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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the forthcoming Horticulture Strategy will include measures to increase domestic production and consumption of pulses.

The Government is committed to our horticulture and arable sectors and their role in providing home‑grown produce helping to feed the nation. The Horticulture Sector Plan is an independent sector led plan aiming to identify how the sector can increase productivity, profitability and strengthen the contribution of domestic production to our national food security.  The plan is relying on sector expertise to set out a clear vision for growth and a practical pathway to deliver it. Fresh peas and green beans grown as horticultural crops are in scope. While pulses cultivated as arable crops are outside scope, they are a vital part of domestic agricultural production. Lessons learned from current sector plans will help inform future rollout to other sectors.