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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in the context of rising prices for feed, fertiliser and fuel, if he will take steps to provide extra support with energy costs to farmers and crofters.

While no national Government can control the global factors pushing up the cost of energy, we will continue to support British farmers and crofters.

The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to ensure that all businesses, including chemical companies, and other non-domestic customers are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period. Non-domestic customers do not need to take action or apply to the scheme – support will automatically be applied to bills.

HM Government is also supporting businesses to improve their energy efficiency by at least 20% by 2030. This could deliver up to £6 billion in cost savings by 2030.

We have extended the Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme by three years and more than doubled its budget.

We have also provided these sectors with broader support, bringing forward half of this year’s BPS payment as an advance injection of cash to farm businesses. Payments will be paid in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period.

We have issued statutory guidance providing clarity to farmers on how they can use slurry and other manures during autumn and winter. We have delayed changes to the use of urea fertiliser until spring 2023 and introduced new slurry storage grants to help farmers comply with the Farming Rules for Water, reducing dependence on artificial fertilisers.