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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the effect on productivity of privately-funded research and development in the agricultural sector; and if she will make a statement.

Privately-funded Research and Development, insofar as it supports innovation and new technologies, is one of several drivers of productivity growth in agriculture. Defra and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills, with oversight from the Agritech Strategy’s Leadership Council,have carried out an assessment of public and private investment to support innovation in the agri-food sector, and its relationship with productivity growth. The outcomes of this exercise will be published by the end of November.