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1723269

registered interest
date	24/07/2024
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	Food Supply
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce a legally binding food security target.
tabling member constituency	North East Cambridgeshire
tabling member printed	Steve Barclay
uin	1489
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/07/2024 answer text <p>Food security is national security. A resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers is a key element of our national food security.</p><p> </p><p>That is why this Government will introduce a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen Britain's food security. We will: cut energy bills by switching on GB Energy; protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals; and use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.</p><p> </p><p>Food security is not a binary issue but consists of complex and dynamic interactions. The Government will publish the triennial UK Food Security Report this year which will measure trends across the five categories of food security.</p> answering member constituency Cambridge answering member printed Daniel Zeichner question first answered 29/07/2024 16:25:47 answering member 4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner
tabling member	4095 label Biography information for Steve Barclay

1722121

registered interest
date	18/07/2024
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	Food Supply
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 his Department's policy is on the future of the UK Food Resilience Forum.
tabling member constituency	Mid Buckinghamshire
tabling member printed	Greg Smith
uin	685
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/07/2024 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. Defra maintains a collaborative relationship with industry which allows us to effectively respond to disruption. This includes a Food Resilience Industry Forum, which can be stood-up at short notice should the need arise.</p> answering member constituency Cambridge answering member printed Daniel Zeichner question first answered 25/07/2024 14:03:06 answering member 4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner
tabling member	4778 label Biography information for Greg Smith

1721236

registered interest
date	17/07/2024
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	Food Supply
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how much food was imported from overseas last year; and what action they are taking to reduce the level of imported food and increase food security.
tabling member printed	Lord Alton of Liverpool
uin	HL5
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/07/2024 answer text <p>The value of imports of food, feed and drink was £61.1 billion in 2023.</p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>The value of imports of food, feed and drink was £61.1 billion in 2023.</li><li>Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers.</li><li>This Government will introduce a new deal for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen Britain's food security. We will: cut energy bills by switching on GB Energy; protect farmers from being undercut in trade deals; and use the Government’s own purchasing power to back British produce.</li><li>We will publish the next UK Food Security Report later this year as required by the Agriculture Act 2020. The Report will examine past, current, and predicted trends to present the best available understanding of UK food security.</li></ul> answering member printed Baroness Hayman of Ullock question first answered 31/07/2024 15:35:09 answering member 4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock
tabling member	738 label Biography information for Lord Alton of Liverpool

1718616

registered interest
date	15/05/2024
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	Food Supply
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to strengthen the resilience of the UK's food supply chain, and (2) to enhance food security, in the face of external disruptions and challenges.
tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
uin	HL4718
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain and is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.</p><p> </p><p>Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.</p><p> </p><p>UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.</p><p> </p><p>Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was produced in 2021 and the next will be published by December 2024. This report serves as an evidence base for policy work.</p><p> </p><p>Starting this year, the government is also strengthening our food security monitoring by introducing the annual Food Security Index in addition to the three-yearly UKFSR.</p><p> </p><p>Published to coincide with the second UK Farm to Fork Summit on 14 May 2024, the 2024 Food Security Index sets out how Government will track UK-wide food security on an annual basis, monitoring domestic food production, land use, input costs, and farmer productivity.</p><p> </p><p>The Index looks at shorter-term trends that change year on year, complementing the UKFSR’s comprehensive assessment and attention to longer-term trends. The 2024 Index shows that the UK farming sector is at its most productive since records began.</p><p> </p><p>A further package of measures to support farmers and grow the UK’s farming and food sector was announced by the government at the Farm to Fork Summit on 14th May 2024.</p><p> </p><p>This includes a <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fpublications%2Fa-blueprint-to-grow-the-uk-fruit-and-vegetable-sector&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7Ca6bcce62eca54b98c7e208dc75998dde%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638514549574220446%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=EPMGmy06utGwoW2ak97LftPPf0kq62W6%2FnmT7isxfXs%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">new Blueprint for Growing the UK Fruit and Vegetable Sector</a> (see attached), setting out how industry and government can work together to increase domestic production and drive investment into this valuable sector. The plan involves ensuring the sector has access to affordable and sustainable energy and water, cutting planning red tape to make it easier and quicker to build glasshouses, and looking to double to £80 million the amount of funding given to horticulture businesses when compared to the EU legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme which will be replaced from 2026 onwards.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 20/05/2024 14:32:21 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller attachment 1 file name HL4718 - A blueprint to grow the UK fruit and vegetable sector.pdf title blueprint - growing UK fruit and vegetable sector
tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1715070

registered interest
date	30/04/2024
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	Food Supply
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to monitor and address any disruptions in the flow of essential food and agricultural products resulting from the introduction of import controls, particularly in the event of unforeseen logistical challenges.
tabling member printed	Viscount Waverley
uin	HL4254
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2024 answer text <p>We have introduced controls which are more proportionate to risk and worked with port and airport operators, traders, Port Health Authorities (PHAs) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to make sure we have the right infrastructure, systems and resources in place.</p><p> </p><p>This has culminated in recent months with an extensive period of operational testing. Collaborating with several ports, PHAs, APHA and traders, we have used these tests to ensure that stakeholders are prepared for the new controls.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is confident that existing and new Border Control Posts infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model, with robust, dynamic and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 20/05/2024 15:12:41 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	1744 label Biography information for Viscount Waverley

1701162

registered interest
date	15/04/2024
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	Food Supply
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 recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's food security.
tabling member constituency	Newport West
tabling member printed	Ruth Jones
uin	21840
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.</p><p> </p><p>Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.</p><p> </p><p>UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.</p><p> </p><p>Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was produced in 2021 and the next will be published by December 2024. This report serves as an evidence base for policy work.</p><p> </p><p>At the NFU Conference on 20 February 2024, the Prime Minister announced that we will introduce an annual Food Security Index to underpin the three-yearly UK Food Security report. This will present the key data and analysis needed to monitor how we are maintaining our current levels of self-sufficiency and overall food security.</p><p> </p><p>We will publish the first draft of the Food Security Index during the second UK Farm to Fork Summit this Spring.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Sir Mark Spencer question first answered 22/04/2024 15:16:12 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4716 label Biography information for Ruth Jones

1695494

registered interest
date	12/03/2024
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	Food Supply
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 he plans to take information about expected future climatic conditions affecting (a) UK food production and (b) food imports into account in constructing the new Food Security Index.
tabling member constituency	Brighton, Kemptown
tabling member printed	Lloyd Russell-Moyle
uin	18232
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2024 answer text <p>We are in the process of developing the content of the new Food Security Index (FSI). We expect it will include a selection of indicators giving an assessment of food security across the five themes identified in the UK Food Security Report (UKFSR), including domestic food supply and imports.</p><p> </p><p>We expect the annual FSI will focus on a selection of indicators that typically show variation on an annual basis. The updated UKFSR, which will be published later this year, will include analysis of longer-term trends, such as the impact of changing climatic conditions on food security.</p><p> </p><p>Defra officials are considering what would be most useful to monitor on an annual basis. It will likely draw on key statistics in the UK Food Security Report.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 18/03/2024 15:09:48 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4615 label Biography information for Lloyd Russell-Moyle

1694671

registered interest
date	07/03/2024
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	Food Supply
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 the Food Security Index will be measured; and whether it will include nature-friendly farming practices.
tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
uin	17700
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/03/2024 answer text <p>The first draft of the new annual Food Security Index will be published at the Farm to Fork Summit this spring. We are in the process of developing the content of the index. We expect it will include a selection of indicators giving an assessment of food security across the five themes identified in the UK Food Security Report, including domestic food supply. Productive, resilient and environmentally sustainable domestic food production is a key element of our food security.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 12/03/2024 14:39:17 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1692909

registered interest
date	29/02/2024
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	Food Supply
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the fall in overall domestic food production resulting from the proposed changes in agricultural policies and payments.
tabling member printed	Lord Framlingham
uin	HL2891
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/03/2024 answer text <p>The UK has a high degree of food security, built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years: historical production figures, including for the commodities you reference, can be found in “Agriculture in the United Kingdom”, a publication of annual statistics about agriculture in the United Kingdom at <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fcollections%2Fagriculture-in-the-united-kingdom&amp;data=05%7C02%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C8fafb35aa0964d16f59c08dc3a137857%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638449102505268936%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=SMlbt5rijclEBVI7xiBRwbT8hBKsOeQO2jrldDMU9a0%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">GOV.UK</a>. UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.</p><p> </p><p>Domestically, the Government has committed to broadly maintain the current level of food we produce. This includes sustainably boosting production in sectors where there are post-Brexit opportunities, including horticulture and seafood, and the Agriculture Act imposes a duty on the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage environmentally sustainable food production. Our farming reforms aim to support a highly productive food producing sector by supporting farmers to manage land in a way that improves food production and is more environmentally sustainable, and by paying farmers to produce public goods such as water quality, biodiversity, animal health and welfare and climate change mitigation, alongside food production.</p><p> </p><p>Speaking at the recent National Farmers Union Conference in Birmingham, the Prime Minister and the Environment Secretary announced a range of measures to boost productivity and resilience in the sector, including the largest ever grant offer for farmers in the coming financial year, expected to total £427 million. This includes doubling investment in productivity schemes, bolstering schemes such as the Improving Farming Productivity grant, which provides support for farmers to invest in automation and robotics, as well as solar installations to build on-farm energy security. The Prime Minister also announced a new annual UK-wide Food Security Index, which will capture and present the data needed to monitor levels of food security, and announced plans to hold the Farm to Fork Summit annually.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller grouped question UIN HL2892 HL2893 HL2894 HL2895 question first answered 07/03/2024 15:14:44 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	134 label Biography information for Lord Framlingham

1688843

registered interest
date	13/02/2024
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	Food Supply
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to address the underlying causes of food insecurity in the UK.
tabling member printed	The Earl of Effingham
uin	HL2429
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/03/2024 answer text <p>This Government takes the issue of food security very seriously. Tackling inflation is one of this Government’s priorities. Inflation has more than halved, but it remains a challenge which is why we continue to monitor all key agricultural commodities and work with the food industry to address the challenges they face.</p><p> </p><p>Consumer food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour and manufacturing costs, and Sterling exchange rates. Some of these factors are influenced by our trading arrangements with other countries. Changes in food prices are dependent on changes in one or more of these factors.</p><p> </p><p>Through regular engagement, Defra will continue to work with food businesses throughout the supply chain to explore the range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. For example, by maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing measures.</p><p> </p><p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.</p><p> </p><p>Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.</p><p> </p><p>UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 04/03/2024 12:22:53 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
tabling member	4958 label Biography information for The Earl of Effingham