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 his Department has taken to encourage young people into farming.

Having a skilled workforce in place and attracting young talent into agricultural careers is vital for the future of UK food and farming. The Government is working with industry bodies, such as the Food and Drink Sector Council, to improve access to the talent and skills required by the industry and raise awareness of agriculture as an exciting and attractive career path.

The Government is reforming post-16 technical education to provide clear routes to skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. A key part of this is the introduction of new T levels programmes, which alongside apprenticeships, will sit within 15 routes, including an Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care route.

The Government published a Policy Statement in September 2018, alongside its landmark Agriculture Bill. This sets out how we will help facilitate structural change to open up more opportunities for new entrants to farming by delinking Direct Payments from the land during the agricultural transition period. This will give farmers freedom over how they use funding from Direct Payments. Some may use the money to invest in their business. Others may choose to use the money to diversify their activities or decide to stop farming altogether and use the payment to contribute to their retirement. It should increase the ease with which new entrants, and those existing farmers wishing to expand, could acquire land.

We are also exploring how to help Local Authorities who want to invest in their Council Farms, so that they offer real opportunities for new farmers to start a foundation business and gain the experience they need to progress onto a larger unit.