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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to supporting more sustainable, low emission agriculture.

In October 2017, the Government published its emissions reduction plan, the Clean Growth Strategy. The Strategy sets out the Government’s ambition for reducing greenhouse gas emissions whilst growing the economy. The land and agriculture sector plays a significant role in low carbon growth, supported by a system of incentives to increase efficiency and improve our natural environment.

The approach to mitigating emissions from agriculture currently focusses on industry voluntary initiatives brought together under the umbrella of the Greenhouse Gas Action Plan. The Plan has delivered a saving of around 1 Million Tonnes of CO₂ per year, with a target to achieve a 3 Million Tonnes CO₂ per year saving by 2022. As we leave the EU we will design a new system of future agricultural support to focus on delivering better environmental outcomes, including lower emissions.