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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government has taken with the food, farming and agri-tech industries to treble the number of apprenticeships in those sectors.

Food, farming and agri-tech apprenticeships provide exciting career opportunities and the Food and Drink Federation predict they will need 130,000 new skilled recruits by 2024.

Food and farming businesses have led the way in developing new standards, so that apprenticeships such as “Dairy Technologist” are ready for delivery.

We are also encouraging food and farming apprentices to feature in the “Get In Go Far” apprenticeships campaign.