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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

1666300

	registered interest
	date	19/10/2023
	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	Food Supply
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the Sustainability journal article 'Scoping Potential Routes to UK Civil Unrest via the Food System: Results of a Structured Expert Elicitation', published on 12 October, which found that 45 per cent of people surveyed believed civil unrest was possible in the future due to climate-induced food shortages; and what steps they are taking in response.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL10702
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2023 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. We have in place a robust system for assessing and managing the risks facing the UK. The National Risk Register published earlier this year sets out our assessment of the risk landscape facing the United Kingdom, including risks to the food system, risks arising from climate change, and the risk of public disorder. We have in place comprehensive plans to monitor and build resilience to specific risks, including risks to the food system, as reflected in the Government Food Strategy, National Adaptation Programme and UK Food Security Report.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 25/10/2023 10:56:16 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1607544

	registered interest
	date	24/03/2023
	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	Food Supply
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of levels of food security in England; and, in particular, of self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetables.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL6825
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/03/2023 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Domestic food production, coupled with international trade, gives us national resilience. When it comes to food we can produce here, we are 74% self-sufficient. Our aim is to broadly maintain the current level of food that we produce domestically and boost production in sectors where there are the biggest opportunities. Defra has a collaborative relationship with industry which allows us to effectively respond to disruption, should it occur.</p><p> </p><p>Some supermarkets applied item limits to a small number of fruit and vegetables due to poor weather affecting the harvest in Spain and North Africa, where a high proportion of produce consumed in UK at this time of year is grown. However, with the exception of one retailer, these limits have now been removed, reflecting that fact that supply is returning to normal levels.</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 published in December 2021. This report will serve as an evidence base for future policy work. Defra publishes annual statistics on horticulture, including some self-sufficiency statistics here: <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/latest-horticulture-statistics" target="_blank">Latest horticulture statistics - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).</a></p> answering member printed Lord Benyon grouped question UIN HL6824 question first answered 31/03/2023 12:49:43 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1599732

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2023
	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	Food Supply
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is the current level of UK self-sufficiency in fruit and vegetables.
	tabling member printed	Baroness McIntosh of Pickering
	uin	HL5931
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/03/2023 answer text <p>The UK production to supply ratio for fresh fruit was 15% in 2021. For fresh vegetables, the ratio was 57%.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 13/03/2023 16:48:57 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	384 label Biography information for Baroness McIntosh of Pickering

1589001

	registered interest
	date	23/02/2023
	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	Food Supply
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government how long they expect the current food shortages in England, particularly of fruit and vegetables, to last; and what steps they are taking to help farmers and growers so that England is able to become more self-sufficient in terms of food production.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL5849
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2023 answer text <p>We remain in close contact with suppliers, who are clear that current issues relating to the availability of certain fruits and vegetables are predominately caused by poor weather in Spain and North Africa where they are produced. These issues have been caused by unseasonal weather hampering production and harvest during December and January. Disruption is anticipated to last for 2-4 weeks</p><p><br> While short term supplies might be tight, overall, the supply chain is robust, and we are keeping the market under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group.</p><p> </p><p>The capability, levers, and expertise to respond to disruption lie with industry. Government's role is to support and enable an industry-led response. UK Food Security remains resilient, and we continue to expect industry to be able to mitigate supply problems through alternative sourcing options.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has taken steps to support energy costs, cut tariffs to reduce feed costs, improved avian influenza compensation schemes and taken a range of measures on fertilisers.</p><p> </p><p>We work with industry bodies across the horticulture sectors, to monitor and assess the current market situation. We also work with colleagues in the Devolved Administrations at the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group (UK AMMG).</p><p><br> Minister Spencer held an industry roundtable with supermarkets on Monday 27 February to explore their plans for a return to normal supplies and contingencies for dealing with these supply chain problems.</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 published in December 2021.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 09/03/2023 12:41:41 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1548209

	registered interest
	date	02/12/2022
	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 is their latest assessment of food security in the England.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
	uin	HL3968
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 19/01/2023 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. 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 61% of all the food we need, and 74% 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. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. It considers the UK's food supply sources overall, summarises existing information and understanding, and serves as an evidence base for future policy work. The Government has made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years.</p><p><br>Our food import dependency on the Eastern Europe region is very low, and we have strong domestic production of many of the products we do import. We do not expect any significant direct impact on overall UK food supply as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. We speak regularly with food industry figures, who remain confident in the food supply chain. The capability, levers, and expertise to respond to disruption lie with industry. Government's role is to support and enable an industry-led response. Defra has a collaborative relationship with industry which allows us to effectively respond to disruption, should it occur. This was successfully demonstrated in response to unprecedented disruption to both supply and demand throughout COVID-19.</p><p><br>We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence.</p><p><br>Agricultural commodity prices are closely correlated to energy costs since gas is used to manufacture fertiliser and fuel energy is needed throughout the food chain. Energy prices were rising following the pandemic and the invasion of Ukraine, a key global exporter of agricultural products, has caused additional turbulence in international commodity markets, for example the global prices of wheat, maize and vegetable oil have all increased since the start of the war.</p><p>The UK is working with G7 and other partners in multilateral fora such as the WTO, to monitor and address global food security issues, focusing on the ongoing benefits of open markets, and working together to ensure that sufficient, safe, affordable and nutritious food continues to be available and accessible to all.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 19/01/2023 12:02:08 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1536127

	registered interest
	date	25/10/2022
	answering body	Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept id	201
	answering dept short name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	answering dept sort name	Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
	hansard heading	Food Supply
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the annual survey conducted by the Grocery Code Adjudicator which identified a deteriorating relationship between food suppliers and retailers; and what steps they will take to improve that relationship.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Exeter
	uin	HL2870
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/11/2022 answer text <p>The Government has noted the results of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) 2022 Groceries Sector Survey and encourages suppliers to raise concerns about non-compliance with the Groceries Supply Code of Practice (the Code), in confidence, with the Adjudicator.</p><p> </p><p>The Government is currently undertaking the third statutory review of the effectiveness of the GCA in enforcing the Code and will consider the results of the GCA’s survey as part of the review alongside responses to the public consultation that ended on 11 October. A report on the findings of the statutory review will be published and laid before Parliament in due course.</p> answering member printed Lord Callanan question first answered 08/11/2022 17:38:03 answering member 4336 label Biography information for Lord Callanan
	tabling member	4929 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Exeter

1520165

	registered interest
	date	10/10/2022
	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 avoid food shortages this winter arising from water shortages and rising energy costs.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	uin	HL2426
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/11/2022 answer text <p>The United Kingdom 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. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes.</p><p> </p><p>The United Kingdom’s 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 HM 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 Benyon question first answered 02/11/2022 16:54:30 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1522691

	registered interest
	date	17/10/2022
	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, if any, to encourage local authorities to support (1) local food networks, and (2) farmers’ markets.
	tabling member printed	Lord Hylton
	uin	HL2643
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/10/2022 answer text <p>We have a Manifesto commitment to encourage people at home and abroad to Buy British. We will always champion our farmers and producers and support their efforts to provide a reliable and sustainable supply of excellent British food to the public.</p><p>HM Government is working closely with local authorities, from Cornwall to Northumberland, to support rural economies. We are working closely on the Rural England Prosperity Fund, which launched on 3 September 2022. This is a rural top-up to the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, and supports HM Government’s Levelling Up White Paper and Future Farming Programme. It funds capital projects for small businesses and community infrastructure, which should help to improve productivity and growth in rural areas and strengthen the rural economy by supporting local jobs. Among other things, the Fund is aimed at encouraging farm businesses to consider diversifying their economic activity, including through support for initiatives such as community-owned shops that provide a platform to showcase local food and drink.</p><p>We also continue to work closely with local enterprise partnerships, as well as businesses and representative organisations, through regular engagement, regional workshop events, masterclasses and other events to develop local food and drink networks, promote local products and share best practice. As part of this engagement, we produced a ‘how to’ guide for businesses aimed at securing the benefits of selling their products at farmers’ markets.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/10/2022 16:20:37 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	2018 label Biography information for Lord Hylton