Written questions by Anderson.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on farmer-reported barriers to accessing private finance.

The Government regularly and actively engages with farmers to listen to their views and understand their concerns, including barriers to accessing private finance, and take their feedback into account. Defra has built up a good understanding of the main issues through our farming programmes, our investment readiness support, and evaluations. The recently published Review of Farming Productivity by Baroness Minette Batters has also provided us with additional insights and recommendations on how to unlock finance.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of planning rule changes on on-farm infrastructure delivery.

The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has worked with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to consider how changes to the National Planning Policy Framework can support various types of agricultural and rural business development and infrastructure. Government is currently consulting on these changes. National Planning Policy Framework: proposed reforms and other changes to the planning system - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what analysis her Department has made of the potential relationship between environmental regulation costs and farm profitability.

Farm incomes and profitability are largely impacted by factors such as the weather, input costs and prices. The costs of regulatory compliance have a smaller effect. However, we recognise Government should try to minimise the costs of regulatory compliance. Following the recent Corry and Batters review reports, we are considering recommendations made in both reports in relation to regulation impacting farming and we are continuing a programme of improvement.

Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department will use to evaluate the effectiveness of the Farming and Food Partnership Board.

The department is setting up a Farming and Food Partnership Board (FFPB) which will bring together voices from farming, food, retail and finance to drive profitability, support British produce and remove barriers to investment. The Board will bring together voices from the farming, food, retail and finance sectors to drive profitability, support homegrown British produce and remove barriers to investment. More information on the composition and operation of the FFPB will be set out in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential role of export market access in improving farm profitability since 2021.

This Government is supporting British food and farming’s untapped global export potential through new trade agreements, including with India, and progressing negotiations with the EU on an SPS Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier. In 2025 our global network of agri-food attachés resolved further export barriers which industry estimate are worth over £125 million. Recent successes include securing market access for dairy to Egypt, worth £35 million per year, and pork exports to Mexico, worth £3.8 million per year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what analysis has been undertaken of the relative profitability trends in the (i) arable and (ii) livestock sectors since 2020.

Defra’s Farm Business Survey collects information on average Farm Business Income (the output generated by the farm business minus total farm costs, essentially net profit). The survey covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst it captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output). Table 1 of the Farm Business Income dataset shows average Farm Business Income, at current prices and in real terms, by type of farm (arable and livestock) for 2004/05 to 2024/25: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/691d8c2fd140bbbaa59a29e5/fbs_farmbusinesincome_timeseries_2024_25.ods.

Food and Rural Affairs, what work has been done to identify geographic disparities in farm profitability.

Data on Farm Business Income (output generated by the farm business minus total farm costs, essentially net profit) is published annually at regional level. While this shows geographic differences in farm profitability, it is also heavily influenced by the variation in the predominant type of farming in different parts of the country. The survey covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst it captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output). The table below shows average Farm Business Income, in real terms, by region for 2023/24. These data will shortly be backdated to a new methodology introduced in 2024/25. Data for 2024/25 along with revised 2023/24 figures will be published on the 22nd of January in Farm Accounts in England. Average Farm Business Income in real terms (£ per farm) by region, England 2023/24: £ per farmYorkshire and The Humber52,200North East67,900North West51,600East Midlands32,300West Midlands57,700East67,000South East and London35,100South West36,100England47,900 Source: Farm Business Survey data dashboard Farm Business Survey dashboard.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to evaluate the effectiveness of trade missions dedicated to British agriculture.

This Government is supporting British food and farming’s untapped global potential through new trade agreements, including with India, and progressing negotiations with the EU on an SPS Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier. In 2025 our global network of agri-food attachés resolved further export barriers which industry estimate are worth over £125 million. Recent successes include securing market access for dairy to Egypt, worth £35 million per year, and pork exports to Mexico, worth £3.8 million per year. Dedicated trade missions support this work, helping farmers and growers get British produce into new markets overseas and unlocking export barriers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential fiscal impact of enhanced farm support measures on the public finances.

The Government is committed to supporting British farmers and the vital role they play. We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. We’re targeting public money where it delivers most value – supporting nature, because all farms need healthy soils, abundant pollinators, and clean water to produce good food. We will continue to invest in our farmers and land managers to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through Environmental Land Management schemes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what work has been done to model the impact of climate variability on farm profitability projections.

Results from Defra’s annual Farm Business Survey provide an assessment of how the weather and other factors have influenced farm profitability in the previous year. These are published at: Farm Business Survey - GOV.UK Last year we published Baroness Batters’ Farming Profitability Review, which offers a clear assessment of the challenges facing farmers alongside 57 recommendations for strengthening farm businesses. We are grateful for this substantial piece of work, which is rooted in years of experience and provides important evidence to guide our approach. We will now carefully consider the findings and recommendations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what mechanisms will be used to prioritise recommendations in the Farming Profitability Review.

We are considering the 57 recommendations set out in the Farming Profitability Review. So far, we have announced the creation of a new Farming and Food Partnership Board, whose objective will be to strengthen food production at home and ensure policy delivers real change for farmers; and changes to planning rules to place greater emphasis on food production, making it easier for farmers to develop infrastructure such as reservoirs, greenhouses, polytunnels and farm shops. We are also stepping up action on supply chain fairness, and have announced a new SFI offer for 2026, which will be more focussed, more transparent and fairer so that as many farmers as possible can benefit from it. We will set out a fuller response later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of potential barriers to rural workforce housing on farm labour availability.

The Government regularly reviews and publishes data relating to rural housing on GOV.UK: Housing Statistics for Rural England - GOV.UK. The Government gives all due consideration to this data, including implications for the rural workforce, when formulating policy. In relation to seasonal workers via the visa route, there are no housing barriers identified for this cohort as accommodation is provided as part of the conditions of their sponsor, in the main part as on-farm caravan accommodation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment she has made of the level of earnings for people in residence-based and workplace-based employment settings in rural communities in Buckinghamshire.

The Official Statistics Rural-Urban Classification classifies Buckinghamshire as an intermediate urban authority, having between 20% and 35% of its population within rural areas. The Department has figures for median and lower quartile gross annual earnings in 2024 for Buckinghamshire as a whole, as shown in the table below. Workplace-based earnings refer to the earnings of employees who work in Buckinghamshire - they may or may not live in Buckinghamshire. Residence-based earnings refer to the earnings of workers who live in Buckinghamshire, regardless of where they work. Gross annual earnings for the Buckinghamshire in 2024 Median (£)Lower quartile (£)Residence-based43,30031,300Workplace-based39,80030,000 This information is published within Defra’s Rural Economic Bulletin Supplementary Data Tables. Worksheets BC and BF contain the workplace based and residence-based earnings respectively for every local authority in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's report entitled Rural Economic Bulletin, updated on 10 December 2025, what assessment she has made of recent rural employment trends in Buckinghamshire.

The Official Statistics Rural-Urban Classification classifies Buckinghamshire as an intermediate urban authority, having between 20% and 35% of its population within rural areas. The Department has employment figures for Buckinghamshire as a whole. Between 2020 and 2022 the proportion of the working-age population in Buckinghamshire who were employed rose from 77.7% to 81.6% before falling back to 80.5% in 2024. Data for Buckinghamshire for the 5 most recent years is published within Defra’s Rural Economic Bulletin Supplementary Data Tables. Worksheet AD contains the percentage of the working-age population who were employed for every local authority in England across the period 2006 to 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment criteria are used for evaluating applications to food industry investment programmes.

Investment is through grants to sustainable farming and food production businesses and prioritised in terms of where it delivers most value. Applications are assessed against published criteria.

Food and Rural Affairs, what framework the Department uses to evaluate rural supply-chain resilience projects funded by public programmes.

The effectiveness of public programmes is reviewed according to standard Government evaluation guidance. This usually includes process, impact and value for money criteria against the stated objectives of each grant scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department has established measurable targets for rural business productivity improvements supported by public funding in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

We have not set productivity targets specifically for businesses in rural areas. Defra provides funding to rural businesses via the Rural England Prosperity Fund. Each individual eligible local authority is responsible for running their own rounds of funding and establishing their own delivery targets based on local priorities. The Fund is devolved to local authorities, and they have been given responsibility for delivery of REPF – including setting priorities and delivery targets for the funding they have been allocated, assessing and approving project applications, processing payments and the day-to-day monitoring of delivery. Each eligible local authority reports every 6 months on spend and outcomes via the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government, who administer the Fund on Defras’ behalf. The Department provided Buckinghamshire with an allocation of £1.828m in financial years 2023/24 & 2024/25 and a further £548k in financial year 2025/26 via the Rural England Prosperity Fund.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department records skills gaps identified by rural enterprises applying for Government support.

Defra provides funding to rural businesses via the Rural England Prosperity Fund. The fund is devolved to local authorities, and each individual eligible local authority are responsible for running their own rounds of funding. Defra does not record skills gaps identified by rural enterprises applying for Government support.

Food and Rural Affairs, what performance indicators are used to review the effectiveness of food sector capital incentives.

Investment is through grants to sustainable farming and food production businesses and prioritised in terms of where it delivers most value. Applications are assessed against published criteria.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department has formal requirements for suppliers receiving support to report on waste-reduction outcomes.

We are responding on the basis that this question relates to reporting under the Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) scheme and the Packaging Waste Recycling Note (PRN) system for domestic waste, and specifically on the support that obligated producers may receive in meeting the reporting requirements under these regulations. Under the pEPR regulations, producers are required to report detailed data on the packaging they place on the UK market, including material types and tonnages. This reporting underpins the calculation of fees and recycling obligations (PRNs) and ensures that costs for household packaging waste management are recovered in line with the polluter pays principle. These obligations are designed to incentivise waste reduction by linking fees to recyclability and packaging weight, with modulation of fees from 2026 to further encourage sustainable packaging choices. Similarly, the PRN system requires accredited reprocessors and exporters to issue evidence notes for packaging waste that has been recycled. These notes form part of the compliance mechanism for meeting recycling targets and provide transparency on the amount of packaging waste recovered and recycled within the UK. Under the regulations, obligated producers may receive support from compliance schemes in meeting their reporting obligations and recycling targets. Regulation 43 of the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 specifies the obligations of compliance schemes, and Schedule 6 outlines the approvals framework ensuring schemes are able to provide guidance and assistance to producers. This ensures producers have access to help in fulfilling their legal responsibilities effectively.