Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to include capital grant options for improving on-farm water supply and storage infrastructure in the grant scheme that will incorporate elements of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund from 2027.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the significant challenges that drought conditions can pose for farmers and growers. As part of the drought support package announced on 14 August 2026, up to £15 million has been made available to support on-farm reservoir construction.

FETF 2026 was the final round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund in its current form; Defra is reviewing our wider grants offers to ensure they deliver the greatest benefit for farmers, food production and the environment. Decisions on the design and scope of any future offers have not yet been made.

Defra will continue to engage with farmers and industry stakeholders as we develop its future programme.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will include measures to improve farm water security when determining which items currently supported through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund will be incorporated into Environmental Land Management Capital Grants from 2027.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

No decisions have been made on the scope of FETF inclusion in Capital Grants from 2027, we are still considering future support arrangements and will set out further details in due course.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that sufficient supplies of vaccines against bluetongue virus are available to livestock keepers; and what steps she is taking to improve the availability and timely distribution of those vaccines.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) are working closely with manufacturers, wholesalers and veterinary bodies to monitor availability and support continuity of supply. Defra and VMD have taken proactive regulatory action to expedite the import of authorised Northern Ireland and European Union-authorised BTV-3 vaccines, helping to increase vaccine availability in Great Britain.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the capacity of laboratories in processing bluetongue tests in a timely manner during periods of increased transmission; what the current average turnaround time is for such testing, and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that delays in laboratory testing do not (a) impede disease control measures and (b) increase disruption to the movement of livestock.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working with APHA and The Pirbright Institute to reduce delays in testing and reporting. Testing is being undertaken by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) at Weybridge alongside the National Reference Laboratory at The Pirbright Institute.

A new online reporting form was launched on Friday 11 September, which makes it easier and quicker for vets to report suspect cases and clinical signs directly to APHA. This will allow private vets to diagnose bluetongue after examining affected animals, with cases formally confirmed by APHA at a premises level. Where a vet cannot rule out suspicion of another notifiable disease, including foot and mouth, the usual reporting and laboratory testing arrangements will continue. This will support prioritising laboratory capacity for tests such as movement testing and surveillance in emerging areas in GB. Defra will monitor the impacts of these changes on turnaround time and capacity.

Found: Jonathan Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sojan Joseph; Manuela Perteghella; Adrian Ramsay; Martin Rhodes; John Whitby

Found: Jonathan Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sojan Joseph; Manuela Perteghella; Adrian Ramsay; Martin Rhodes; John Whitby

Found: Chair: I call John Whitby—a very patient John Whitby. Q62 John Whitby: Very patient! Thank you.

Found: Jonathan Davies; Barry Gardiner; Sarah Gibson; Adrian Ramsay; Martin Rhodes; Blake Stephenson; John Whitby

Submit Evidence (by 21 Oct 2026)

In its latest advice to the government, the CCC said that climate change is already disrupting life in the UK and said that the UK’s national approach to climate adaption is “not fit for purpose”. It has also argued that the government’s third National Adaptation Plan (NAP3) is not adequately preparing the UK for climate change.