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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support farmers affected by recent extreme high temperatures.

The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service has developed evidence on adaptation options which improve resilience of the agri-food sector, including cost and ease of implementation. Adaptation options include those which could be implemented in response to increasing heat risk to UK farms such as using deep rooting and heat tolerant forage varieties.

The Government needs long-term, nature-based solutions to manage risks of extreme wet and dry weather. To support rural communities and farmers, the Government is funding actions to improve the environment, mitigate flood risk, and boost resilience, through Environmental Land Management schemes.