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.

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.