Food Security

Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee Excerpts

Monday 29th June 2026 Lords Chamber

[Lord Katz (Lab)]

I point out to the noble Baroness that, even in the most ambitious scenarios under the Government’s solar road map, only 0.4% of total UK land and up to 0.6% of total agricultural land is expected to be occupied by solar farms. Indeed, the changes that we made to the National Planning Policy Framework strengthened the ability of food businesses to grow and improve the productive use of their land. I gently say that there is a way that we can balance both clean energy generation and a growing and profitable farming sector.

[Baroness Foster of Aghadrumsee (Non-Afl)]

My Lords, as a former Economy Minister in Northern Ireland, I know too well the importance of the agri-food sector to Northern Ireland. It is a key economic driver. We have a population of just 1.9 million, but we provide almost £10 billion-worth of food across the UK. Given that, do His Majesty’s Government accept that Northern Ireland is a very strategic part of the food supply for the United Kingdom?

[Lord Katz (Lab)]

Absolutely. We celebrate and enjoy the contribution that Northern Ireland makes to the agri-food sector. It is an important part of our UK economy.