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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park on 15 November (HL Deb, col 49GC), what are the reasons for the minister's view that the Earl of Caithness has argued that "the choice is between food production and ecological restoration".

My remark referred to comments made by my noble Friend during the passage of the Environment Bill, where he implied a focus on the environment could conflict with the need to produce food. The remark did not refer to the speech delivered by my noble Friend during the Beyond Brexit Debate (15 November 2021). The Government is committed to rewarding farmers and land managers for their role as environmental stewards and investing in productivity, through our future environmental land management schemes and current schemes like the recently launched Farming Investment Fund. A healthy environment is crucial to providing the ecosystem services which underpin a thriving agricultural sector, through fertile soils, clean water and pollination.