Written questions by Barclay.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of farm holdings that are estimated to have a net value of (a) between £1,000,000 and £1,499,999, (b) between £1,500,000 and £1,999,999 and (c) over £2,000,000 in (i) England, (ii) Cambridgeshire and (iii) North East Cambridgeshire constituency.

Defra does not hold financial data for farms at holding level. Some financial information is published at a farm business level (where multiple farm holdings can constitute a single farm business). This information is based on the Farm Business Survey which only covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst the Survey captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes around 43,000 smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output). This means the statistics cannot be used to infer any statistical estimates for the whole population of farms. The published 2022/23 balance sheet statistics, which include the distribution of farms by net worth by region, are available in Table 6 of the Balance Sheets: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66d0410957321cdac841840a/fbs_balancesheetanalysis_2022_23.ods. The 2023/24 data will be published in March 2025. For the East of England, the 2022/23 data shows that 17% of Farm Business Survey farms had a net worth between £1 million and £1.49 million, and 58% had a net worth above £1.5 million. Farm business assets are not a clear guide to inheritance tax liabilities which are due on an individual’s estate at the time of their death whereas farm businesses can have multiple ownership and can be passed on as gifts before death.

What data HM Revenue and Customs holds on the (a) area and (b) value of (i) farms and (ii) farmland.

HMRC receives information in relation to the agricultural value of agricultural land, buildings, and other assets as part of claims for agricultural property relief. This information relates to the agricultural property owned by the individual who may not own all of the relevant farm

With reference to page 118 of Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, and page 32 of the Budget Policy Costings document, if she will publish the (a) methodology and (b) data sources on how the revenue from the (i) agricultural property relief and (ii) business property relief was estimated.

The Government has published information about reforms to agricultural property relief at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/what-are-the-changes-to-agricultural-property-relief. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief (or those claiming agricultural property relief and business property relief together) in 2026-27 are expected to be unaffected by these reforms. Historic data published by HMRC shows that in 2021-22, 73% of estates making agricultural property relief claims did so on total amounts worth less than £1m. HMRC is commissioned by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) at each fiscal event to produce Inheritance Tax receipts forecasts. More information behind this process is published on the OBR website: https://obr.uk/forecasts-in-depth/tax-by-tax-spend-by-spend/inheritance-tax/. HMRC analysis suggests that in 2026-27, 500 estates claiming agricultural property relief will receive a lower financial benefit as a result of the Government’s reforms, out of a projected total of 1,800 estates making agricultural property relief claims in that year. This means that around three-quarters of estates making agricultural property relief claims will be unaffected by this measure.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data the Rural Payments Agency holds on the (a) area and (b) value of (i) farms and (ii) farmland at a (A) hereditament and (B) local authority level.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) does not hold data at hereditament level, or any data on values of farms or farmland. It does hold data on areas of land for businesses registered with the RPA and associated agricultural land, i.e. land registered as Arable, Pasture and Permanent Crops.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the (a) area and (b) value of (i) farms and (ii) farmland at a (A) hereditament and (B) local authority level.

The Defra June Survey of Agriculture has statistical estimates of the English farmland areas at local authority level, the latest available is for 2021. Please note this survey only covers commercial holdings (defined as farms with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables, 0.1 hectares of protected crops, 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry). Defra produces statistical estimates of the total income from farming by English county Data are only available on total fixed capital (value of land, plant and buildings) at UK level due to the calculation methodology used. Defra do not hold financial data for farms at holding level. Some financial information is published at a farm business level (where multiple farm holdings can constitute a single farm business). This information is based on the Farm Business Survey which only covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst the Survey captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes around 43,000 smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output). This means the statistics cannot be used to infer any statistical estimates for the whole population of farms. The published 2022/23 balance sheet statistics, which include the distribution of farms by net worth by region, are available in Table 6 of the Balance Sheets. Please note that the data being asked for is already publicly available on the Defra Farming Statistics webpages: Food, Farming and Bio-security statistics - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the mix of waste sent for incineration since 2017 on the carbon emissions of each unit of electricity generated by incinerators compared to (a) coal, (b) gas, (c) nuclear, (d) biomass, (e) offshore wind, (f) onshore wind and (g) solar.

Defra made no assessment of the effect of changes in the mix of waste sent for incineration on the carbon emissions of each unit of electricity generated by energy recovery facilities when the Rt Hon member for North East Cambridgeshire was Secretary of State. Defra is currently undertaking a composition analysis study of residual waste treated at energy recovery facilities. This will enable us to better understand the overall composition of residual waste treated at energy recovery facilities and, in due course, can form the basis for a better understanding of the fossil carbon portion of waste sent to incineration.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many abandoned waste sites there are; and if he will publish a list of such sites.

As of July 2024, the Environment Agency confirmed 35 abandoned waste sites in England. An abandoned site occurs if the waste management permit holder dies, or the company is wound up. Information on these sites was not published when he was Secretary of State due to data protection and ongoing investigations. This remains the case.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the statutory target to halve residual waste on demand for waste incineration capacity.

Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of waste that will be recycled in each of the next five years.

In 2022, the Waste from Households recycling rate in England was 43.4%. Figures for 2023/24 are provisionally scheduled for publication by January 2025. We have a long-term target to halve residual waste by 2042 and we are committed to achieving a municipal recycling rate of at least 65% by 2035.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of waste incineration capacity over the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 20 years assuming all statutory environmental targets are met.

Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to reduce the amount of waste sent for incineration; and what estimate he has made of the volume of waste that will be incinerated in each of the next five years.

Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.