Questions
127 speeches (8,870 words)
Wednesday 6th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Scotland Office
Mentions:
1: John Lamont (Con - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) We will use the powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 whenever necessary. - Link to Speech

Groceries Code Adjudicator
9 speeches (3,752 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department for Business and Trade
Mentions:
1: Alistair Carmichael (LD - Orkney and Shetland) Groceries Code Adjudicator can do that quite simply by purchasing the goods through intermediaries.The Agriculture - Link to Speech
2: Kevin Hollinrake (Con - Thirsk and Malton) committed to tackling contractual unfairness that can exist in the agrifood supply chain.Powers in the Agriculture - Link to Speech

Farming
104 speeches (44,531 words)
Monday 4th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Wales Office
Mentions:
1: Fay Jones (Con - Brecon and Radnorshire) importance of food security is why we brought in the three-times-a-year food security report through the Agriculture - Link to Speech
2: George Eustice (Con - Camborne and Redruth) That is why, in the Agriculture Act 2020, we legislated for new powers to introduce fairness in the supply - Link to Speech
3: Thérèse Coffey (Con - Suffolk Coastal) Through the creation of the Agriculture Act 2020, my right hon. - Link to Speech

Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill
37 speeches (16,033 words)
2nd reading
Wednesday 21st February 2024 - Lords Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Lord Carrington (XB - Excepted Hereditary) affecting inputs, and adapting to the most monumental changes brought about by farming policy since the Agriculture - Link to Speech

Oral Answers to Questions
163 speeches (10,105 words)
Thursday 1st February 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Mark Spencer (Con - Sherwood) Powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 allow us to introduce statutory codes of practice to improve market - Link to Speech

Sustainable Farming Incentive: Species Management and ELMS
21 speeches (12,261 words)
Thursday 25th January 2024 - Lords Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Earl of Caithness (Con - Excepted Hereditary) nature, which is one of the reasons why our planet is under such huge stress.However, in 2020, with the Agriculture - Link to Speech

Hedgerows: Legal Protection
24 speeches (11,731 words)
Wednesday 24th January 2024 - Westminster Hall
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Daniel Zeichner (Lab - Cambridge) I remember the discussions that took place during the passage of the Agriculture Act 2020, when some - Link to Speech

Groceries Supply Code of Practice
67 speeches (18,473 words)
Monday 22nd January 2024 - Westminster Hall
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: David Jones (Con - Clwyd West) The Agriculture Act 2020 enables the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to introduce - Link to Speech
2: Anthony Mangnall (Con - Totnes) Friend the Member for Rutland and Melton (Alicia Kearns) about ensuring that the Agriculture Act is used - Link to Speech
3: Greg Smith (Con - Buckingham) The foundation laid by the Agriculture Act is robust, but it is not the only solution. - Link to Speech
4: Daniel Zeichner (Lab - Cambridge) I remind the Minister that the Opposition argued that point during the passage of the Agriculture Act - Link to Speech
5: Mark Spencer (Con - Sherwood) As a result, we took powers in the Agriculture Act to enable the introduction of statutory codes of contractual - Link to Speech

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
1 speech (603 words)
Thursday 11th January 2024 - Written Statements
Department for Business and Trade
Mentions:
1: Greg Hands (Con - Chelsea and Fulham) will be open between 11 January and 22 February.Publication of report pursuant to section 42 of the Agriculture - Link to Speech

Public Sector Food Procurement
41 speeches (8,870 words)
Tuesday 12th December 2023 - Westminster Hall
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Kerry McCarthy (Lab - Bristol East) He went down very well with the audience—this was before the Agriculture Act 2020 came in—because it - Link to Speech

Draft Agriculture (Delinked Payments and Consequential Provisions) (England) Regulations 2023
11 speeches (3,397 words)
Wednesday 6th December 2023 - General Committees
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Daniel Zeichner (Lab - Cambridge) discussed many very similar statutory instruments over the past three years or so, and debated the Agriculture - Link to Speech

Water Companies: Executive Bonuses
112 speeches (20,665 words)
Tuesday 5th December 2023 - Commons Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Mentions:
1: Robbie Moore (Con - Keighley) Labour and the Lib Dems voted against reducing pollution in the Agriculture Act 2020. - Link to Speech

Food and Biological Security: Agricultural Fungicide
12 speeches (5,452 words)
Thursday 23rd November 2023 - Grand Committee
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Mentions:
1: Lord Benyon (Con - Life peer) Biological Security Strategy and next year’s edition of the UK Food Security Report—a requirement of the Agriculture - Link to Speech

Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [HL]
58 speeches (37,857 words)
2nd reading
Tuesday 21st November 2023 - Lords Chamber
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Mentions:
1: Lord Trees (XB - Life peer) The Section 42 report required under the Agriculture Act 2020 will be available after that, and formal - Link to Speech

King’s Speech
90 speeches (46,581 words)
Thursday 9th November 2023 - Lords Chamber
Department of Health and Social Care
Mentions:
1: Lord Carrington (XB - Excepted Hereditary) As a cautionary tale, we passed the Agriculture Act in 2020 and the Environment Act in 2021, but we still - Link to Speech



Select Committee Documents
Thursday 28th March 2024
Special Report - Third Special Report - UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: Government Response to the Committee’s Second Report

Business and Trade Committee

Found: The TAC’s advice informed the Government’s statutory report under section 42 of the Agriculture Act

Thursday 21st March 2024
Special Report - Second Special Report - Soil Health: Government Response to the Committee’s First Report of Session 2023–24

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: Committee’s First Report of Session 2023–24 8 There is a commitment in Part 1 Chapter 1 Section 6 of the Agriculture

Thursday 21st March 2024
Special Report - Fourth Special Report - Environmental change and food security: Government Response to the Committee’s Second Report

Environmental Audit Committee

Found: The Agriculture Act 2020 also imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to

Tuesday 19th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Arla Foods, Associated British Foods, Kraft Heinz, and Unilever

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: Q204 Mrs Murray: I would like to turn to the Agriculture Act, which, of course, would not have been

Tuesday 19th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Dairy UK, Provision Trade Federation, and The Agricultural Industries Confederation

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: Q204 Mrs Murray: I would like to turn to the Agriculture Act, which, of course, would not have been

Thursday 7th March 2024
Report - Second Report - Insect decline and UK food security

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: They include: the National Pollinator Strategy, Agriculture Act 2020, Environment Act 2021, Green Recovery

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Food and Drink Federation
FSC0064 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Tuesday 27th February 2024
Oral Evidence - World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), Sustain, Feedback, and British Egg Industry Council

UK trade policy: food and agriculture - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: The Agriculture Act allowed for the formation of the Trade and Agriculture Commission, which is supposed

Friday 23rd February 2024
Report - Twelfth Report - 6 Statutory Instruments Reported

Statutory Instruments (Joint Committee)

Found: One of the enabling powers is section 38(5) of the Agriculture Act 2020.

Wednesday 21st February 2024
Written Evidence - Bar Council
REUL20006 - Retained EU law: the progress and mechanics of reform

Retained EU law: the progress and mechanics of reform - European Scrutiny Committee

Found: replace retained EU law: examples include the Medicines and Medical Devices Act 2021 and the Agriculture

Tuesday 20th February 2024
Written Evidence - Andrew Humphries
ECL0052 - Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors

Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: (e) Agriculture Act State which later became MAF.

Tuesday 20th February 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Minister for Trade Policy relating to CPTPP accession and CRaG, 9 February 2024

Business and Trade Committee

Found: The Governmen t also published a report pursuant to Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 on 11 January

Monday 19th February 2024
Report - Second Report - UK accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Business and Trade Committee

Found: Under the Agriculture Act 2020, before the Government can lay an FTA under CRaG, it must lay a “section

Monday 12th February 2024
Government Response - UK Government response to Lords Horticultural Sector Committee report-Session 2022-23

Horticultural Sector Committee

Found: The Agriculture Act 2020 requires that the UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) is produced at least every

Tuesday 30th January 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Minister for Trade Policy relating to CPTPP Trade Bill introduction to the House of Commons, 24 January 2024

Business and Trade Committee

Found: • The Government published its own report as required by Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020

Tuesday 9th January 2024
Oral Evidence - Bakers, Food and Allied Workers Union, Association of Labour Providers, and Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX)

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: If there is abuse of power, it starts from the very top and the Agriculture Act powers don’t include

Tuesday 9th January 2024
Written Evidence - Dr Carrie Bradshaw
FSC0062 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: specifications to reject food due to changes in demand as an unfair trading practice.35,42,54 The Agriculture

Tuesday 9th January 2024
Oral Evidence - British Apples and Pears Ltd, National Pig Association (NPA), and Riverford Organic Farmers

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: If there is abuse of power, it starts from the very top and the Agriculture Act powers don’t include

Tuesday 19th December 2023
Oral Evidence - Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP, Prime Minister

Liaison Committee (Commons)

Found: What is more pressing is that it uses the existing powers it has under the Agriculture Act to make

Tuesday 12th December 2023
Written Evidence - Stafford Borough Council Community climate change panel.
FSC0007 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: for supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Friday 8th December 2023
Report - Second Report - Environmental change and food security

Environmental Audit Committee

Found: The Agriculture Act 2020 committed the Government to assess UK food security at least once every three

Tuesday 5th December 2023
Written Evidence - Transform Trade
FSC0061 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Tuesday 5th December 2023
Report - First Report - Soil health

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: that the Government should introduce statutory supply chain codes of practice using powers under the Agriculture

Thursday 30th November 2023
Written Evidence - Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
WoD0003 - Work of Defra

Work of Defra - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: and publish a retrospective view of the financial assistance provided through our schemes under the Agriculture

Tuesday 28th November 2023
Written Evidence - The Trails Trust
WoD0029 - Work of Defra

Work of Defra - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: announcement, the TTT Chairman asked Defra to use the term ‘public access’ (as described in the Agriculture

Friday 17th November 2023
Special Report - First Special Report - Food Security: Government Response to the Committee’s Seventh Report of 2022-23

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: security summit should, as a minimum, cover the five statutory aspects of food security as set out in the Agriculture

Thursday 16th November 2023
Report - 2nd Report - Drawn to the special attention of the House: Draft Wine (Revocation and Consequential Provision) Regulations 2023; Includes information paragraphs on: Private Crossings (Signs and Barriers) Regulations 2023 Official Controls (Plant Health) (Prior Notification) and Phytosanitary Conditions (Amendment) Regulations 2023 Dangerous Dogs (Designated Types) (England and Wales) Order 2023 Childcare (Childminder Agencies) (Cancellation etc.) (Amendment) Regulations 2023

Secondary Legislation Scrutiny Committee

Found: It is being made under the Agriculture Act 2020 and will implement the CPTPP provision relating to ice

Tuesday 14th November 2023
Oral Evidence - Which?, University of Liverpool, and University of Leeds

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: Are the Government making the best use of the fair dealing clause in the Agriculture Act to promote

Tuesday 14th November 2023
Written Evidence - Asda Stores Ltd
FSC0038 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: for supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Tuesday 14th November 2023
Written Evidence - Co-operatives UK
FSC0023 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: for supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Tuesday 14th November 2023
Written Evidence - University of Birmingham
FSC0011 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: for supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Tuesday 14th November 2023
Written Evidence - British Independent Fruit Growers' Association
FSC0008 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Tuesday 14th November 2023
Written Evidence - Ulster University
FSC0006 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: for supermarkets’ direct suppliers, as well as the Secretary of State’s powers under Part 3 of the Agriculture

Tuesday 14th November 2023
Oral Evidence - University of Leeds and member of the Global Food and Environment Institute, and The Wildlife Trust and former Head of Sustainable Farming, Sustain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee

Found: Are the Government making the best use of the fair dealing clause in the Agriculture Act to promote



Written Answers
Beef: Production
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Tuesday 19th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic beef production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The British beef sector is highly resilient and plays a significant role in the production of high- quality meat for both the domestic market and for export. It operates in an open market and the value of commodities is established by those in the supply chain. The government continues to work closely with the beef industry and to monitor the impacts of the range of commercial, environmental and market related factors which influence a farmer’s decision to rear beef.

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at GOV.UK.  UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.

Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.

Sugar Beet: Production
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Thursday 14th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic sugar beet production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For around 2,300 growers in the East of England sugar beet plays a vital role in soil and crop health in the arable farm rotation, allowing a season of “rest” from cereal production. Farmers consider a range of factors, including global market developments in price, their soil type and their long-term agronomic strategy, when deciding which crops they should include in their crop rotation. Domestic disease and pest pressures and the weather will also impact the quality of the crop and resulting sugar production levels.

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at GOV.UK. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.

Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.

Environmental Land Management Schemes
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Tuesday 12th March 2024

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to review the effectiveness of the Environmental Land Management scheme.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Impact and Value for Money Evaluation of ELM is a vital component of our reporting commitment under the Agriculture Act (2020) and it builds on our experience of delivering, monitoring and evaluating agri-environment schemes over the last few decades, working closely with farmers, land managers and wider industry stakeholders and research specialists. We are in the process of both developing and delivering on our monitoring and evaluation plans for each of the Environmental Land Management schemes, recognising the phased rollout of the schemes.

More specifically, in the Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot, land managers are supported through monitoring and site visits to track how they are delivering their outcomes, with final reporting on the impact and value for money of the SFI pilot being delivered in 2025. Monitoring and evaluation of the SFI23 offer is underway, working closely with land managers to understand their experiences in the scheme and their ability to deliver effectively, and this year we will begin utilising a mixed methods research approach using field surveys, modelling and expert assessments of the effectiveness of the sustainable management achieved under the scheme to assess the impact of this offer. Countryside Stewardship has a long history of impact monitoring and evaluation, with data collected spanning nearly 25 years for some holdings within the scheme. This work continues and will adapt and combine with the SFI monitoring and evaluation programme as the Combined Offer is realised. Within Landscape Recovery, each project is responsible for developing and delivering on their monitoring, evaluation, and learning strategy and there is also scheme-level monitoring and evaluation which is helping us learn about scheme effectiveness to enable ongoing improvements. Cross-cutting impact monitoring and evaluation will utilise various methods to establish the aggregate impacts of the schemes over the long-term and help determine the value for money of ELM as a whole.

Wheat
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic wheat production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at GOV.UK. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.

Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.

Barley
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic barley production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at GOV.UK. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.

Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.

Sheep Meat
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic lamb production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at GOV.UK. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.

Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.

Milk
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic milk production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at GOV.UK. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.

Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.

Food Supply
Asked by: Lord Framlingham (Conservative - Life peer)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic food production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at GOV.UK. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.

Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.

Cattle: Methane
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Monday 4th March 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the reduction of methane in the cattle sector.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Achieving the net zero target is a priority for the Government. The Net Zero Growth Plan and Environmental Improvement Plan set out a range of specific commitments to further reduce emissions from agriculture. To deliver towards these we are developing a range of measures through the Agriculture Act and our farming policy, all with the aim of enabling farmers to optimise sustainable food production and reduce greenhouse gas emissions from agriculture.

Defra considers that Methane Suppressing Feed Products (MSFPs) are an essential tool to decarbonise the agriculture sector. In England, our objective is to establish a mature market for these products, encourage uptake and mandate the use of MSFPs in appropriate cattle systems as soon as feasibly possible and no later than 2030. We are committed to working with farmers and industry to achieve this goal, and in early March will convene the inaugural meeting of a Ministerial-led industry taskforce on MSFPs.

In 2023, Defra launched the second round of the Slurry Infrastructure Grants in England, offering £74 million to farmers to improve their slurry stores. As a condition of the grant, farmers are required to cover slurry stores with impermeable covers to minimise ammonia and methane emissions. The grant can also be used for projects which aid methane recovery (the grant does not fund the methane recovery element itself).

The Environment Agency has published a corresponding regulatory position statement (RPS 259, copy attached), which sets out a clear regulatory framework to allow methane capture from slurry under suitable circumstances.

Food Supply
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Monday 19th February 2024

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve food security.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.

Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.

UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.

Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. The next Food Security Report will be published by the end of 2024.

The Farm to Fork Summit also took place on 16 May 2023. Discussions focused on bringing great British food to the world; building resilience and transparency; strengthening sustainability and productivity across the supply chain; and growing an innovative, skilled food and farming sector. Engagement with the entire supply chain continues as we deliver the commitments from the summit.

Food Supply: Inflation
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Tuesday 6th February 2024

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the implications for his policies on food security of trends in the level of inflation.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government’s UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) contains an analysis of statistical data relating to food security.

Defra will publish the next version later this year, as required by the 2020 Agriculture Act.

It will include analysis of the trends of price inflation, international commodity prices, energy and fertiliser prices in the context of UK food security.

Groceries Code Adjudicator
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Tuesday 6th February 2024

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Groceries Supply Code of Practice for (a) farmers and (b) others impacted.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Groceries Supply Code of Practice (GSCOP) sets out how designated retailers should manage their relationship with suppliers and was intended to protect food and drink suppliers to major supermarkets from being treated unfairly. It is enforced by the Grocery Code Adjudicator (GCA), and the most recent review published in July 2023 found the GCA to be an effective regulator.

However, most farmers do not supply supermarkets directly and so they are not covered by the GSCOP. As a result, powers were introduced in the Agriculture Act 2020 to enable the introduction of statutory codes of contractual practice to protect farmers. Since then we have been undertaking supply chain fairness reviews into different sectors of farming to understand the specific issues that farmers face.

Using these powers, we will be introducing new regulations on contractual standards for the dairy sector. We plan to introduce these into to Parliament before the Easter Recess. We expect to introduce regulations relating to the pork sector later in 2024. Two new supply chain fairness reviews were announced at the UK Farm to Fork summit on 16 May 2023, into the egg and fresh produce supply chains. We will analyse the responses and provide a summary of the findings and set out next steps.

This issue was also discussed in a parliamentary debate that took place on 22 January in which Government set out its plans for supporting farmers.

Food: Waste
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Tuesday 6th February 2024

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) reduce food waste at farms and (b) support farmers to ensure that surplus food is redistributed.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government supports a thriving, productive and efficient farming sector that prevents waste occurring in the first place. For instance, we are supporting investment in productivity-boosting equipment, technology and infrastructure through the Farming Investment Fund. This provides grants to farmers, foresters, and growers (including contractors to these sectors) that will help their businesses to prosper, while improving their productivity and enhancing the environment.

We acknowledge that more can be done to reduce food waste in the primary production stage. The ‘fair dealings’ powers contained in the Agriculture Act 2020 can be used to prevent these kinds of unfair trading practices where they occur, as we are aware that unreasonably late cancellations or specification changes can sometimes lead to produce being unharvested. Last year we launched two new supply chain fairness reviews, looking into the egg and fresh produce supply chains, and building on what we have already got underway to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets. The review into the egg supply chain closed on 22 December, and the review of the fresh produce supply chain will close on 22 February. We will publish a summary of responses within 12 weeks of each consultation closing.

The Government works closely with businesses through our delivery partner the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to overcome any barriers to redistribution. This includes the development of guidance and best practice through a sector wide working group, and support for the Target Measure Act approach to understanding and acting on food waste in supply chains, including the redistribution of any surplus should it arise and is supported by the National Farmers Union. Where the NFU stands on food waste – NFUonline

Since 2018, Defra funding of nearly £13 million has supported both large and small redistribution organisations across the country to increase their capability and capacity.

The total amount of food redistributed in the UK in 2022 was over 170,000 tonnes and a value of around £590 million, an increase of 133% since 2019.

Legislation
Asked by: Lord Norton of Louth (Conservative - Life peer)
Monday 22nd January 2024

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to undertake post-legislative review of (1) the Ivory Act 2018, (2) the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019, (3) the Agriculture Act 2020, and (4) the Fisheries Act 2020, in line with the policy of reviewing Acts three to five years after enactment.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Together with other initiatives, post-legislative scrutiny promotes the delivery of meaningful and effective legislation. Post-legislative reviews are tailored for each Act and should be proportional in scope.

The Ivory Act 2018 came into force on 6 June 2022 when the ban on dealing in elephant ivory commenced. To allow an effective assessment to be made of how the Act is working in practice, we are recommending that a post-legislative review be undertaken in due course in line with the three-to-five-year timeframe from when the Act came into effect rather than the date of Royal Assent.

Defra, as the Act's enforcement authority, monitors routinely the Wild Animals in Circuses Act 2019 and will discuss the most appropriate way to review the 2019 Act with the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.

Defra intends to undertake post-legislative review of the Agriculture Act 2020 by no later than November 2025.

Post-legislative scrutiny of the Fisheries Act 2020 will be taken forward within the three to five years’ timeframe after Royal Assent. In planning the timing of the post-legislative scrutiny, we need to consider that the Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS) required by the Act was published in November 2022, the first Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) as required by both the Act and the JFS, were published at the end of December 2023. The Act also requires review of the JFS and FMPs. We are considering the most appropriate point for the post-legislative review.

Groceries Code Adjudicator
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Friday 19th January 2024

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of empowering the Groceries Code Adjudicator to provide additional protections for farmers who are at risk of unfair practices.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has already launched a review to increase fairness in the fresh produce supply chain in December 2023, building on what we have already got underway to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets and the. Following this, we will analyse the responses and consider the need for providing additional protections for farmers at risk of unfair practices.

This review seeks to understand issues relating to fairness in the supply chain across the whole of the UK. If responses indicate there are contractual issues that we believe we should seek to address, the powers in the Agriculture Act apply to the whole of the UK. If regulations are developed, we will engage widely with stakeholders, including the devolved administrations, to ensure that legislation works for all parts of the UK and incorporate special provision for differing circumstances, if necessary.

A parliamentary debate is scheduled for 22 January to debate reforming the grocery supply code of practice to better protect farmers where the issues you’ve raised will be discussed.

Agriculture: Supermarkets
Asked by: Laurence Robertson (Conservative - Tewkesbury)
Friday 19th January 2024

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 increase protections for farmers who sell produce to supermarkets.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has already launched a review to increase fairness in the fresh produce supply chain in December 2023, building on what we have already got underway to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets and the. Following this, we will analyse the responses and consider the need for providing additional protections for farmers at risk of unfair practices.

This review seeks to understand issues relating to fairness in the supply chain across the whole of the UK. If responses indicate there are contractual issues that we believe we should seek to address, the powers in the Agriculture Act apply to the whole of the UK. If regulations are developed, we will engage widely with stakeholders, including the devolved administrations, to ensure that legislation works for all parts of the UK and incorporate special provision for differing circumstances, if necessary.

A parliamentary debate is scheduled for 22 January to debate reforming the grocery supply code of practice to better protect farmers where the issues you’ve raised will be discussed.

Food: Charities
Asked by: Tahir Ali (Labour - Birmingham, Hall Green)
Wednesday 29th November 2023

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to help support farmers to redistribute their surplus food to food charities.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government supports a thriving, productive and efficient farming sector that prevents waste occurring in the first place. For instance, we are supporting investment in productivity-boosting equipment, technology and infrastructure through the Farming Investment Fund. This provides grants to farmers, foresters, and growers (including contractors to these sectors) that will help their businesses to prosper, while improving their productivity and enhancing the environment. At the recent Farm to Fork Summit we announced new reviews into fairness in the horticulture and egg supply chain building on what we have already got underway to improve transparency and contracts in the pork and dairy markets. We launched the review into the egg supply chain on 31 October 2023, and will launch a public consultation on horticulture in the coming weeks.

We acknowledge that more can be done to reduce food waste in the primary production stage. The ‘fair dealings’ powers contained in the Agriculture Act 2020 can be used to prevent these kinds of unfair trading practices where they occur, as we are aware that unreasonably late cancellations or specification changes can sometimes lead to produce being unharvested.

The Government works closely with businesses through our delivery partner the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to overcome any barriers to redistribution. This includes the development of guidance and best practice through a sector wide working group, and support for the Target Measure Act (TMA) approach to understanding and acting on food waste in supply chains, including the redistribution of any surplus should it arise and is supported by the National Farmers Union (NF8). Where the NFU stands on food waste – NFUonline.

Since 2018, Defra funding of nearly £13m has supported both large and small redistribution organisations across the country to increase their capability and capacity.

The total amount of food redistributed in the UK in 2022 was over 170,000 tonnes and a value of around £590 million, an increase of 133% since 2019.

Health Impact Assessment: Trade Negotiations
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of undertaking health impact assessments for future free trade agreement negotiations.

Answered by Andrew Stephenson - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department of Health and Social Care does not carry out specific health impact assessments for Free Trade Agreements (FTAs). Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 commits the Government to produce a report which examines new FTAs in the context of their impact on domestic statutory protections in the United Kingdom, including the impact on human health. This report must be laid in Parliament as part of the scrutiny process. This process has also been applied to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) Agreement.

The “Section 42 report”, as it is known, is led by the Department for Business and Trade, and is drafted in consultation with other Government departments, including the Department of Health and Social Care.

Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership: Pesticides
Asked by: Charlotte Nichols (Labour - Warrington North)
Tuesday 14th November 2023

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department had with the Department for Business and Trade during the negotiation of accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership; and what assessment her Department has made of the (a) implications for her policies and (b) potential impact on exports of differing standards of pesticide use in states party to that Agreement.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and Department for Business and Trade (DBT) officials worked closely together to deliver the successful negotiation of the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP).

The Impact Assessment relating to the UK’s accession to the CPTPP agreement is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/cptpp-impact-assessment. It sets out the Government’s assessment of the economic, social, and environmental impacts of the agreement.

The independent Trade and Agriculture Commission (TAC) will also produce a report by 30 November on whether the UK’s accession to the CPTPP agreement is consistent with the maintenance of statutory protections in relation to animal and plant health and life, animal welfare and the environment. Informed by the TAC’s conclusions and advice from the Food Standard Agency and Food Standards Scotland, the Government will then lay its own report under section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020.

Finally, the Hon. Member asks about the potential impact on exports to the UK of differing standards of pesticide use in states party to the CPTPP Agreement. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. Decisions on these standards will remain a matter for the UK and will be made separately from any trade agreements.  Nothing in the CPTPP agreement creates new permissions for imports. All agri-food products must comply with the UK’s import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market.



Secondary Legislation
Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024
These Regulations make provision in respect of commercial contracts for the purchase of milk between persons purchasing milk in the course of carrying on their business (business purchasers) and producers.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Draft affirmative
Laid: Wednesday 21st February - In Force: Not stated

Found: Draft Regulations laid before Parliament under sections 29(10) and 50(6)(a) of the Agriculture Act 2020

South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (Election of Mayor and Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024
This Order makes provision amending the date of the election of the mayor of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (“the Mayor”), and providing for the transfer of police and crime commissioner (“PCC”) functions from the police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire to the Mayor.
Home Office
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Draft affirmative
Laid: Wednesday 7th February - In Force: Not stated

Found: Section 5(3)(baa) of the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976 (no statutory tenancy where landlord’s interest

West Midlands Combined Authority (Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024
This Order makes provision for the transfer of police and crime commissioner (“PCC”) functions from the police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands to the Mayor of the West Midlands (“the Mayor”).
Home Office
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Draft affirmative
Laid: Wednesday 7th February - In Force: Not stated

Found: Section 5(3)(baa) of the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976 (no statutory tenancy where landlord’s interest

Agricultural Holdings (Units of Production) (England) Order 2024
This Order prescribes units of production for the assessment of the productive capacity of agricultural land situated in England as required by paragraph 4 of Schedule 6 to the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 (c. 5) (“the 1986 Act”) and sets out the amount which is to be regarded as the net annual income from each such unit for the period of 12 months beginning with 23rd February 2024 for certain purposes.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Made negative
Laid: Thursday 11th January - In Force: 23 Feb 2024

Found: line with the commencement of the repeal of Schedule 6 to the 1986 Act (contained in Schedule 3 to the Agriculture

Wine (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2024
These Regulations make amendments to assimilated direct legislation relating to the marketing of wine and oenological practices used to produce and conserve wine and other wine products. They apply in England.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Draft affirmative
Laid: Monday 4th December - In Force: 15 Jul 2024

Found: Draft Regulations laid before Parliament under section 50(6)(a) of the Agriculture Act 2020, for approval

Common Organisation of the Markets in Agricultural Products (Marketing Standards and Organic Products) (Transitional Provisions) (Amendment) Regulations 2023
These Regulations are made in exercise of the powers conferred by Articles 89(a) and 227(4) of Regulation (EU) No 1308/2013 of the European Parliament and of the Council establishing a common organisation of the markets in agricultural products (EUR 2013/1308), and sections 38(5) and 50(3) of the Agriculture Act 2020 (c. 21).
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Made negative
Laid: Thursday 23rd November - In Force: 1 Jan 2024

Found: common organisation of the markets in agricultural products(1) and sections 38(5) and 50(3) of the Agriculture



Bill Documents
Mar. 14 2024
Keeling Schedule Showing changes which would be made by the Renters (Reform) Bill (as introduced) and by amendments made at Commons Committee to the Housing Act 2004, should the Bill receive Royal Assent
Renters (Reform) Bill 2022-23
Keeling schedules

Found: premises in order to comply with order Nothing in— (a) the Rent Act 1977 (c 42) or the Rent (Agriculture

Dec. 06 2023
Bill 15 2023-24 (as amended in Public Bill Committee)
Renters (Reform) Bill 2022-23
Bill

Found: being by virtue of any provision of Schedule 1 to the Rent Act 1977 or section 4 of the Rent (Agriculture

Dec. 06 2023
Bill 15 2022-23 (as amended in Public Bill Committee) - large print
Renters (Reform) Bill 2022-23
Bill

Found: into being by virtue of any provision of Schedule 1 to the Rent Act 1977 or section 4 of the Rent (Agriculture

Nov. 16 2023
Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill [HL]: HL Bill 4
Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Act 2024
Briefing papers

Found: information about Parliament’s role in ratifying international treaties, including provisions under the Agriculture



Department Publications - Statistics
Tuesday 19th March 2024
Ministry of Justice
Source Page: Criminal Justice System statistics quarterly: June 2023
Document: (Excel)

Found: offencesSNMSummary non-motoring101 Adulteration of Food, Drug, etc.1010210102 - Summary offences under Agriculture



Department Publications - News and Communications
Tuesday 19th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: New measures to help protect poultry industry from bird flu
Document: 2018 Dame Glenys Stacey Review (PDF)

Found: Instruments Legislation Type Animal Welfare Act 2006 (replaced the Animal Health and Welfare Act 1984) Act Agriculture



Department Publications - Policy and Engagement
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: The Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016: Keeling Schedule
Document: The Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016: Keeling Schedule (PDF)

Found: ) a tenancy of a dwelling -house by virtue of which the debtor is, within the meaning of the Rent (Agriculture

Friday 9th February 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Government response to House of Lords, Horticultural Sector Committee - report of session 2022 to 2023
Document: Government response to the House of Lords, Horticultural Sector Committee - report of session 2022 to 2023 (PDF)

Found: The Agriculture Act 2020 requires that the UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) is produced at least every

Thursday 11th January 2024
Department for Business and Trade
Source Page: UK’s accession protocol to CPTPP: report under Section 42 of Agriculture Act 2020
Document: UK’s accession protocol to CPTPP: report under Section 42 of Agriculture Act 2020 (webpage)

Found: UK’s accession protocol to CPTPP: report under Section 42 of Agriculture Act 2020

Thursday 11th January 2024
Department for Business and Trade
Source Page: UK’s accession protocol to CPTPP: report under Section 42 of Agriculture Act 2020
Document: Report pursuant to Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020 (PDF version) (PDF)

Found: UK’s accession protocol to CPTPP: report under Section 42 of Agriculture Act 2020



Department Publications - Guidance
Monday 19th February 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Source Page: Protocol on the Accession of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership [MS No.2/2024]
Document: (webpage)

Found: Furthermore, secondary legislation under section 50(6)(a) of the Agriculture Act 2020 will introduce



Department Publications - Transparency
Friday 1st December 2023
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Source Page: National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure (in force until early 2024)
Document: Annexes to Appraisal of Sustainability for the revised draft Overarching National Policy Statement for Energy (EN-1) (PDF)

Found: Act (as amended 1999) • 1968 Countryside Act • 1983 National Heritage Act (amended 2002) • 1986 Agriculture



Department Publications - Policy paper
Wednesday 22nd November 2023
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Source Page: National Policy Statements for energy: appraisal of sustainability
Document: National Policy Statements for energy: appraisal of sustainability - appendices volume I (PDF)

Found: Ensure flora and fauna is considered within the AoS framework The Agriculture Act 2020 The Agriculture

Wednesday 22nd November 2023
Department for Energy Security & Net Zero
Source Page: National Policy Statements for energy: appraisal of sustainability
Document: National Policy Statements for energy: appraisal of sustainability - main report (PDF)

Found: The Great Britain Invasive Non -native Species Strategy 2023 Ancient Woodland Inventory The Agriculture



Non-Departmental Publications - News and Communications
Mar. 19 2024
The Scottish Government
Source Page: New measures to help protect poultry industry from bird flu
Document: 2018 Dame Glenys Stacey Review (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: Instruments Legislation Type Animal Welfare Act 2006 (replaced the Animal Health and Welfare Act 1984) Act Agriculture



Non-Departmental Publications - Transparency
Jan. 31 2024
Food Standards Agency
Source Page: Food Standards Agency annual report and accounts 2022/23
Document: (PDF)
Transparency

Found: in line with the principles established by the FSA Board, contributing to government’s Section 42 (Agriculture

Dec. 06 2023
Natural England
Source Page: Natural England annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023
Document: Natural England annual report and accounts 2022 to 2023 (PDF)
Transparency

Found: the vision set out five years ago in the 25YEP with new powers and duties from the Environment Act, Agriculture



Non-Departmental Publications - Policy paper
Jan. 17 2024
Office for Environmental Protection
Source Page: Progress in improving the natural environment in England 2022 to 2023
Document: Progress in improving the natural environment in England 2022 to 2023 (PDF)
Policy paper

Found: schemes. 269 AES follow the principle of spending public money for public goods as envisaged in the Agriculture



Non-Departmental Publications - Guidance and Regulation
Dec. 21 2023
Valuation Office Agency
Source Page: Valuation Office Agency Rent Officers: E-update
Document: VOA Rent Officers e-Update: Issue 9 - December 2023 (PDF)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: This may happen even if they finish work after 15th January 1989 and is allowed for in the Rent (Agriculture



Non-Departmental Publications - Statistics
Dec. 07 2023
Trade and Agriculture Commission
Source Page: CPTPP accession: advice from Trade and Agriculture Commission
Document: Trade and Agriculture Commission: advice to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the Accession Protocol of the UK to CPTPP (PDF)
Statistics

Found: 6 December 2021, state as follows: The TAC ’s purpose is to provide advice under section 42 of the Agriculture



Draft Secondary Legislation
The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024
These Regulations make provision in respect of commercial contracts for the purchase of milk between persons purchasing milk in the course of carrying on their business (business purchasers) and producers.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Draft Regulations laid before Parliament under sections 29(10) and 50(6)(a) of the Agriculture Act 2020

The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024
These Regulations make provision in respect of commercial contracts for the purchase of milk between persons purchasing milk in the course of carrying on their business (business purchasers) and producers.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Draft Regulations laid before Parliament under sections 29(10) and 50(6)(a) of the Agriculture Act 2020

The West Midlands Combined Authority (Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024
This Order makes provision for the transfer of police and crime commissioner (“PCC”) functions from the police and crime commissioner for the West Midlands to the Mayor of the West Midlands (“the Mayor”).
Home Office

Found: Section 5(3)(baa) of the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976 (no statutory tenancy where landlord’s interest

The South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (Election of Mayor and Transfer of Police and Crime Commissioner Functions) Order 2024
This Order makes provision amending the date of the election of the mayor of the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority (“the Mayor”), and providing for the transfer of police and crime commissioner (“PCC”) functions from the police and crime commissioner for South Yorkshire to the Mayor.
Home Office

Found: Section 5(3)(baa) of the Rent (Agriculture) Act 1976 (no statutory tenancy where landlord’s interest

The Wine (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2024
These Regulations make amendments to assimilated direct legislation relating to the marketing of wine and oenological practices used to produce and conserve wine and other wine products. They apply in England.
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Draft Regulations laid before Parliament under section 50(6)(a) of the Agriculture Act 2020, for approval




Agriculture Act 2020 mentioned in Scottish results


Scottish Select Committee Publications
Thursday 8th February 2024
Report - A report by the Economy and Fair Work Committee following consideration of the Scottish Government's Legislative Consent Memorandum on the Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill
Report on the Legislative Consent Memorandum for the Trade (Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership) Bill

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Found: Agreement for T rans- Pacific Partnership) Bill, 2nd Report, 2024 (Session 6) 212.section 42 of the UK Agriculture

Monday 5th February 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, 5 February 2024
UK subordinate legislation - Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Found: The SI is made under section 29 of the Agriculture Act 2020 (power of the Secretary of State to make

Friday 26th January 2024
Report - A report by the Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee of its consideration of the delegated powers in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1.
Delegated powers in the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill at Stage 1

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Found: be made under the new section 6(1) power and avoids any implication, given section 22(2)(a) of the Agriculture

Thursday 25th January 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, and the Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade, 25 January 2024
Comprehensive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership

Economy and Fair Work Committee

Found: The Secretary of State for International Trade is required by Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020

Thursday 25th January 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs and Islands, Mairi Gougeon, 25 January 2024
Comprehensive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP)

Rural Affairs and Islands Committee

Found: The Secretary of State for International Trade is required by Section 42 of the Agriculture Act 2020

Friday 12th January 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands to the Convener, 12 February 2024
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill response from the Scottish Government

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Found: it does in the equivalent provision for England & Wales in section 22(2)(a) and (b) of the Agriculture

Wednesday 20th December 2023
Correspondence - Letter from the Convener to the Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Land Reform and Islands, 20 December 2023
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill

Delegated Powers and Law Reform Committee

Found: it does in the equivalent provision for England & Wales in section 22(2)(a) and (b) of the Agriculture



Scottish Cross Party Group Publications
Minutes of the meeting held on 26 September 2023 (PDF)
Source Page: Cross-Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Rural Policy
Published: 26th Sep 2023

Found: Jonnie discussed the provisions within the UK Agriculture Act related to producer organi sations and



Scottish Government Publications
Tuesday 19th March 2024
Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Source Page: Agricultural Wages in Scotland Twenty Eighth Edition: A Guide for Workers and Employers
Document: Order 2024 English (ENG) (PDF)

Found: on it by sections 3 and 7 of the Agricultural Wages (Scotland) Act 1949(a ) and section 67 of the Agriculture



Scottish Parliamentary Research (SPICe)
The Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill
Friday 24th November 2023
The Scottish Government introduced the Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill in September 2023. The bill gives Scottish Ministers the powers to develop a new package of rural policy and support. This briefing includes an explanation of what the bill does, as well as background information on rural policy development to date.
View source webpage

Found: For example: •Repealing Section 17 of the Agriculture Act 1986 removes a duty to "balance interests in

The Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership
Friday 21st April 2023
On 31 March 2023 it was announced that the UK Government had substantially concluded negotiations on the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP). This briefing sets out what the CPTPP is, why the UK has asked to join it and what membership means in practice.
View source webpage

Found: advice of the Trade & Agriculture Commission , as well as laying its own report under section 42 of the Agriculture

Agricultural Support Framework
Tuesday 28th June 2022
This briefing discusses the Agricultural Support Framework . The Agricultural Support Framework sets out how the UK and devolved governments propose to work together on arrangements for future agricultural support. It also provides background information on the common frameworks programme.
View source webpage

Found: TheUK Agriculture Act received royal assent on 1 1 November 2020.

Fertilisers Common Framework
Monday 27th June 2022
This briefing discusses the Fertilisers Common Framework. It sets out how the UK Government and devolved governments propose to work together in policy areas affecting fertilisers. It also provides background information on the common frameworks programme.
View source webpage

Found: These regulations set out the requirements for “fertilisers” as defined in the Agriculture Act 1970 and

Organic Production Framework
Monday 27th June 2022
This briefing discusses the Organic Production Common Framework. The Organic Production Framework sets out how the UK Government and devolved governments propose to work together in policy areas covering organic production and certification. This includes the principles and overarching standards for organic production and certification; official
View source webpage

Found: (Equivalence and Control Bodies Listing) (Amendment) Regulations 2021 The framework also lists the Agriculture

Animal health and welfare - Subject Profile
Thursday 19th August 2021
This briefing provides an overview of animal welfare and animal health policy in Scotland. It outlines key legislation, roles and responsibilities, and topical issues for domestic animals, wildlife, and farmed animals ahead of Session 6 of the Scottish Parliament.
View source webpage

Found: However ,the Commission was put on a stronger footing in November 2020 in the final stages of passing the Agriculture

Land Use and Rural Policy: Subject Profile
Thursday 19th August 2021
This briefing outlines issues and policy developments in relation to land use and rural policy. It outlines the context for Scotland's land use policies and addresses each of Scotland's major land uses in turn, highlighting key legislation and topical issues ahead of Session 6 of the Scottish Parliament.
View source webpage

Found: For England, the Agriculture Act 2020 led to the development of new ‘Environmental Land Management Schemes

Key Issues for Session 6: COVID, Climate and Constitution
Wednesday 12th May 2021
This briefing has been produced by the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (SPICe), which is the Parliament’s impartial research service. It identifies some of the key issues that MSPs may face in the Parliament’s sixth Session. It is intended to assist MSPs and their staff, who are encouraged to contact SPICe if they require further information on these or any other topics.
View source webpage

Found: For England, the Agriculture Act 2020 led to the development of new ‘Environmental Land Management Schemes

Update to the Climate Change Plan - Key Sectors
Tuesday 12th January 2021
This briefing considers the Scottish Government's Draft Update to the Climate Change Plan.For each of the key sectors, it sets out the expected outcomes of the Climate Change Plan published in 2018, recent reports and recommendations, and what changes have been made in light of the adoption of the net-zero emissions target, set by the Climate Change (Emissions Reduction Targets)
View source webpage

Found: agri-payment systems, cross compliance requirements, payment capping under powers given through the Agriculture

Revised UK Agriculture Bill 2020
Friday 27th March 2020
This briefing considers the UK Agriculture Bill from a Scottish perspective. The Bill was introduced in the House of Commons on 16 January 2020. It follows on from the Agriculture Bill 2018 which was introduced in the House of Commons on 12 September 2018 but which fell at the end of the parliamentary session. Whilst the main purpose of the bill is to provide a legal
View source webpage

Found: Fertilisers (applies to whole of UK) Clause 31 amends the definition of a fertiliser under section 66 of the Agriculture

Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill
Monday 18th November 2019
The Agriculture (Retained EU Law and Data) (Scotland) Bill is intended to provide Scottish Ministers with regulation-making powers to amend or replace the retained EU law in Scotland relating to the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after the UK leaves the EU. The Bill gives Scottish Ministers the power to enable current CAP schemes to continue operating beyond
View source webpage

Found: The Policy Memorandum for the Bill explains that the current powers to collect data come from the Agriculture



Scottish Parliamentary Debates
Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
130 speeches (127,759 words)
Wednesday 27th March 2024 - Main Chamber
Mentions:
1: Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Con - Highlands and Islands) financial memorandum for the bill.The debate has been a long time coming, given that the UK Government’s Agriculture - Link to Speech

Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill: Financial Memorandum
168 speeches (83,546 words)
Tuesday 6th February 2024 - Committee
Mentions:
1: Halcro Johnston, Jamie (Con - Highlands and Islands) able to provide clarity on its vision for agriculture back in 2020, in the bill that became the UK Agriculture - Link to Speech

Agriculture and Rural Communities (Scotland) Bill: Stage 1
187 speeches (135,727 words)
Wednesday 31st January 2024 - Committee
Mentions:
1: None During the years in the CAP, perhaps we lost sight of a point that was clearly in the old agriculture - Link to Speech