Asked by: Chris Davies (Conservative - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
If he will bring forward legislative proposals to support hill farmers after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
Hill farmers play an important role in the maintenance of traditional upland landscapes providing both environmental and cultural benefits. The Government’s consultation document ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a green Brexit’ makes clear that upland areas have the potential to benefit from the proposed new environmental land management schemes in England, given the nature of their landscapes and the public goods that they deliver.
Asked by: Chris Davies (Conservative - Brecon and Radnorshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent support her Department has given to lamb farmers.
Answered by George Eustice
We have introduced a new system of extended tax averaging, allowing farmers to choose whether to spread their tax over a two or five-year period.
We are working on opening up new export markets for lamb. The Secretary of State had discussions on opening access for British lamb to the American market on her recent US trip.
We are supporting the sector’s efforts to improve its efficiency and competitiveness through co-funded Agri-Tech projects.