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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance her Department is providing to support young people who wish to (a) pursue a career in farming and (b) acquire the rights to a farm.

The Government is currently providing additional support for young new entrants into the farming sector through the EU Basic Payment Scheme where eligible farmers aged between 18 and 40 can claim a 25% uplift on up to 90 hectares of their Basic Payment Scheme payments for up to 5 years after they have started in business. In addition the EU Rural Development Programme provides support through the Growth Programme to rural entrepreneurs including farmers setting up a new business or expanding an existing business. Whilst the UK is a member of the EU these funding streams will remain in place. Defra will continue to engage with young farmers to help shape our plans for food, farming and the environment outside the EU.

The Government also provides grant support to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs to provide training opportunities for young farmers and a new industry-led pilot scheme is under way to provide a matching service for older farmers looking to retire or enter into partnerships with younger new entrants looking for opportunities to farm. We are also working with the Food and Drink Federation to treble the number of apprenticeships across the food industry.

The Government is exploring a range of different farm business models that can open up opportunities for new entrants such as share-farming, contract farming, franchise farming and joint ventures. These business models can provide young new farmers with an opportunity to gain experience and build up capital to progress their careers in farming.