Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on the number of farms that have become (a) insolvent and (b) ceased trading in the last three years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The numbers of companies with Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 2007 code 011, 012, 013, 014, 015 and 016 that entered insolvency in the UK in the last three years (2023 to 2025) are presented in the table below. This information has been provided by the Department for Business and Trade.
Calendar Year | Companies Entering Insolvency |
2023 | 63 |
2024 | 80 |
2025 | 67 |
The Insolvency Service’s Monthly Company Insolvencies Official Statistics Publication provides more information and a breakdown of SIC codes.
Information on business closures for farms is best obtained from the Office for National Statistics’ quarterly business demography publication. This release is regarded as ‘official statistics in development’. However, it is not possible to separately identify farm closures from within the published group which contains them, which is ‘Agriculture, forestry and fishing’.
Business closures in the UK for Agriculture, forestry and fishing from the first quarter of 2023 until the fourth quarter of 2025 are shown in the table below.
UK Agriculture, forestry and fishing business closures
Period | Business Closures |
Q1 | 1310 |
Q2 | 1260 |
Q3 | 1975 |
Q4 | 990 |
2023 total | 5535 |
Q1 | 1090 |
Q2 | 1525 |
Q3 | 1200 |
Q4 | 1055 |
2024 total | 4870 |
Q1 | 1885 |
Q2 | 1645 |
Q3 | 1355 |
Q4 | 1505 |
2025 total | 6390 |
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect British agricultural produce from foreign competition.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Strengthening food security by supporting our farmers and food producers is a priority for this Government. Defra is backing British farmers to create a productive, profitable and sustainable future for farming.
As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, Defra will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards. Defra recognises concerns about methods of production which are not permitted in the UK.
While production methods vary in line with different climates, diseases and other contextual reasons, Defra will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, Defra will be prepared to use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help improve the profitability of farming in England.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Farming Roadmap and the full Government response to the Farming Profitability Review will be published later this year, setting out the wider plan to boost profitability and long-term viability.
The Government is already taking forward a series of measures. A new Farming and Food Partnership Board will bring together farmers, processors, retailers, and the wider supply chain to strengthen collaboration across the sector. The Government is investing £30 million in a Farmer Collaboration Fund to support peer-to-peer networks so farmers can share knowledge.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive will also be reformed to make it simpler and fairer, with two application windows this year. The June window will support smaller farms and those without agreements, and the September window will be open to all farms. The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme will be extended for three additional years, supported by £30 million of funding next year.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure the long-term financial viability of farming.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Farming Roadmap and the full Government response to the Farming Profitability Review will be published later this year, setting out the wider plan to boost profitability and long-term viability.
The Government is already taking forward a series of measures. A new Farming and Food Partnership Board will bring together farmers, processors, retailers, and the wider supply chain to strengthen collaboration across the sector. The Government is investing £30 million in a Farmer Collaboration Fund to support peer-to-peer networks so farmers can share knowledge.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive will also be reformed to make it simpler and fairer, with two application windows this year. The June window will support smaller farms and those without agreements, and the September window will be open to all farms. The Farming in Protected Landscapes programme will be extended for three additional years, supported by £30 million of funding next year.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Countryside Stewardship agreements will end in each of the next six months.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are almost 5,820 Countryside Stewardship (CS) Agreements that are due to expire within the next six months (November 25 – April 26). This figure covers all Countryside Stewardship Agri-environment schemes, including Mid-Tier, Higher-Tier, Capital Agreements and Wildlife Offers.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help retain farm businesses.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have allocated £11.8 billion this parliament to sustainable farming and food production, targeting public money where it delivers most value: actions that support nature to produce good food and grants for cutting-edge technology.
We are making supply chains fairer to protect farmers in their contracts and unlocking new markets for British produce.
We are carefully looking at the Farming Profitability Review (FPR) recommendations and will publish the Review in December, before Christmas.
The FPR will feed directly into the Farming Roadmap, due next year, ensuring its recommendations are embedded in that plan. Alongside the Land Use Framework, the Roadmap will set out the government’s vision for agriculture and give farmers the certainty to make informed, long-term decisions.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to (a) reopen the water management grant for farmers and (b) introduce new support to improve farm productivity through more efficient use of water and secure water supplies, in the context of the latest Environment Agency figures showing much of the country continues to be in drought or prolonged dry weather.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Water Management Grant is designed to help improve farm productivity and water resilience through supporting investment in irrigation infrastructure and construction of reservoirs on-farm. Our last round, worth up to £6 million, closed to new applications in October 2024.
We are working to simplify and rationalise our grant funding from 2026 onwards to ensure it is targeted towards those who need them most and where they can deliver the most benefit for food security and nature.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much money has been allocated to the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund in 2025, 2026 and 2027.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
£46.7 million was allocated to the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund in 2025. Funding for future years is yet to be decided and is subject to departmental business planning.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of land have been taken out of food production in the last year.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Agricultural land can be taken out of human food production for a variety of reasons, including for agricultural purposes (for example when it’s used to produce animal feed, as bare fallow within the annual crop rotations or for temporary crops such as leguminous mixes for environmental and soil health benefits). It is therefore not possible to provide accurate data on how much land has been taken out of food production as this can differ each year.
Estimates of the utilised agricultural area in England (which also includes bare fallow and land for environmental benefit) stands at 8.8 million hectares in 2025 and this area has remained broadly stable over the past decade.
Agricultural land area statistics are available here.
Detailed statistics on domestic food production are available in Chapters 7 and 8 in Defra’s Agriculture in the United Kingdom publication.
Asked by: Patrick Spencer (Independent - Central Suffolk and North Ipswich)
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 the 2025 harvest on (a) farm profitability and (b) business viability.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We regularly publish statistics on farm incomes and profitability. The latest figures on Farm Business Income covering the 2024/25 year were published on 20 November 2025: Farm business income - GOV.UK.