Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards their target of ensuring that 50 per cent of publicly procured food is either from local producers in the UK or from suppliers certified to higher environmental standards.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has already published a new national procurement policy statement which sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that British producers are well-placed to meet.
Data collection on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local sustainable sources is currently underway. We expect the work to be completed by Summer 2027.
Defra is considering the policy options available to deliver further on its ambitions for public sector food, including potentially updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of food supplied in (1) schools, (2) prisons, (3) military establishments, and (4) hospitals, is produced in the UK.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We do not currently have access to sufficient data on the proportion of UK-produced food that is purchased across the public sector to produce reliable sector-specific estimates. However, we are carrying out further research to improve the quality, coverage, and understanding of this data and expect to conclude in summer 2027. The findings will inform future policy development, including how we might improve data collection and monitoring arrangements for public sector food procurement, increasing transparency and supporting opportunities for British farmers to benefit from public sector contracts.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to reduce the funding gap in income for farmers between the reduction in the basic payment scheme for farms, and the move to environmental land management schemes.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.
Defra is winding down subsidy payments that do not provide returns on investment. It is targeting public money where it delivers most value, the foundations of long-term food security: healthy soils, clean water, thriving ecosystems.
There are now 50,000 farm businesses and half of all farmed land now managed under Defra schemes, with more money being spent through these schemes than at any point.
Defra has reformed the Sustainable Farming Incentive to ensure more farmers can access funding. The first application window, for small farms and also farms without existing Environmental Land Management revenue agreements, opened on 30 June.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent the Farming Roadmap 2050 will address the funding gap for farmers.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Roadmap provides clear direction towards a future for farming, underpinned by four priorities: profitability, productivity, sustainability and resilience.
It sets out a practical vision for the years ahead: most farms adopting nature-friendly methods that support long-term, profitable food production and develop resilience to global shocks. And it sets out government’s role in backing farmers to grow, invest and compete in order to produce food for domestic and international tables.
This includes investing the record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. It also includes other government action, including ensuring markets work fairly and ensuring farmers have access to private finance.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what role they envisage for farmers in encouraging nature recovery; and what measures they plan to take to reward them for their efforts in this regard.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is backing British farming by maintaining a commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery as set out in the recently published farming roadmap.
This Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament and is investing more than £2.7bn a year in farming and nature recovery.
This includes funding for the Environmental Land Management schemes paid to farmers increasing by around 150%, rising from £800m in 2023/24 towards £2bn by 2028/29.
It also includes up to £400m from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) review, and (2) reduce, the amount of productive farmland being taken out of food production for clean energy schemes.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Land Use Framework (LUF) included a review of the demand for productive farmland from clean energy schemes and makes clear that land use change should be focussed away from our most productive farmland to prioritise resilient food production.
The key decision-making principles in the LUF are already reflected in the National Planning Policy Framework, which supports the effective use of land. Defra is also working with the National Energy System Operator and the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero to ensure that energy infrastructure needs are balanced with other national priorities such as food production and based on the same land use data.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is the evidential basis for their policy to implement a close season for hares; and how this evidence justifies implementing a close season from 1 March to 31 July.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
England is among the few European countries that doesn’t have a close season for killing hares and this Government has stated its intention to introduce one. A close season should reduce the number of adult hares shot in the breeding season, meaning fewer leverets are left motherless and vulnerable.
Evidence suggests the breeding season for hares in England runs from February to October. The plan is to use this timeframe for a close season rather than the narrower period referenced in the question. Regardless, it requires a suitable legislative vehicle for introduction. Defra is exploring every opportunity to find one.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support farmers in recovering the cost of their production of food.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is taking seriously the impacts of the Middle East Conflict on the food and farming sector and is determined to keep costs down for farmers. This Government is taking decisive action to support farmers, including cutting the duty on red diesel to its lowest rate in over 20 years and increasing the frequency of fertiliser price reporting. New tools have been produced to support farmers in increasing their fertiliser efficiency (https://plan-and-manage-nutrient-applications.service.gov.uk/ and here (see attached))).
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the ban on pesticides on (1) agriculture, and (2) insect life; and whether they plan to review the use of pesticides in pet parasite medications.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Pesticides are strictly controlled in the UK. A pesticide may only be placed on the market in Great Britain if the active substance is approved, and the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), which regulates pesticides in the UK. This only happens following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met. Pesticides that pose unacceptable risks are not authorised.
Veterinary medicines follow a different regulatory framework to pesticides, balancing benefits of product use against environmental impacts. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate is analysing responses to an eight‑week call for evidence on certain parasiticides and supporting international environmental risk assessment work.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of evidence indicating damage to marine life caused by offshore windfarms and whether they will commission further research into this area.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All Offshore Wind developments are subject to stringent assessment of their environmental impacts through the consenting process, including Environmental Impact Assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessments and Marine Conservation Zone Assessments.
Where a development may impact protected marine features, the ‘compensation hierarchy’ must be followed where impacts must firstly be avoided then mitigated. If impacts remain after these two stages, suitable environmental compensatory measures are then required as part of the development consenting process.
More broadly, Defra supports research to improve the evidence base on the environmental impact of offshore wind including by partnerships with The Crown Estate and the Offshore Wind Industry Council.