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 encourage young people into farming.

The government is reforming post-16 technical education to provide clear routes to skilled employment in agriculture and other sectors. A key part of this is the introduction of new T level programmes, which alongside apprenticeships, will sit within 15 routes, including an Agriculture, Environmental and Animal Care route.

The government also published a Policy Statement in September 2018, alongside its landmark Agriculture Bill. This sets out how we will help facilitate structural change to open up more opportunities for new entrants to farming by delinking Direct Payments from the land during the agricultural transition period.

We are also exploring how to help Local Authorities who want to invest in their Council Farms, so that they offer real opportunities for new farmers to start a foundation business and gain the experience they need to progress onto a larger unit.