Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the changes to inheritance tax on the financial viability of small family farms in (a) Kent and (b) Faversham and Mid Kent constituency.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Assessing the impact of the new Inheritance Tax policy, which comes into force from 6 April 2026, relies on a number of factors such as ownership structure and debt levels. Without such information, which the Government does not hold at that level, area level assessments cannot be made.
This Government is aware that each farm is different, and so we encourage farmers to speak to their tax advisors and agents to understand how these changes may impact their specific situation and how to plan for the future.
As an outcome of the recent Spending Review, we have also committed £5 billion in the agricultural budget over the next two years – the biggest ever budget for sustainable food production and nature recovery in this country’s history. This enables us to keep momentum on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the number of farmers who will exit the sector as a result of the change to agricultural property relief in the Autumn Budget.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
From 6 April 2026, the full 100% relief from inheritance tax will be restricted to the first £1 million of combined agricultural and business property. Above this amount, landowners will access 50% relief from inheritance tax and will pay inheritance tax at a reduced effective rate up to 20%, rather than the standard 40%. This tax can be paid in instalments over 10 years interest free, rather than immediately, as with other types of inheritance tax.
This is on top of all the other spousal exemptions and nil-rate bands that people can access for inheritance tax too. This means that two people with farmland, depending on their circumstances, can pass on up to £3 million without paying any inheritance tax. This is an assumption based on the £1 million limit and nil-rate bands and does not take into consideration the specific circumstances that may affect the tax calculation. Furthermore, if land is transferred 7 years before death, farmers pay no inheritance tax at all.
Data from HMRC and supported by the independent Office for Budgetary Responsibility (OBR) indicates that around 500 estates a year will be impacted. The majority of those will be able to adapt their businesses. The exact number will depend on a wider range of factors based on their individual circumstances.
With 73% of claims being for less than £1 million, the majority of estates will be unaffected, and they will be able to pass the family farm down to their children just as previous generations have always done. This is a fair and balanced approach that protects the family farm while also fixing the public services that we all rely on.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the economic contribution of farming to (a) Kent and (b) Faversham and Mid Kent constituency.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2023, total income from farming for Kent was £187.76 million.
Total income from farming for each of the five Kent ITL3 regions was £5.16 million for Medway; £52.72 million for Kent Thames Gateway; £35.15 million for East Kent; £54.52 million for Mid Kent; and £40.21 million for West Kent.
Regional estimates of total income from farming are produced at international territorial levels (ITL) 1, 2 and 3, with ITL3 being the most granular geographical breakdown. As such, the specific breakdown requested for part b) of the question is not available.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme beyond 31 December 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and Producer Organisations and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce.
As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs.
Defra officials meet regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to make a decision on the future of the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and Producer Organisations and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce.
As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs.
Defra officials meet regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with producer organisations on the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government appreciates and values the vital work of our fruit and vegetable growers and Producer Organisations and recognises their important role in maintaining a secure supply of home – grown fresh produce.
As part of our mission-driven Government, and in partnership with the sector, the Department is considering how we can achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector, including how to recognise the sector’s diversity and specialist needs.
Defra officials meet regularly with growers to discuss a range of issues. These discussions help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if his Department what his Department's timetable is for its consultation into amending environmental permitting regulations to ensure that battery energy storage systems have appropriate mitigations in place against fire risk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government agrees with the need to have robust measures in place to manage the risks associated with facilities that use large numbers of lithium-ion batteries.
Defra is considering further options, including environmental permitting, for managing the environmental and public health risks from fires at BESS sites.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on the review to increase fairness in the fresh produce supply chain.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will deliver a resilient and healthy food system, with a new deal that ensures fairness in the supply chain across all sectors, including the fresh produce supply chain. Farmers should always receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling contractual unfairness wherever it exists.
Defra will continue the work closely with stakeholders from the fresh produce sector on the best way to achieve this.
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of (a) non-UK EU and (b) other seasonal agricultural workers who have come to the UK in each of the last five years.
Answered by George Eustice
Until 2016, Defra published data on the estimated number of seasonal agricultural workers in all UK countries in “Agriculture in the UK”, which is a Defra publication. Since 2016, data is published for England only, collected by the June Horticulture and Agriculture Survey. Data from the past 5 years is shown in the table below.
Defra does not collect data on the nationality of those workers.
Seasonal, casual & gang labour | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 |
UK numbers | 67 000 | 61 000 | 66 000 | 67 000 | N/A |
England-only numbers | 44 985 | 39 203 | 43 036 | 44 939 | 43 894 |
Asked by: Helen Whately (Conservative - Faversham and Mid Kent)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures her Department has in place to support those of its staff who have mental health problems.
Answered by George Eustice
Mental wellbeing forms a key theme in Defra’s employee Wellbeing Framework. The framework provides a structure for the Department to actively promote staff wellbeing, with a particular focus on reducing the incidence of stress and mental ill-health, while increasing awareness and empowering individuals to raise issues at an early stage. Our proactive approach to supporting staff with mental ill-health includes: