Climate Change: Support for Farmers

Earl of Effingham Excerpts

Thursday 23rd January 2025 Lords Chamber

[The Earl of Effingham (Con)]

My Lords, I thank the right reverend Prelate the Bishop of St Albans for securing this important debate. He is rightly concerned about the effect of extreme weather caused by climate change on our food security. His Majesty’s Official Opposition are firmly supportive of any measures that will protect our environment and we will continue to work constructively and collaboratively with the Government to ensure that we are taking the right steps to achieve our environmental goals.

On our watch, we made major progress on these, passing our benchmark Environment Act 2021. Our approach was a pragmatic one, setting ambitious targets to decarbonise and rapidly increase our renewable energy supply while seeking to balance those ambitious goals with the need to protect consumers from unsustainable price hikes. We also put vital measures in place to support farmers affected by extreme weather events, such as the £50 million farming recovery fund.

Yesterday, Tesco, the UK’s largest supermarket chain, warned that the UK’s future food security is at risk due to the farmers tax. It is fair and reasonable to challenge the Government for placing our food security at risk. Not only is the future of family farms in jeopardy as a result of the family farm tax, but many businesses in our food supply chain will struggle with the Government’s decision to increase employer national insurance contributions. This double whammy of tax hikes will hit our food supply chain hard and creates a potential litany of problems when combined with extreme weather events.

The noble Baroness, Lady Shephard, mentioned the family farm tax and national insurance contributions, while the noble Lords, Lord Framlingham and Lord Fuller, also mentioned the family farm tax. We urgently request that the Minister listens to Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Lidl, Aldi, Co-op and M&S, all of which have come out saying that we need to pause and rethink the farmers tax policy. How can the Government ignore the voices that supply 73% of the UK population with their food?

What progress have the Government made to deliver additional support for farmers who have already been adversely affected by extreme weather events? What incremental steps are the Government taking to support farmers in the future, to ensure that sufficient help is available should the extreme weather we have seen in recent years continue and even worsen? Finally, can the Minister confirm to your Lordships’ House what discussions he and his colleagues have had with the supermarkets that I mentioned and what remedial action will he take to allay Tesco’s concerns that

“the UK’s future food security is at stake”

as a result of the Government’s family farm tax?