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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps her Department has taken to support beef farmers in (a) the North East and (b) North Yorkshire.

The Government has acted to support the agricultural sector, including beef farmers in the North-East and North Yorkshire, in a number of ways. During 2022 we took several actions to support farmers respond to the increase in input costs. These included:

• Changes to guidance on farmers using manures and steps aimed at bringing about more sustainable fertiliser technologies through the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
• Increased grants for farmers and growers and boosting research and development through the Farming Innovation Programme.
• The Basic Payment Scheme payment being made in two instalments to give farmers greater financial fluidity for the remainder of the agricultural transition period.

Additionally in January 2023, I announced more money for farmers and landowners through both the Countryside Stewardship and the Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes, which will provide more support to the industry and drive uptake at a time of rising costs for farmers as a result of global challenges. I also confirmed an expanded range of actions under the schemes, which farmers could be paid for, would be published soon.

We are working closely with the industry to identify where further mitigations are available to tackle the challenges they face. We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence.

Support also continues to be available through the Farming Investment Fund. Launched in November 2021, it is helping farmers invest in the equipment, technology and infrastructure they need to drive their businesses forward. As of March 2023, £31.5 million worth of funding has been paid out to over 3,000 farmers.

Finally, the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway is central to the Government’s manifesto commitment to protect and enhance farm animal health and welfare, and to maintain and build on our existing world-leading standards. This includes a programme of financial support for farmers in the pig, cattle, sheep, and poultry sectors to improve animal health and welfare. The Pathway offers livestock farmers an exciting opportunity to focus on the improvements they would like to make on their own farm.