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 plans to take to support English and Welsh farmers when the Fruit and Vegetable Aid scheme ends on the 31st December 2025.

Responsibility for horticulture is a devolved matter and, as such, is a matter for the Welsh Government to consider in Wales.

We recognise the importance of our domestic growers who play a vital role in our food security, economy and rural communities. In England our approach to future funding for horticulture will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature.

Horticulture will also be considered within our new food strategy, which will make our food system one we can be proud of, that protects our strong British traditions, helps to grow the economy and improves people’s health.

Underlining this commitment to our growers, we have provided a five-year extension to the Seasonal Worker visa route, giving farms certainty to grow their businesses. In the last month, we have also announced new grants within the Farming Innovation Programme, worth a combined £45.6 million, to support projects across the research and development (R&D) lifecycle. Horticulture has been in scope of this Programme with over £40 million awarded to the sector to date.