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 support the following sustainable farming techniques in the UK: (a) agroecological farming methods, (b) crop rotation and (c) microbial protein meat substitutes.

(a) The objective behind the new Sustainable Farming Incentive is to support healthy soils and successful food production. That is why we are starting with two soil health standards this year. The SFI supports the choices that individual farmers make. Farmers can pick and choose the bits that work for their own holding and get paid for what works. In recent years we have seen an explosion of interest in regenerative farming practices such as mob grazing, the use of herbal leys, companion crops in arable fields to help manage pests and diseases and the use of cover crops and green manures like phacelia and nitrogen fixing legumes to reduce fertiliser input costs. The soil standards are just the first step. We are working on new standards for hedges, management of nutrients and Integrated Pest Management in 2023, and agroforestry in 2024.

(b) It is not Government policy to determine which cereals or other crops farmers should prioritise to include in their rotation. In 2021 we permanently removed Basic Payment Scheme 'greening measures' on crop diversification and ecological focus areas, meaning when farmers are making crop planting decisions, they are free to react to market signals.

Defra is keen to support farmers in their decision-making. We recently commissioned a research project which will look to identify underutilised, underdeveloped and novel crops with potential to be grown successfully in the UK within diversified cropping systems.

(c) Micro-organisms are used in the development of some alternative protein sources and can also be used as tools to develop novel or high protein products and substitutes. As stated in the Government's Food Strategy, Defra supports these innovative techniques by conducting farming and food science research and by creating and contributing to funding programmes open to industry. We will also work with the Food Standards Agency to develop dedicated guidance materials for approval of new alternative protein products while reviewing our novel food regulations.