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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many new farms have been recruited to the New Entrant Support Scheme since its introduction; and what other steps her Department is taking to support new farmers.

The New Entrant Support Scheme is still under development. We are just completing five pilots to test different approaches to providing support to build entrepreneurial capacity in new and recent entrants to increase their potential to access land and finance. We will be evaluating these pilots over the next few months working with stakeholders with a view to deciding on the next steps in the autumn.

The Government is also contributing towards the establishment of a new professional body, The Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH). This initiative is aimed at removing the fragmentation that exists within the current learning and skills landscape for farming businesses. TIAH will enable the industry, including those newly or recently entering it, to drive forward greater uptake of skills through creating clear career development pathways.