Farming Road Map and Profitability Review

Debate between Noah Law and Emma Reynolds

Wednesday 24th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Emma Reynolds]

We consulted on that issue—obviously, this falls under the MHCLG—in December. The Ministry is considering the responses, but I am working with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that we make it easier for farmers to establish on-farm reservoirs in order to give them more resilience.

[Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)]

I really welcome the ambition of the road map, particularly the focus on buying British and the nod to honest food labelling. We must now make that ambition real and focus steadfastly on the drivers of farm profitability, so that farmers are making more money from their core business of farming by the end of this Parliament than they were when it started. In that spirit, the Labour rural research group continues our calls for honest origin labelling for food. I hope the Secretary of State will back those calls and commit, as did her predecessor, to meeting the LRRG to discuss this issue further.

[Emma Reynolds]

I am always happy to meet my hon. Friend and the Labour rural research group, and I thank him for what he said about the road map.

I have an update for the House. The hon. Member for North Cotswolds (Sir Geoffrey Clifton-Brown) is no longer in his place, but somebody has done some work for me related to question: “profitability” is mentioned in the road map 17 times, the word “profitable” is mentioned 27 times and “profit” is mentioned 52 times.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between Noah Law and Emma Reynolds

Thursday 19th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Emma Reynolds]

Let me gently point out to the right hon. Lady that on Monday the Prime Minister announced a £53 million package to help rural communities that are reliant on heating oil. On waste crime, I will take no lectures from the right hon. Lady, because the Conservatives had 14 years in government to address waste crime. In 2018 they had a review on what to do about waste crime, and they did precisely nothing.

[Noah Law (St Austell and Newquay) (Lab)]

T5. When we came to power, our then Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs committed to protect farmers from being undercut in all new trade deals. I am pleased to say that we have come good on that commitment. Ahead of the Labour rural research group’s push for farming profitability, will the Secretary of State agree to level the playing field in trade deals, and will she reaffirm that commitment to farmers?

[Emma Reynolds]

We have promoted and protected farmers in trade deals, unlike the previous Government, who sold them down the river with the US and Australian trade deals.