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1671430

registered interest
date	20/11/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Seeds: Databases
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what objectives there are for the OrganicXseeds database; how long the database has been in operation; and how much his Department spent on (a) maintaining the database and (b) producing an annual report of non-organic seed authorisations in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	2577
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2023 answer text <p>The UK is legally required to maintain a database listing the varieties of available organic seed or seed potatoes. The regulation detailing that requirement notes that the database should help operators to find organic seed and seed potatoes. The UK database has been in operation since 2004, with a separate database for Northern Ireland going live in 2021 following EU-exit. Since its inception in 2004, Defra has delegated the operation and maintenance of the database, and production of the annual non-organic seed authorisation reports, to the Soil Association. In 2022-23, Defra paid the Soil Association £23,086 + VAT for carrying out those responsibilities.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 23/11/2023 16:00:54 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1671431

registered interest
date	20/11/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Agriculture: Seeds
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many emergency authorisations were granted to certified organic producers to use non-organic seed in each of the last five years; and if he will make an assessment of the reasons for the trend in the number of emergency authorisations granted in that period.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	2578
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2023 answer text <p>It is possible for non-organic seed (as part of a mix or entirely non-organic) to be used on certified organic farmland, but only under prescribed circumstances, and with prior authorisation in accordance with regulations. The annual non-organic seed authorisation reports produced by the Soil Association on behalf of Defra details the total number of authorisations in each of the past 5 years as follows:</p><p> </p><ul><li>2022 – 17,314</li><li>2021 – 16,598</li><li>2020 – 13,106</li><li>2019 – 15,783</li><li>2018 – 15,828</li></ul><p> </p><p>In cases where, due to limited availability, a producer cannot source the required seeds in sufficient quantities, the organic regulation allows producers to use non-organic seeds. This is because it is recognised that sometimes, insufficient stocks may be available. Authorisations to use non-organic seed are granted only under specific circumstances and must be obtained in advance of their use. It is also worth highlighting that these authorisations cover all crop species and varieties used by organic farmers within the UK, each with unique variables as to availability of supply. Defra’s engagement with seed suppliers has not highlighted any systemic or structural issues with the supply of organic seed beyond those associated with the well-documented supply chain issues caused by the Covid pandemic and Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 23/11/2023 15:58:07 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

1669727

registered interest
date	13/11/2023
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Sustainable Farming Incentive
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Sustainable Farming Incentive programme on (a) farm-level crop yields, (b) national agricultural productivity and (c) domestic food self-sufficiency levels.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	1545
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2023 answer text <p>Our overall assessment of the impacts of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) on yields, productivity and domestic food production is based on a review of quantitative and qualitative evidence. SFI is designed to support farmers in managing their land in an environmentally sustainable way. Many SFI actions are designed to be undertaken alongside their agricultural operations and do not require land be taken out of production. Some actions within SFI are likely to take small areas of often marginally productive land out of production, lowering overall output for the farm in the short term. In the longer term this is likely to be offset by long term improvements in soil health and pollinator abundance which will support increased yields. Some actions in SFI will also reduce the need for fertilisers or pesticides leading to lower inputs and higher productivity. SFI, along with other schemes in the wider farming and countryside programme (including for example the Farming Resilience Fund, the Farming Investment Fund and the Farming Innovation Programme) will collectively support increases in agricultural productivity over the agricultural transition. Overall, this should allow participating farmers to broadly maintain long-run food production and to meet the objective, set out on the Food Strategy, of maintaining national food production at current levels.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 23/11/2023 15:26:36 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy