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 role of agricultural cooperatives in supporting rural communities in Buckinghamshire.

The Government strongly supports the benefits co-operatives can bring in buying inputs, coordinating production, and selling outputs, and recognises the important role they play in promoting sustainable farming. The Government is developing the new Farmer Collaboration Fund to unlock broader benefits of collaboration.

The Good Food Cycle recognises the key role that co-operatives and community initiatives can play in supporting delivery of the growth, health, sustainability, and food security/ resilience outcomes.