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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the EU legacy Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme on UK growers, fresh food supply chains and consumers; and what plans she has to support the fresh food sector after that scheme ends.

The Government is committed to our horticulture sector and its role in providing fresh home-grown produce that helps to feed the nation. The EU Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme was limited to Producer Organisations, with only about 20% of the sector benefitting. Future support for the sector will include Defra’s work to rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver maximum benefit for food security and the taxpayer.   Significant investment is already underway – of the £200 million allocated to The Farming Innovation Programme through to 2030, nearly £40 million—- 26% of total awards—has funded research projects helping fruit and vegetable businesses become more profitable, resilient, and sustainable. Government has also put in place a five-year extension to the Seasonal Worker visa route, providing stability for growers, and an extension of easements on import checks for medium-risk produce ahead of the new SPS agreement with the EU.