Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role of intensive farming in the climate emergency; and what steps the Government will take to transition to sustainable and humane food systems.

At COP26, the UK announced the £65 million Just Rural Transition Support Programme to support developing countries design and implement approaches that help farmers build resilience and drive investment into more sustainable methods of agriculture. This builds on £9 million of current UK Government support to the Just Rural Transition which is helping countries to take initial steps to implement sustainable land use policies and practices. This is also a priority domestically. Following our exit from the European Union, England has begun a programme of ambitious agriculture reform. This new policy will, over a gradual transition period, phase out the area-based EU style subsidies and instead introduce a package of voluntary grants and continuous payments which reward farmers for environmental outcomes, increase productivity and support investment in technology.

It is clear that global food and agriculture systems are central drivers of climate change, contributing up to 33% of global Greenhouse Gas Emissions and are the leading driver of biodiversity loss. Through the COP26 campaign on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture, the UK COP Presidency raised visibility and mobilised action for transformation in agriculture, land use and food systems, essential to ensure sustainable food production for a growing population whilst building resilience for farmers and a just transition to reduce emissions and reversing harmful impacts on biodiversity.