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 is taking to work with (a) the agriculture sector and (b) farmers to (i) raise awareness of cyber security and (ii) tackle cyber crime.

Defra works closely with the National Cyber Security Centre to engage with industry partners and provide guidance on cyber security. Additionally, Defra engages across Government to mitigate the impacts of a cyber incident affecting agriculture and food supply.

Defra and the Food Standards Agency are producing dedicated advice for the food and drink industry to help guard against cyber attacks. This is expected to be published next year and will support businesses across the food supply chain.