Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of the transition away from direct payment schemes for farmers on a) food production and b) business viability.

Delinked payments are not linked to any action taken by farmers and do not support the environment or food production.

This government is backing farmers with the largest nature-friendly budget in history to support farmers and land managers to help restore nature and boost farm productivity. This entails continuing the transition away from area-based payments, and towards increasing funding in Environmental Land Management schemes, from £1.8 billion in 2025/26 to more than £2 billion a year by 2028/29.

This will invest in the foundations of long-term food security – including healthy soils, clean water and thriving ecosystems.