Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ben Goldsborough and Angela Eagle

Thursday 19th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Ben Goldsborough (South Norfolk) (Lab)]

T8. One in five people face a vitamin D deficiency, with serious health impacts, but in South Norfolk we are part of the solution. The John Innes Centre is boosting vitamin D in tomatoes using gene-editing technology, and the Quadrum Institute is studying the impact. Will the Minister visit Norwich research park to support the changing agritech that is supporting people to live healthier lives?

[The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs (Dame Angela Eagle)]

We are committed to growing the agritech and engineering biology sectors, which are key to the industrial strategy. We are allocating £200 million to the farming innovation programme precisely for this purpose. I look forward to trying to visit my hon. Friend as soon as I am out that way.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Ben Goldsborough and Angela Eagle

Thursday 18th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Dame Angela Eagle]

I meet farmers all the time, and I intend to spend the early part of next year, and hopefully many years thereafter, continuing to do so.

[Ben Goldsborough (South Norfolk) (Lab)]

Merry Christmas to you and your team, Mr Speaker.

Christmas is coming and the goose is getting fat—or it would be if we had not had such a terrible year for avian influenza. The poultry sector is worth £1.5 billion gross value added to our UK economy. As much as I welcome the investment going into Harlow for the national biosecurity centre, will the Minister tell us what action we are taking to make sure that we have more veterinary surgeons located in the area where the problems are being found?

[Dame Angela Eagle]

I pay tribute to the farmers in my hon. Friend’s constituency in the awful situation they face. We are closely monitoring the outbreak and have taken action to eradicate disease by putting in place control zones, tracing movements and issuing a proactive housing order. I am more than happy to talk to him about what we can do to ensure that we have the appropriate level of veterinary response. Avian flu is now endemic in the wild bird population, and we will have to get increasingly sophisticated at dealing with it.