Written questions by Morello.

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 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, 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 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.

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

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.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) promote and (b) fund nature-based solutions to reduce flooding risks along rivers.

Defra’s Environmental Land Management schemes will provide payments for managing land and water in a way that reduces flood risk. For example, the Sustainable Farming Incentive standards include actions to support waterbody buffering and soil health on farm woodland and hedgerows. Countryside Stewardship currently provides payments for actions that slow down surface runoff and also mitigate flooding from rivers, and we have recently announced a significant expansion of the flood and drought resilience offer within Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. One of the 2 themes for first wave of Landscape Recovery pilot projects was “Restoring England’s streams and rivers: improving water quality, biodiversity and adapting to climate change.” Many of the actions undertaken to restore England’s streams and rivers will provide flood risk mitigation benefits as well. Tree planting along rivers can help slow water flow and temporarily store water as part of natural flood management. The England Woodland Creation Offer provides financial support for tree planting and incentivises woodland creation that reduces flood risk through supplementary payments. In addition, the floods investment programme delivers a range of schemes, including natural flood management. The Government inherited an outdated funding formula for allocating money to proposed flood defences. Established in 2011, the existing formula slows down the delivery of new flood schemes through a complex application process, and neglects more innovative approaches to flood management such as natural flood management. A consultation will be launched in the coming months which will include a review of the existing formula.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) tackle the use of late payments by supermarkets and (b) increase transparency in the food supply chain.

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. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 we can introduce regulations, applying to businesses who purchase agricultural products from farmers, which increase transparency and protect farmers from unfair practices. These regulations could mandate that contracts include certain information such as payment terms, pricing information and set parameters around these, increasing transparency for producers. A sector-by-sector approach has been adopted, with the first use of these powers leading to Dairy Regulations, which came into force for new contracts in 2024. We will lay regulations in spring 2025 to improve fairness in the pig sector and are making progress on eggs and on fresh produce. Where farmers sell directly to retailers, their agreements will be covered within the scope of the sectoral regulations that we are introducing through powers in the Agriculture Act 2020.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support the development of farm diversification projects in rural areas.

The Government recognises that rural areas offer significant potential for growth and is taking steps to support the development of farm diversification projects in rural areas. As the Secretary of State announced in his Oxford Farming Conference earlier this year, he understands that the focus of the department should be on boosting profitability on primary income, whilst also supporting its diversification.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential impact of supermarket supply chain practices on the financial stability of farmers; and what steps he is taking to help farmers receive equitable prices for agricultural produce.

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. Using the 'Fair Dealings' powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 we can introduce regulations, applying to businesses who purchase agricultural products from farmers, which increase transparency and protect farmers from unfair practices. These regulations could mandate that contracts include certain information such as payment terms, pricing information and set parameters around these, increasing transparency for producers. A sector-by-sector approach has been adopted, with the first use of these powers leading to Dairy Regulations, which came into force for new contracts in 2024. We will lay regulations in spring 2025 to improve fairness in the pig sector and are making progress on eggs and on fresh produce. Where farmers sell directly to retailers, their agreements will be covered within the scope of the sectoral regulations that we are introducing through powers in the Agriculture Act 2020.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of agricultural input costs on the financial viability of small farms.

We publish regular statistics on agricultural input and output prices in the UK and other data related to farm businesses. For example, we publish monthly statistics on Agricultural price indices (Latest agricultural price indices - GOV.UK).

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with South West Water on steps to upgrade the sewage processing facilities on the River Lim.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill. The Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. In October 2024, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Government launched an Independent Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. These wide-ranging recommendations will form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good. As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment: £104 billion over the next five years. This includes South West Water delivering £749 million of investment over the next five years in storm overflows, continuous water quality monitoring and event duration monitoring.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) barriers to accessing the Sustainable Farming Initiative and (b) the removal of the Basic Payment Scheme on farmers who remain in legacy EU environmental schemes.

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 HLS agreements to new SFI agreements and 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, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of untreated sewage discharges into the River Lim on the environment.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill. The Bill will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector. In October 2024, the Secretary of State and the Welsh Government launched an Independent Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, into the water sector and its regulation, in what is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. These wide-ranging recommendations will form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good. As part of Price Review 2024 (PR24), which runs from 2025–2030, water companies will be delivering record levels of investment: £104 billion over the next five years. This includes South West Water delivering £749 million of investment over the next five years in storm overflows, continuous water quality monitoring and event duration monitoring.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure water companies prioritise investment in upgrading sewage treatment infrastructure in areas with high ecological sensitivity.

Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 (PR24) on 19 December, which included a confirmed £104 billion of water company expenditure between 2025 and 2030 to deliver substantial, lasting, improvements for customers and the environment. During this period, around £12 billion will be invested in improving almost 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales. This investment will be prioritised at storm overflows affecting the most sensitive sites for ecological and human health in line with the targets in the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan. The Plan requires that by 2050, water companies will only discharge from storm overflows where they can demonstrate that there is no adverse local ecological impact. Nutrient pollution from wastewater is another key pressure affecting the condition of our protected sites. This is why in areas where protected sites are particularly affected by nutrient pollution, over 140 wastewater treatment works must be upgraded by water companies to meet stringent nutrient removal levels in PR24.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that planning reforms (a) take full account of environmental and animal welfare considerations and (b) empower local authorities to (i) reject and (ii) amend applications for new or expanding factory farms that may cause harm.

The Department works closely with the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government to deliver planning reforms with regular discussions on how the impacts of development can be fully considered and planning can improve outcomes for nature whilst enabling farmers and rural businesses to build the infrastructure they need. New or expanding farms permitted under the Town and Country Planning Act are subject to the National Planning Policy Framework which clearly sets out that if significant harm to biodiversity resulting from a development cannot be avoided, adequately mitigated, or, as a last resort, compensated for, then planning permission should be refused and that planning policies and decisions should prevent new and existing development from contributing to, being put at unacceptable risk from, or being adversely affected by, unacceptable levels of soil, air, water or noise pollution or land instability. The animal welfare considerations for buildings and accommodation used for farmed animals are set out in The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 with further guidance set out in the relevant species-specific welfare code of practice.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of (a) the potential merits of compensating coastal communities disproportionately affected by sewage discharges for the environmental and economic damage

Ofwat, the independent economic regulator, sets specific performance targets for companies in the five-yearly price review. Where companies fail to meet these targets, including pollution incidents, they must reimburse customers through lower water bills....

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of water bill increases on coastal communities that are affected by sewage dumping.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population, and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterw...

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that people who live in coastal areas that experience high levels of sewage dumping do not face higher water bills as a result.

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population, and climate change. Bills will therefore now need to rise to invest in our crumbling infrastructure and deliver cleaner waterw...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to secure funding for rural housing enablers to support housing initiatives in rural areas.

The Government is committed to funding the Rural Housing Enabler programme until 31 March 2025. It is also providing over £5 billion total housing investment in 2025-26 to boost the supply of new housing, including in rural areas. This includes a £500 mil...