Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has plans to update the Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside interactive map to include data on wildfires.
Answered by Mary Creagh
Defra is working with MHCLG, the lead department on Wildfire, to strengthen cross-government coordination and identify priority actions across the full wildfire cycle, from risk assessment and prevention / mitigation to response and recovery.
Any updates to the Multi-Agency Geographic Information for the Countryside (MAGiC) map, including the potential inclusion of wildfire-related data, would need be considered as part of this work.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 impact on increasing domestic production of fertilisers on energy security.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Supply of nitrogen fertiliser to the UK is competitive and the proportion that is met by domestic production varies from year to year. As well as domestic production, the UK typically imports fertiliser products from a wide range of countries which means the supply chain has remained dynamic in sourcing product, while maintaining a good diversity of nutrient supply.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her policy is on UK CBAM for fertilisers and ammonia.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government remains committed to implementing the UK Carbon Border Adjustment Mechanism (CBAM) from 1 January 2027. CBAM will apply to imported goods from the fertiliser sector, and the rate charged will reflect the final carbon price paid by domestic industries after support mechanisms (such as free allowances within the UK ETS) have been taken into account.
Therefore, it is expected that initial liabilities arising from the CBAM will be modest, and the Government does not expect CBAM to put UK farmers at a significant competitive disadvantage.
CBAM, like all taxes, will be kept under review by the Chancellor.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made towards establishing a national fertiliser recording system.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Defra is aware of the merits of having a national fertiliser recording system and will consider if it is appropriate to have one for Great Britain.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans her Department has made for red diesel availability and costs if the conflict in Iran becomes a long-term issue.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food security is a priority for the Government, and Defra is taking the impacts from the Middle East conflict seriously.
The Government has increased the frequency of official fertiliser price reporting, now published by the AHDB on a weekly basis. This will give farmers more timely and transparent information to support decision-making.
The Government asked the Competition and Markets Authority to consider industry concerns about red diesel, including transparency, and has taken further decisive action to support farmers by cutting it to its lowest rate in over 20 years, reducing the rates on red diesel by a third.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 reduce the impact of changes to red diesel prices during peak harvest season.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
To support farmers with fuel cost pressures during peak harvest, this Government is taking decisive action to support farmers by cutting red diesel to its lowest rate in over 20 years, reducing the rates on red diesel by a third. We're committed to protecting the farming sector from global pressures including the war in Iran.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 help ensure the availability of fertiliser, including in response to sudden increases in demand.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Defra is assessing the impact on farmers and fertiliser suppliers of high prices, and impacts in the wider supply chain. Defra is working closely with industry and farmers to understand risks and issues, and options for action where needed.
Current fertiliser regulations are outdated and do not support the marketing of new and innovative products. The department is consulting on new regulations to strengthen future fertiliser supply, protect the environment, and diversify supply for farmers.
Through the Belém Declaration on Fertilisers, launched at COP30 last year, the Government is working internationally to reduce long‑term supply chain vulnerabilities.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 support farmer cash flow and access to credit.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government has allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This is being targeted to a range of grants and schemes which farmers can use to support cashflow.
Defra grants include the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), with application window 1 due to open in June 2026. This reformed SFI offer will ensure more farmers can support their cash flow by accessing SFI funding.
Defra officials regularly engage with financial institutions providing farm lending and will continue to work to ensure farmers have access to finance.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 with the Secretary of State for Science, Innovation and Technology, to support the agri-food sector.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The development and adoption of innovative UK agri-technologies is key to supporting the UK agri-food sector to boost farm productivity and economic growth. The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and Defra work closely together to support the sector.
This includes the Defra-funded Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) which is delivered by UKRI and provides grants to support innovative technologies and practices which increase farming productivity, sustainability and resilience. This Government will allocate at least £200m to FIP by 2030.
This Government is also supporting the development of robotics, automation and AI which have the potential to increase productivity and reduce labour needs in agriculture and horticulture. The Regulatory Innovation Office, part of DSIT announced Robotics as one of its priorities this year and will be working with Defra on issues for the Agri-tech sector.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 plans to use to differentiate between small and large farms in assessing eligibility for future SFI applications.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The department will publish a precise definition before the first application window opens in June. This is one of the details we’ll be testing with key stakeholders.