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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will review the potential for the industrial hemp sector to create skilled jobs and support rural employment across the UK.

The Government recognises the industrial hemp sector has huge potential across the UK to unlock new revenue streams beyond its value as an agricultural commodity such as textiles, sustainable building materials, biofuels and manufactured items.

The Defra-funded Centre for High Carbon Capture Cropping (CHCCC) project, run by the National Institute of Agricultural Botany, will continue to bring together businesses, growers, experts and other stakeholders across a range of high carbon capture cropping options, including hemp. The project will evaluate economic returns and validate anticipated climate change mitigation and emissions outcomes by discussion, rigorous testing and life cycle analysis.

Industry input will continue to be key to policy development, ensuring government policies are practical and deliver improvements that support growth in the sector.