Written questions by Morello.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support is available to farmers for implementing water-efficient irrigation systems.

We are committed to supporting all farming sectors to increase levels of productivity whilst increasing their sustainability and resilience. We are looking carefully at how to position further investment and support to enable the delivery of this Government's objectives, including on water management. We plan to simplify and rationalise our grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. The forthcoming round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, to launch in Spring 2025, will support the uptake of innovative technology and equipment that is commercially available. The scheme has historically offered grants for water management equipment and will be open to farmers across England. The full list of eligible equipment will be published within the scheme guidance ahead of the scheme launch. We will confirm any further future grant rounds in due course following the forthcoming Spending Review.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help encourage the adoption of forward contracts between dairy producers and processors.

Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products, and the Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists. Central to this is the Government’s commitment to improving contractual practices across the agriculture industry, using the Fair Dealings powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 to increase transparency and protect farmers from unfair practices. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024, which came into force last year, introduced key reforms. These include mandatory written contracts outlining key terms such as termination conditions and agreed supply volumes. They also require greater transparency in milk pricing and establish robust dispute resolution procedures, strengthening trust and cooperation between buyers and sellers. The regulations are enforced by the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator, who can investigate complaints from farmers who believe they have not been provided with a contract that is compliant with the Regulations, on behalf of the Secretary of State. We will continue to monitor the dairy industry to ensure these reforms deliver their intended impact, including through a future review of the effectiveness of the dairy regulations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of (a) vaccinations and (b) culling practices in tackling the spread of tuberculosis.

The new Government has started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB strategy, to continue to drive down disease rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. The CattleBCG vaccine, when coupled with the new Detect Infected amongst Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) skin test, represents a significant advancement in bovine TB control for cattle herds. Previous studies demonstrated significant vaccine protection against experimental challenge with high dose of bovine TB[1]. As with other vaccines, a range of protection is expected. Some animals will be fully or only partially protected after vaccination whilst others will remain susceptible to the disease. Recent international studies investigating the full extent of BCG protection in natural conditions found a total efficacy of 89%[2]. Previous research by APHA scientists has also found that vaccination of badgers with BCG can reduce the risk of adult badgers testing positive for TB by 54% [3]. When enough badgers are vaccinated, the risk of infection in unvaccinated cubs can also be reduced by 79%1. The Government will continue to increase vaccination delivery and analyse the effect of badger vaccination on the incidence of TB in cattle. The existing badger control policy is on a steep downward trajectory and all remaining intensive and supplementary licences will end in January 2026. These culls are based on findings of the Randomised Badger Culling Trial (RBCT) carried out from 1997 to 2005. The latest analysis from APHA found a median 56% reduction in bovine TB incidence from 52 areas subject to the Badger Control Policy (which includes badger culling and enhanced cattle surveillance) [4]. [1] APHA, 2021, The potential role for BCG vaccination in global efforts to control and eradicate bovine tuberculosis. https://rj8a5f.n3cdn1.secureserver.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/12/APHA_technical_discussion_paper_WOAH_-BCG_vaccination_cattle.pdf [2] Fromsa et al., 2024. BCG vaccination reduces bovine tuberculosis transmission, improving prospects for elimination. https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adl3962 [3] Carter et al., 2012. BCG Vaccination Reduces Risk of Tuberculosis Infection in Vaccinated Badgers and Unvaccinated Badger Cubs. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0049833.[4] Birch et al., 2024. Difference in differences analysis evaluates the effects of the badger control policy on bovine tuberculosis in England. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-54062-4

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has commissioned research into developing cereal crop varieties more resilient to prolonged periods of drought.

Defra’s flagship crop breeding programme, the crop Genetic Improvement Networks (GINs), funds research to develop crop varieties that are more productive; sustainable; and have greater resilience against a changing climate, including drought tolerance. The latest investment in this research programme - £15 million over 5 years - covers five crop types, including wheat. The GINs have already successfully identified genetic traits to improve resilience to climate change and common pests and diseases; and the programme is working closely with breeders to incorporate these traits into elite UK crop varieties. On 25 February the legislation needed to implement the Precision Breeding Act for plants in England was laid in Parliament and through a new Farming Innovation Programme thematic competition, we have announced £12.5 million to help deliver the practical benefits of precision breeding technology to farmers. This will help transform the plant breeding sector, including potentially supporting more drought resilient cereals.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department issues to farmers on steps to mitigate risks associated with smart meter failures.

We are not aware of any particular problems with the reliability of smart meters on farms, nor of them impacting the operation of automatic livestock feeders. Any customer experiencing issues with their smart meter should contact their energy supplier for further guidance. Smart meters enable accurate billing by automatically recording consumers’ energy use in every half-hour period, allowing suppliers to bill based on consumers’ actual rather than estimated usage. They are replacing analogue gas and electricity meters as part of the national infrastructure upgrade needed to achieve the Government’s mission to build a flexible and decarbonised power system by 2030.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the reliability of smart meters on farms, in the context of their impact on the operation of automatic livestock feeders.

We are not aware of any particular problems with the reliability of smart meters on farms, nor of them impacting the operation of automatic livestock feeders. Any customer experiencing issues with their smart meter should contact their energy supplier for further guidance. Smart meters enable accurate billing by automatically recording consumers’ energy use in every half-hour period, allowing suppliers to bill based on consumers’ actual rather than estimated usage. They are replacing analogue gas and electricity meters as part of the national infrastructure upgrade needed to achieve the Government’s mission to build a flexible and decarbonised power system by 2030.

Food and Rural Affairs, what initiatives are in place to support farmers in reducing nutrient run-off into waterways to protect aquatic ecosystems.

The levels of pollution in our waterways are unacceptable. We are working with farmers through a suite of measures to reduce agricultural pollution and protect our waters. We regulate the agricultural activities that could cause environmental harms and require farmers to take steps to reduce and prevent diffuse pollution. The EA have checked compliance against the Reduction and Prevention of Agricultural Pollution (England) Regulations 2018. All the actions the EA requires from farmers will result in a reduction of diffuse pollution, through run-off or leaching, whether this is from investment in slurry storage to regulating herd density in a nitrate vulnerable zone. The Catchment Sensitive Farming programme provides farmers one-to-one advice about how to produce food in a way that protects water and the wider environment. The EA’s advice led regulatory approach has produced excellent results, however regulatory powers are used when required. Where farmers want to go further, Environmental Land Management schemes pay them for the delivery of environmental benefits that include activities to improve water quality.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to facilitate access to low-interest loans for agribusinesses investing in sustainable technologies.

Previous support has been offered primarily in the form of grants. For example, the Farming Equipment & Technology Fund (FETF) has helped ensure technologies supporting both productivity and sustainability can be adopted by UK farmers. We are looking to explore alternative means to improve access to finance for both the development and adoption of new agri-technologies, including opportunities to collaborate with public finance institutions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what funding is available for farmers to implement (a) buffer zones and (b) other measures aimed at preventing agricultural pollutants from entering rivers.

Levels of water pollution are unacceptable, and water pollution is a crime. We are working with farmers through a suite of measures to reduce agricultural pollution. Defra’s Environmental Land Management schemes pay farmers for the delivery of environmental benefits, including improved water quality. The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers for actions that will improve the water environment by reducing runoff and erosion, maintaining soil cover and creating buffer strips and margins. There are 35,000 active SFI agreements in England. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) pays farmers, land managers and foresters for more locally-targeted actions relating to specific locations, features and habitats. In December we published details of the improved CSHT offer, which includes several new actions to improve water quality. We will be opening up CSHT for new applications in the summer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the (a) development and (b) deployment of vaccines for bovine diseases in the last 12 months.

Defra continues to invest in bovine disease research, and we continue to monitor the current situation and vaccine usage both in Europe and globally for both exotic and endemic diseases. Defra, in conjunction with the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD), will continue to monitor the development and availability of vaccines for their utility in preventing and responding to disease outbreaks as they are put forward for market authorisation by vaccine manufacturers. To support this work Defra has established cross-Government and industry taskforces focusing on avian influenza and bluetongue. The avian influenza vaccination taskforce published an initial statement on 7 March 2025 and will publish their report this summer. While the avian influenza vaccination taskforce focus is on poultry, they are also alert to the ongoing outbreak in cattle in the USA of influenza of avian origin. The Government maintains a vaccine bank for foot and mouth disease and lumpy skin disease, exotic diseases affecting cattle. Defra has also engaged with manufacturers on supply of vaccines to the UK market for bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) and epizootic haemorrhagic disease virus (EHDV). Following this engagement, and assessment of vaccines by the VMD, Defra’s Secretary of State permitted the use of three unauthorised BTV-3 vaccines for use in England since September 2024, giving keepers the choice to protect their animals. A cattle vaccine for bovine TB is in development. The CattleBCG vaccine, when coupled with the new Detect Infected amongst Vaccinated Animals (DIVA) skin test, represents a significant advancement in bovine TB control for cattle herds. Field trials began in June 2021 and are on-going. An injectable BCG vaccine for badgers has been licensed since 2010 and is proven to significantly reduce the risk of infection and spread of bovine TB within badger populations. The number of badgers vaccinated continues to rise in England, with preliminary figures suggesting around 4,000 were vaccinated in 2024. This is the highest number ever vaccinated in England in a single year, exceeding the record set in 2023. In August 2024, the government announced steps to continue increasing vaccination deployment and to analyse the effect of badger vaccination on the incidence of TB in cattle. This includes establishing a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force.

Food and Rural Affairs, what financial support schemes are available to assist small and medium-sized agribusinesses in expanding their operations.

Defra has committed £1.8 billion, the largest figure ever, to Environmental Land Management schemes in 2025/26, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive. These schemes offer funding streams for farmers who have been often ignored such as small, grassland, upland and tenanted, whilst improving our natural environment, and supporting sustainable growth and resilient food production. We are on track to spend that money. Defra also supports agri-tech innovation and almost £150 million has been committed to projects to date, of which over £84 million has been committed to small businesses. The Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies Fund (ADOPT), launching this spring, will also provide innovation grants for farmers and farm businesses to trial and demonstrate new technology, which will help to create demand to support agri-businesses to expand. We are also looking to explore other means to improve access to finance to drive agribusiness development, including opportunities to collaborate with public finance institutions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) existing and (b) the creation of new local abattoirs.

The Government firmly believes that food security is national security and is committed to maintaining a resilient food supply chain. Defra recognises the vital contribution a thriving abattoir network plays in achieving this goal. We remain committed to working with abattoirs of all sizes across the UK’s meat processing sector in tackling the challenges and opportunities they face.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on the (a) allocation and (b) accessibility of funding to support farmers to transition to Environmental Land Management schemes; and what assessment he has made of the adequacy of transitional funding supporting farmers to adopt sustainable practices.

In the October 2024 budget, we committed £5 billion for farming over two years, including £1.8 billion for our environmental land management (ELM) schemes - the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. ELM schemes remain at the centre of our offer for farmers and nature, and we have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. Evaluation has shown that improvements like the simplified Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) application process have reduced barriers to scheme access. Clearly stated requirements and proportionate, regular payments are also viewed positively by participants. With uptake of SFI meeting expectations, ongoing evaluation will ensure we understand and address any further barriers to participation. We are aware of challenges for some farmers trying to move from existing Higher Level Stewardship agreements to new SFI agreements and are working to resolve this over time. We publish regular statistics on farm income in England and other data related to farm businesses. For example, on 14 November 2024, we published our Farm Business Income statistics (Farm business income - GOV.UK), which looked at how farm business income has changed in 2023/24, including the contribution of Direct Payments and agri-environment payments to farm incomes. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance (Farming statistics evidence packs - GOV.UK). These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with Cabinet colleagues to support farmers' mental health.

At the budget we committed £5 billion to farming over the next two years which will see the biggest ever budget for sustainable food production and nature recovery in our country’s history. We also committed £60 million through the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers affected by unprecedented extreme wet weather last winter. More specifically, Defra has set up a dedicated team to look at the particular set of issues driving poor mental health outcomes in the farming and agricultural sector. We will be working in consultation with communities, farming support organisations and experts across the Government to review how we can best support those experiencing poor mental health. Furthermore, the Government is building a national network of Young Futures hubs, which will be present in every community and will deliver support for young people facing mental health challenges. Finally, the Government is giving mental health the same attention and focus as physical health through measures such as employing 8,500 new mental health support workers. This will reduce delays and provide faster treatment closer to people’s homes.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Andersons' report Andersons Outlook 2025, published on 5 November 2024, whether he has made an assessment of the reasons for the decline in dairy producers between April 2023 and April 2024; and what steps he is taking to support the sustainability of dairy farms.

This Government recognises that food security is national security, and that it requires a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports farmers. That is why we are introducing new deals for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security. While the Andersons Outlook 2025 report highlights that dairy producer numbers in Great Britain declined by 5.8% to 7,130 between April 2023 and April 2024, it also shows that UK milk production remained largely unchanged at around 15b litres per annum. Industry consolidation and productivity gains have kept milk production broadly stable despite declining producer numbers. Ensuring fairness in supply chains is key for UK dairy farmers in supporting the sustainability of the sector. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 apply to new dairy contracts from 9 July 2024 and all dairy contracts from 9 July 2025. These regulations improve fairness and transparency, requiring clear terms on pricing, termination, and prohibiting unilateral changes. In addition, the Dairy Export Taskforce, an industry/government partnership, is focused on boosting export growth in the dairy sector. This included the organisation of a successful Government funded dairy showcase for international buyers in the autumn of 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure long-term stability in the agricultural budget.

In the October 2024 budget, we committed £5 billion for farming over two years, including £1.8 billion for our environmental land management schemes - the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes remain at the centre of our offer for farmers and nature, and we have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. Spending on farming in future financial years will be confirmed as part of the next spending review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to protect the highest quality agricultural land from development pressures.

This Government places great importance on the value of our agricultural land. The National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions. The Framework is clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. How this is applied is a matter for local planning authorities in the first instance, through their plans and decisionsEngland has limited land with growing demands being made of it – building 1.5 million homes, constructing energy infrastructure, growing food and protecting nature. The Government has published a 12-week consultation on land use. The consultation will inform the publication of a Land Use Framework, planned for later in the year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that the full farming budget is allocated to frontline agricultural support and does not result in a real-terms funding reduction for farmers.

In the October 2024 budget, we committed £5 billion for farming over two years, including £1.8 billion for our environmental land management schemes - the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes remain at the centre of our offer for farmers and nature, and we have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. Spending on farming in future financial years will be confirmed as part of the next spending review.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers to adapt to (a) flooding, (b) droughts and (c) other impacts of climate change.

Farming and food security are the foundations of a healthy and resilient economy, local community, and environment. That is why we have allocated £5 billion for the farming budget over two years, of which £1.8bn is ringfenced for our Environmental land Management schemes (ELMs) in 25/26. This is the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our country’s history. We are prioritising direct investment to ELM schemes, which will remain at the centre of our offer for farmers to make our country more sustainable and resilient to climate change, boosting nature and sustainable food production. We already have more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector. ELMs and Government grant payments create incentives for land managers to adopt sustainable farming practices, which provide benefits for agricultural productivity, biodiversity and resilience to climate events. For example, we are providing funding for farmers to implement natural flood management measures on their land, boosting resilience and supporting flood preparedness. Funding for soil health actions can help reduce the impacts of drought and flooding. The Government has invested £50 million to internal drainage boards (IDBs) as part of the one-off £75 million IDB Fund to support greater resilience for farmers and rural communities in the long term. The IDB Fund will accelerate IDBs’ recovery from the winter 2023-24 storms and provide opportunities to modernise and upgrade assets that protect agricultural land and rural communities. Protecting communities around the country from flooding is one of the Secretary of State’s five core priorities. That’s why we set up a Flood Resilience Taskforce to provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season. This Taskforce brings together Defra Ministers and officials with representatives from MHCLG, Home Office, Cabinet Office, the Environment Agency, the Met Office, Local Resilience Forums, Lead Local Flood Authorities, Mayoral Offices, emergency responders and the National Farmers Union, among others.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of degraded drainage infrastructure on trends in flooding levels in rural areas.

Protecting communities from the dangers of flooding is one of Defra’s top priorities. We have inherited flood assets in their poorest condition on record meaning approximately 60,000 properties are at a higher risk. We are taking decisive action to stop the steady decline and ensure the flood defences we already have are in good working order, protecting communities across the country from extreme weather events. We are investing a record £2.65 billion over two years for around 1000 projects, of which over £450 million will fund the repair and maintenance of existing assets. This includes re-prioritising £108 million into asset maintenance, which will ensure that an additional 14,500 properties will have their level of protection maintained or restored. Watercourse management responsibilities fall to different bodies and we expect all those responsible to invest in ongoing maintenance and necessary repairs. Riparian landowners are required to keep watercourses clear of anything which could cause an obstruction to the flow of water on their land, or downstream if washed away. The Environment Agency (EA) has permissive powers to undertake maintenance on main rivers and will focus its efforts on those activities which will achieve the greatest flood risk benefit. Lead local flood authorities or internal drainage boards (IDBs) have permissive powers for ordinary watercourses. To support greater resilience for farmers and rural communities, we have also invested £50 million as part of the one-off £75 million IDB Fund. The Fund will provide opportunities to modernise and upgrade IDB assets. The EA is working with Dorset Council on the Dorset Rural Runoff project to improve understanding of flooding causes and identify potential interventions to reduce flooding impacts.