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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Autumn Budget 2024 on the (a) physical and (b) mental health of (i) farmers and (ii) the agricultural sector.

We regularly liaise with farming welfare charities and industry stakeholder groups to understand the issues affecting farmers mental health and any impacts resulting from poor mental health.

Since 2024, Defra has funded the Farmer Welfare Grant, which supports projects that improve the mental health and wellbeing of farming people in England. The projects are all designed to offer tailored support to farmers and their families as well as prevent further cases of poor mental health by helping to build resilience within farming communities.