Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many payments from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to farming claimants will decrease in 2025–26 compared to 2024–25 as a result of accelerated reduction to delinked payments and the cessation of new applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All recipients are due to receive less in delinked payments for 2025 versus 2024 as more money is moved to our other schemes for farmers and land managers.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) have been open for a number of years so that farmers can plan ahead and receive payments for improving our countryside and farming food sustainably. We will open up initial applications for CS Higher tier and a revised Environmental Land Management capital grants offer later in the summer.
We will release details of the new SFI scheme later in the year.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following cuts to delinked payments and the cessation of new applications to the Sustainable Farming Incentive, whether they still expect to distribute the full Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs budget of £2.4 billion in 2025–26.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We remain committed to investing £5 billion of funding in the farming budget this year and next (£2.6 billion for 24/25 and the £2.4 billion for 25/26, as previously announced). We are on track to spend all the funding that is available.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many farming claimants will experience a reduction in payments in 2025–26 compared to 2024–25 as a result of the expiration of Sustainable Farming Incentive contracts without replacements being granted.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All recipients are due to receive less in delinked payments for 2025 versus 2024 as more money is moved to our other schemes for farmers and land managers.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship (CS) have been open for a number of years so that farmers can plan ahead and receive payments for improving our countryside and farming food sustainably. We will open up initial applications for CS Higher tier and a revised Environmental Land Management capital grants offer later in the Summer.
We will release details of the new SFI scheme later in the year.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of fish caught in UK territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone was landed at UK ports and harbours in the most recent year for which records exist.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Latest statistics can be found here: MMO Sea Fisheries Statistics 2023. In 2023, 66% of the volume and 78% of the value of landings by UK vessels from the UK territorial waters and the exclusive economic zone were landed at UK ports and harbours. This was 393 thousand tonnes, worth £749 million.
In addition to UK vessels, foreign vessels landed 19 thousand tonnes, worth £27 million into UK ports and harbours in the same year. Most of this fish was caught in UK exclusive economic zone by EU, Norwegian and Faroese flagged vessels who are licensed to fish in UK waters through our international agreements.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of qualified and practising vets in the UK required to ensure that biosecurity regulations can be fully enforced.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Biosecurity can be deployed in multiple settings, it could be by Government vets in a field/lab setting, farm animal vets, or even an expectation for risk mitigation via biosecurity for all vets.
Defra appreciates the incredibly valuable work completed by veterinarians and recognise their essential role in achieving our ambitious goals of upholding high standards of animal welfare, supporting trade, and safeguarding public health and food security. The Government acknowledges the high demand for veterinary services and is working collaboratively across departments and with the profession to explore additional measures that will ensure sufficient staffing levels to support and sustain the sector effectively.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on negotiations regarding the pre-Brexit EU fishing quota in UK waters for UK fishing boats from 30 June 2026.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was established when the UK left the EU. For fisheries, this provides full reciprocal access to exclusive economic zones, and certain access to territorial waters. This reciprocal access has a five-and-a-half-year adjustment period until June 2026. After June 2026, EU access to UK waters (and vice versa) becomes a matter for annual negotiation under the TCA, as is typical between coastal States.
We know that the EU want a new multi-year access agreement. The UK are happy to listen to what the EU have to say but we will protect the interests of the UK fishing industry and continue to fulfil our commitments to protect the marine environment.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of pre-Brexit EU fishing quotas in UK waters they intend to recover for UK fishing boats from 30 June 2026.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was established when the UK left the EU. For fisheries, this provides full reciprocal access to exclusive economic zones, and certain access to territorial waters. This reciprocal access has a five-and-a-half-year adjustment period until June 2026. After June 2026, EU access to UK waters (and vice versa) becomes a matter for annual negotiation under the TCA, as is typical between coastal States.
We know that the EU want a new multi-year access agreement. The UK are happy to listen to what the EU have to say but we will protect the interests of the UK fishing industry and continue to fulfil our commitments to protect the marine environment.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to offer EU fishing fleets increased access to UK territorial waters.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) was established when the UK left the EU. For fisheries, this provides full reciprocal access to exclusive economic zones, and certain access to territorial waters. This reciprocal access has a five-and-a-half-year adjustment period until June 2026. After June 2026, EU access to UK waters (and vice versa) becomes a matter for annual negotiation under the TCA, as is typical between coastal States.
We know that the EU want a new multi-year access agreement. The UK are happy to listen to what the EU have to say but we will protect the interests of the UK fishing industry and continue to fulfil our commitments to protect the marine environment.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier payments to farmers are being delayed from December 2024 to mid-2025; what is the reason for any delay; and what assessment they have made of the impact on farmers’ finances.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are no delays to payment for existing Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier customers. Since 1 December we have paid around 14,000 customers with both Mid-Tier and Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship agreements, the revenue payment total around £151 million.
More information about the timing and content of the new expanded Higher Tier scheme will be published later in December.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many avian influenza compensation scheme claims were paid in (1) 2023, and (2) 2024 to date.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2023 58 claims for compensation for avian influenza were paid. To date, in 2024 7 claims for compensation have been paid.