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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support farmers to (a) improve productivity and (b) support animal health and welfare.

There is a huge opportunity for UK agriculture to improve its productivity and support better animal health and welfare. Launched in November 2021 the Farming Investment Fund is helping farmers invest in the equipment, technology and infrastructure they need to drive their businesses forward. To date over £31.5 million worth of funding has been paid out to over 3,000 farmers.

We are also enabling more farmers, growers, and agri-food businesses to become involved in agricultural and horticultural R&D through the Farming Innovation Programme. Launched in October 2021, more than £90 million has now been committed. This will drive new innovation and accelerate the adoption of new technologies aimed at improving productivity on farm.

The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway is central to the government’s manifesto commitment to protect and enhance farm animal health and welfare, and to maintain and build on our existing world-leading standards. This includes a programme of financial support for farmers in the pig, cattle, sheep, and poultry sectors to improve animal health and welfare. The Pathway offers livestock farmers an exciting opportunity to focus on the improvements they would like to make on their own farm.