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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to support the resilience of family farms in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

At February’s NFU Conference, the Secretary of State announced a raft of new policies to put money in farmers pockets and make them more resilient. We are making £110 million available for new grant competitions to support research and innovation, technology and equipment for farmers. We are investing £208 million in biosecurity protections and extending the Seasonal Worker visa route for five more years. We are backing British produce in government catering contracts and ensuring fair competition across the supply chain through contractual reform.

We are making good progress in appointing a Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector to help embed fair practice across the sector and expect to be able to make an announcement on this shortly. And Baroness Minette Batters has been appointed as a reviewer for the Farming Profitability Review, to understand the barriers farmers face to increasing profitability.