Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential fiscal impact of enhanced farm support measures on the public finances.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to supporting British farmers and the vital role they play. We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. We’re targeting public money where it delivers most value – supporting nature, because all farms need healthy soils, abundant pollinators, and clean water to produce good food. We will continue to invest in our farmers and land managers to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through Environmental Land Management schemes.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential role of export market access in improving farm profitability since 2021.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is supporting British food and farming’s untapped global export potential through new trade agreements, including with India, and progressing negotiations with the EU on an SPS Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier.
In 2025 our global network of agri-food attachés resolved further export barriers which industry estimate are worth over £125 million. Recent successes include securing market access for dairy to Egypt, worth £35 million per year, and pork exports to Mexico, worth £3.8 million per year.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to evaluate the effectiveness of trade missions dedicated to British agriculture.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is supporting British food and farming’s untapped global potential through new trade agreements, including with India, and progressing negotiations with the EU on an SPS Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier.
In 2025 our global network of agri-food attachés resolved further export barriers which industry estimate are worth over £125 million. Recent successes include securing market access for dairy to Egypt, worth £35 million per year, and pork exports to Mexico, worth £3.8 million per year.
Dedicated trade missions support this work, helping farmers and growers get British produce into new markets overseas and unlocking export barriers.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department will use to evaluate the effectiveness of the Farming and Food Partnership Board.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The department is setting up a Farming and Food Partnership Board (FFPB) which will bring together voices from farming, food, retail and finance to drive profitability, support British produce and remove barriers to investment.
The Board will bring together voices from the farming, food, retail and finance sectors to drive profitability, support homegrown British produce and remove barriers to investment. More information on the composition and operation of the FFPB will be set out in due course.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department will take to improve market transparency for input price indices for farmers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra publishes price indices for key farming inputs such as animal feed and fertilisers in the monthly Agricultural Price Indices release, as well as annual analysis of trends in price indices in Chapter 6: Prices of Agriculture in the UK. The indices rely on a broad range of cross-government and industry data sources, which are regularly reviewed to ensure the estimates are based on the best available data.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work has been done to identify geographic disparities in farm profitability.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Data on Farm Business Income (output generated by the farm business minus total farm costs, essentially net profit) is published annually at regional level. While this shows geographic differences in farm profitability, it is also heavily influenced by the variation in the predominant type of farming in different parts of the country.
The survey covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst it captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output).
The table below shows average Farm Business Income, in real terms, by region for 2023/24. These data will shortly be backdated to a new methodology introduced in 2024/25. Data for 2024/25 along with revised 2023/24 figures will be published on the 22nd of January in Farm Accounts in England.
Average Farm Business Income in real terms (£ per farm) by region, England 2023/24:
| £ per farm |
Yorkshire and The Humber | 52,200 |
North East | 67,900 |
North West | 51,600 |
East Midlands | 32,300 |
West Midlands | 57,700 |
East | 67,000 |
South East and London | 35,100 |
South West | 36,100 |
England | 47,900 |
Source: Farm Business Survey data dashboard Farm Business Survey dashboard.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what analysis her Department has made of the potential relationship between environmental regulation costs and farm profitability.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Farm incomes and profitability are largely impacted by factors such as the weather, input costs and prices. The costs of regulatory compliance have a smaller effect. However, we recognise Government should try to minimise the costs of regulatory compliance. Following the recent Corry and Batters review reports, we are considering recommendations made in both reports in relation to regulation impacting farming and we are continuing a programme of improvement.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planning rule changes on on-farm infrastructure delivery.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has worked with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to consider how changes to the National Planning Policy Framework can support various types of agricultural and rural business development and infrastructure. Government is currently consulting on these changes. National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system - GOV.UK
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment she has made of the level of earnings for people in residence-based and workplace-based employment settings in rural communities in Buckinghamshire.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Official Statistics Rural-Urban Classification classifies Buckinghamshire as an intermediate urban authority, having between 20% and 35% of its population within rural areas. The Department has figures for median and lower quartile gross annual earnings in 2024 for Buckinghamshire as a whole, as shown in the table below. Workplace-based earnings refer to the earnings of employees who work in Buckinghamshire - they may or may not live in Buckinghamshire. Residence-based earnings refer to the earnings of workers who live in Buckinghamshire, regardless of where they work.
Gross annual earnings for the Buckinghamshire in 2024
| Median (£) | Lower quartile (£) |
Residence-based | 43,300 | 31,300 |
Workplace-based | 39,800 | 30,000 |
This information is published within Defra’s Rural Economic Bulletin Supplementary Data Tables. Worksheets BC and BF contain the workplace based and residence-based earnings respectively for every local authority in England.
Asked by: Callum Anderson (Labour - Buckingham and Bletchley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department has formal requirements for suppliers receiving support to report on waste-reduction outcomes.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are responding on the basis that this question relates to reporting under the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme and the Packaging Waste Recycling Note (PRN) system for domestic waste, and specifically on the support that obligated producers may receive in meeting the reporting requirements under these regulations.
Under the pEPR regulations, producers are required to report detailed data on the packaging they place on the UK market, including material types and tonnages. This reporting underpins the calculation of fees and recycling obligations (PRNs) and ensures that costs for household packaging waste management are recovered in line with the polluter pays principle. These obligations are designed to incentivise waste reduction by linking fees to recyclability and packaging weight, with modulation of fees from 2026 to further encourage sustainable packaging choices.
Similarly, the PRN system requires accredited reprocessors and exporters to issue evidence notes for packaging waste that has been recycled. These notes form part of the compliance mechanism for meeting recycling targets and provide transparency on the amount of packaging waste recovered and recycled within the UK.
Under the regulations, obligated producers may receive support from compliance schemes in meeting their reporting obligations and recycling targets. Regulation 43 of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 specifies the obligations of compliance schemes, and Schedule 6 outlines the approvals framework ensuring schemes are able to provide guidance and assistance to producers. This ensures producers have access to help in fulfilling their legal responsibilities effectively.