Oral Answers to Questions

Daniel Zeichner Excerpts
Thursday 28th April 2022

(2 years, 7 months ago)

Commons Chamber
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Lindsay Hoyle Portrait Mr Speaker
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I now call the shadow Minister, Daniel Zeichner.

Daniel Zeichner Portrait Daniel Zeichner (Cambridge) (Lab)
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Cost, of course, is incredibly important but so is availability. The UK food system is dependent on two factories for CO2, one of which has been shut for months and the other has been operating at relatively low levels. Before Christmas, the Government were slow to intervene and coy about the terms of the agreement. Can the Minister tell the House today what that agreement was, how much it cost and what the plan is to ensure that the UK food system is secure in future?

Jo Churchill Portrait Jo Churchill
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This is a highly complex area which obviously involves CO2 and various other things that are important to industries right across the country. We are keeping a very close eye on this, but I say to our farmers that they should have confidence and make sure they put forward their orders so we have sustainable demand, which will of course improve the supply chain.