Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, whether he plans to collect date on the potential impact of large-scale solar farms on (a) agricultural land use and (b) landscape character to inform future land use policy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 June 2025 to Question 56079.
Defra does not collect information on the potential impacts of constructing green energy infrastructure on agricultural land use or landscape character.
However, Defra does produce statistical estimates of agricultural land areas each year from the annual June Survey of Agriculture:
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, whether his Department plans to introduce (a) guidance and (b) thresholds to balance solar farm development with (i) the protection of landscape character and (ii) food production capacity in rural areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are already robust measures in place to protect landscape, biodiversity and agricultural land, including comprehensive environmental assessments where relevant.
The Government agrees that prime agricultural land should be safeguarded, and where a proposal involves agricultural land, the National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions, making clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. This will, where relevant, be a material consideration in planning decisions, including those made by the Secretary of State.
Solar and farming can be complementary, supporting each other financially, environmentally and through the shared use of land – whilst maintaining UK food production.
The Government has also committed to empower Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder and more accessible. As set out in the NPPF, great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and National Landscapes which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that planning decisions on solar farms are informed by up-to-date assessments of local agricultural productivity and landscape sensitivity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production and has committed to empower Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder and more accessible.
There are established routes in the planning system to consider the impacts of renewable and low carbon energy projects, as well as processes to enable communities to engage in the consultation of applications.
Where a proposal involves agricultural land, the National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions, making clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. This will, where relevant, be a material consideration in planning decisions, including those made by the Secretary of State. Guidance on assessing development proposals on agricultural land is available from Natural England to ensure decisions are informed by up-to-date assessments of agricultural land.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research and development initiatives his Department is supporting to accelerate the development of a vaccine for Bluetongue Virus serotype 12.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s approach to bluetongue is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Disease control measures aim to limit the spread of infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures. This is reflected in the Great Britain (GB) Bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy, which was produced jointly between Scottish and Welsh governments and Defra, and in consultation with experts and industry stakeholders. The GB disease control strategy covers actions that would be considered and implemented in the event any bluetongue serotype was detected, including BTV-12.
The Government also conducts annual targeted surveillance for BTV. This is designed to detect new serotypes of bluetongue virus, including BTV-12 that may be circulating. The annual surveillance uses diagnostic testing protocols at the bluetongue national reference laboratory, The Pirbright Institute, that can detect and differentiate between different serotypes of bluetongue virus including BTV-12. It was through this annual surveillance that the single case of BTV-12 in a single animal was detected on 7 February 2025 on a farm in England and no further cases of BTV-12 have been detected since.
Whilst there are currently no authorised vaccines for BTV-12 in the UK or Europe, Defra regularly engages with manufacturers on bluetongue vaccine availability and supply. The Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) has responsibility for assessing applications submitted by manufacturers for veterinary medicinal products, including vaccines. Following assessment of the supporting data, if the benefits of use outweigh the risks when used in accordance with the approved labelling, a Marketing Authorisation will be issued permitting the sale of the product. The VMD also regulates the distribution and supply of veterinary medicines.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) veterinary pharmaceutical companies and (b) international partners on the (i) development, (ii) approval and (iii) potential deployment of a vaccine for bluetongue serotype 12.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s approach to bluetongue is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Disease control measures aim to limit the spread of infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures. This is reflected in the Great Britain (GB) Bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy, which was produced jointly between Scottish and Welsh governments and Defra, and in consultation with experts and industry stakeholders. The GB disease control strategy covers actions that would be considered and implemented in the event any bluetongue serotype was detected, including BTV-12.
The Government also conducts annual targeted surveillance for BTV. This is designed to detect new serotypes of bluetongue virus, including BTV-12 that may be circulating. The annual surveillance uses diagnostic testing protocols at the bluetongue national reference laboratory, The Pirbright Institute, that can detect and differentiate between different serotypes of bluetongue virus including BTV-12. It was through this annual surveillance that the single case of BTV-12 in a single animal was detected on 7 February 2025 on a farm in England and no further cases of BTV-12 have been detected since.
Whilst there are currently no authorised vaccines for BTV-12 in the UK or Europe, Defra regularly engages with manufacturers on bluetongue vaccine availability and supply. The Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) has responsibility for assessing applications submitted by manufacturers for veterinary medicinal products, including vaccines. Following assessment of the supporting data, if the benefits of use outweigh the risks when used in accordance with the approved labelling, a Marketing Authorisation will be issued permitting the sale of the product. The VMD also regulates the distribution and supply of veterinary medicines.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the risk of bluetongue serotype 12 outbreaks in the UK; and what contingency plans are in place for such an outbreak.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s approach to bluetongue is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Disease control measures aim to limit the spread of infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures. This is reflected in the Great Britain (GB) Bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy, which was produced jointly between Scottish and Welsh governments and Defra, and in consultation with experts and industry stakeholders. The GB disease control strategy covers actions that would be considered and implemented in the event any bluetongue serotype was detected, including BTV-12.
The Government also conducts annual targeted surveillance for BTV. This is designed to detect new serotypes of bluetongue virus, including BTV-12 that may be circulating. The annual surveillance uses diagnostic testing protocols at the bluetongue national reference laboratory, The Pirbright Institute, that can detect and differentiate between different serotypes of bluetongue virus including BTV-12. It was through this annual surveillance that the single case of BTV-12 in a single animal was detected on 7 February 2025 on a farm in England and no further cases of BTV-12 have been detected since.
Whilst there are currently no authorised vaccines for BTV-12 in the UK or Europe, Defra regularly engages with manufacturers on bluetongue vaccine availability and supply. The Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) has responsibility for assessing applications submitted by manufacturers for veterinary medicinal products, including vaccines. Following assessment of the supporting data, if the benefits of use outweigh the risks when used in accordance with the approved labelling, a Marketing Authorisation will be issued permitting the sale of the product. The VMD also regulates the distribution and supply of veterinary medicines.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning commissioning independent research to assess the cumulative impact of solar farm development on (a) rural land use and (b) visual amenity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Land Use Framework will provide a long-term view of land use change. Over the next 25 years, England’s landscapes will need to change to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, economic growth, housing delivery, food production, clean energy and meeting statutory targets for nature recovery
The Land Use Consultation published this year was underpinned by analysis of land use change for nature restoration and other objectives. This included analysis produced by Defra’s Land Use Analysis and Research Programme of potential spatial distributions of change through to 2050.
The evidence base for this consultation also underpins wider Government reform, including a Farming Roadmap, the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to reduce regulation on the plant breeding sector.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Precision breeding offers huge potential to transform the plant breeding sector in England. By reducing the regulatory requirements on the use of these plant breeding technologies, it will enable innovative products to be commercialised in years instead of decades.
The secondary legislation needed to implement The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England was passed into law on 13 May 2025. Following a six-month implementation period, the new regulatory framework is due to commence on 14 November 2025.
This will unlock the potential benefits for British farmers and consumers, enabling the development of crops that are more nutritious, resistant to pests and disease, resilient to climate change and more beneficial to the environment.
Furthermore, through consultation across the relevant industries, the development of the first UK Plant Varieties and Seeds Strategy will look to support the UK plant breeding sector in meeting the challenges and opportunities of a changing world, and to maintain and enhance the UK’s global reputation in plant breeding.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 12 June 2025 to Question 56077 on Farmer: Mental Health, what findings have been identified through the Farmer Opinion Tracker on mental health challenges; and how these findings are informing agricultural policy development.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We listen to what farmers are telling us, reporting in our statistical series the strength of sentiment through both numbers and from the open response questions. Findings, alongside our engagement with farmers at shows and events and with representative bodies, including farming welfare charities, all contribute to a better understanding of the issues farmers are facing and how the delivery of schemes and other interventions can impact not just on businesses but also on farmers’ own personal resilience and mental health.
In the Farmer Opinion Tracker, we hear views from farmers across a range of issues relating to farming and we recognise that confidence remains low. Findings can be found on GOV.YK by searching ‘Farming Opinion Tracker’.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of Syngenta’s decision to cease UK-based wheat breeding on (a) domestic food security and (b) the competitiveness of British agriculture.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware of Syngenta’s recent decision to consolidate its hybrid wheat breeding operations in mainland Europe. While this represents a shift in the location of certain research and development activities, it is notable that Syngenta has reaffirmed its commitment to testing and commercialising hybrid wheat varieties tailored to UK agronomic conditions. This continued engagement can help ensure that UK farmers retain access to competitive seed technologies.
Defra recognises the importance of resilient domestic crop breeding programmes in supporting long-term food security. While Syngenta’s decision may reduce the UK’s direct role in early-stage wheat breeding, the continued availability of high-performing varieties through UK trials and commercialisation mitigates immediate risks to food supply. Furthermore, the Government is actively supporting innovation in crop development through the implementation of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 and its associated regulations, which are designed to accelerate the development and deployment of climate-resilient and high-yielding crops.