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 potential impact of the focus on increased funding for Environmental Land Management schemes as part of the new drought support package on the ability of farmers to (a) produce food and (b) support UK food security amid severe climate challenges.

The Government recognises the significant impact that exceptionally dry conditions have had on many farm businesses. The measures Government has taken will provide practical support to help farmers manage the immediate impact of drought, but will also invest in long term business resilience so that farmers can handle extreme weather better in the future.

Defra is using established channels like SFI to ensure funding has the biggest impact and reach, as many farmers are already using SFI.

The increased funding for SFI (an additional £50m for Window 2, making a total of at least £290m for new agreements available this financial year) will give more farmers affected by low yields and rising costs the chance to access a reliable income stream which will support more drought-resilient, sustainable farming practices.