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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of reduction in funding for farming and countryside programmes as set out in the Spending Review 2025 (CP 1336).

We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Farmers will directly benefit from an average of £2.3 billion per year - continuing the average annual farming spend over the last Parliament - supporting farm profitability through investment in research and technology and sustainable food production, at the same time as improving the quality of the water in our rivers, the air we breathe and our spaces for wildlife.

We are determined to deliver value for taxpayers’ money. We have identified efficiencies in the farming budget and opportunities to better target incentives for farmers to deliver environmental benefits. For example, rapidly winding down subsidy payments that do not provide returns on investment, and increasing investment in environmental land management schemes from £1.8 billion in 25/26 to more than £2 billion a year by 28/29.

Public funding will also help leverage more private investment into nature restoration, including through the Landscape Recovery scheme where projects will be co-funded by a blend of public and private investment. This will provide farmers with new income streams and opportunities to be rewarded for nature restoration as well as food production.