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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered introducing a farm business investment loan scheme with a subsidised interest rate; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on (a) resilience and (b) productivity in farming businesses facing (i) commercial and (ii) weather-related pressures.

Defra officials regularly engage with financial institutions providing farm lending, and we will continue to work to explore further opportunities to improve farmers' access to finance.

This builds on the £110 million in farming grants announced earlier this year starting in 2025/6. These grants aim to support innovation and productivity investment within the farming sectors.