Asked by: Conor McGinn (Independent - St Helens North)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers there were in (a) St Helens, (b) Merseyside and (c) the North West in each year since 2010.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Statistical estimates of the number of farmers on commercial agricultural holdings are shown in the table below. Farm labour data is sourced from the Defra June Survey of Agriculture but detailed geographical data are only available in the years where the survey is sent to a larger sample of farms.
Farmer are defined here as full time and part time principal farmers, business partners, directors and spouses.
Number of farmers in St Helens, Merseyside and the North West 2010 to 2021
| St Helens (a) | Merseyside (a) | North West |
2010 | 141 | 405 | 21,341 |
2011 | : | : | 21,758 |
2012 | : | : | 21,619 |
2013 | 151 | 429 | 21,753 |
2014 | : | : | 22,022 |
2015 | : | : | 22,116 |
2016 | 157 | 442 | 21,730 |
2017 | : | : | 22,051 |
2018 | : | : | 22,382 |
2019 | : | : | 22,347 |
2020(b) | : | : | : |
2021 | 131 | - | 22,440 |
Notes
: represents data that are not available as the survey was too small to produce geographical breakdowns to this level of granularity.
- represents data that has been suppressed to protect confidentiality, due to the small number of values in this cell
(a) Data is only available at this detailed geography in large scale survey years (2010, 2013, 2016, 2021)
(b) It was not possible to run a full-scale June Survey in 2020 due to the Coronavirus outbreak and as a result, regional breakdowns are not available for that year.
Commercial holdings are those registered with the Rural Payments Agency for payments or livestock purposes and with significant levels of farming activity (as recorded in responses to the Defra June Survey of Agriculture or the Cattle Tracing System). Holdings are only included if they have more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.
Full data series by region, county and local authority are published here:
Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June web page.
Asked by: Barry Sheerman (Labour (Co-op) - Huddersfield)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, whether he plans to take steps to help protect historic farmers markets from closure.
Answered by Neil O'Brien
The Department engages regularly at official level with the retail markets industry on a range of joint issues affecting markets through the Retail Markets Forum. The Farm Retail Association, which represents farm shops and farmers' markets, is a member of the Forum.
The Government has made permanent the permitted development right, initially introduced as a time-limited right as part of its response to the Covid-19 pandemic, that enables markets to be held by or on behalf of local authorities for an unlimited number of days. The right will help local authorities to encourage economic activity, thereby creating employment and improving the vitality and viability of high streets and town centres.
The Government has provided a comprehensive package of around £400 billion of direct support to the economy during this financial year and last, which has helped to safeguard jobs, businesses and public services in every region and nation of the UK. This package includes business grants, the coronavirus loan schemes, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, as well as deferral of income tax payments. Market traders have been able to benefit from this support package for businesses.
Our £2.6 billion UK Shared Prosperity Fund announced in the Levelling Up White Paper will be used to restore local pride across the UK by focusing investment on improving communities and place, people and skills, and supporting local business. Local leaders will be empowered to direct funding towards their own, locally identified priorities, whether that be promoting new outdoor markets, reducing litter, graffiti and anti-social behaviour, reviving high streets, supporting local businesses or introducing skills provision to match local labour market need and support those furthest from the labour market.
Ultimately we believe it is for local authorities, not central Government, to make decisions on running, supporting and investing in local markets in their areas.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he Department has made of the quantity of cider apple crops that were wasted in the 2020 harvest due to the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra produces annual estimates of horticultural crop production, including on cider apples and perry pears. These estimates include tonnage, value, and imports/exports, and allow the Government to monitor productivity and competitiveness within the industry, including supply and self-sufficiency. The latest available data is for 2019. These are available on gov.uk.
There are a number of reasons why crops may be unharvested, for example weather, pest and disease or a drop in demand. No estimates are made for the tonnage of cider apple crops left unharvested. As a result, no data is available to answer this question.
We have regular contact with stakeholders to understand live issues as they develop. For example, during the first set of national Coronavirus restrictions, we worked closely with the cider industry and the National Farmers’ Union to assess the impact of the pandemic on the sector.
Asked by: John Redwood (Conservative - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help promote UK food at home and abroad.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government is stepping up delivery of its manifesto commitment to build demand and promote British food and drink both home and abroad.
We are working with the sector to raise domestic and international awareness of the UK’s growing reputation for high-quality food and drink produced to high standards of food safety, animal welfare and sustainability. This will provide a catalyst for growth for all regions of the UK and increase global recognition of the UK as an innovative food nation.
We are supporting the UK’s farmers and growers to increase domestic production through the Agriculture Act 2020, which offers financial assistance for producers who are starting to grow fruit and vegetables or are seeking to improve their productivity.
By showcasing the UK’s excellent food and drink, we will encourage consumers to explore more of our local and regional products, including iconic geographical indications (GIs), such as Welsh lamb and Cornish clotted cream.
We are refreshing public sector food procurement to place a greater emphasis on local, seasonal and sustainable produce. This will support local business and can play a key role in promoting healthy diets and reducing environmental impacts of food supply. A consultation on strengthening the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) will be launched later this year.
We have supported the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB), Seafish and other organisations as they develop consumer-facing marketing campaigns for the meat, dairy and seafood sectors. One example was our support for a campaign by VegPower that encouraged the public to buy local, seasonal vegetables. Additionally, we supported the Seafish ‘Love Seafood’ campaign to raise consumer awareness of fresh seafood caught in UK waters and connecting communities with local producers.
To support this range of domestic promotion initiatives we are also providing food and drink companies with advice and tools to build export capability. The Department for International Trade (DIT) recently launched their Open Doors campaign with a focus on the food and drink sector. This provides companies with access to online tutorials, webinars, mentoring and specialist advice to help them capitalise on export opportunities across the world.
Defra works in tandem with the Department for International Trade to deliver the Food is GREAT campaign, which helps businesses to succeed in overseas markets by building global recognition of UK excellence in food and drink. Food is GREAT is a key element of the joint Defra and DIT agri-food ‘bounce back’ package of trade support and promotion measures announced last June to help support businesses that have been impacted by coronavirus.
The Food is GREAT campaign is focused on priority markets, including the USA, China, Japan and the UAE. Activity is being planned across all priority markets for the coming year, where we will work with UK businesses and UK overseas posts to promote the best of UK food and drink on the international stage.
Asked by: Liam Byrne (Labour - Birmingham, Hodge Hill)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) policies and (b) grant and funding programmes his Department has introduced to provide support to individuals and organisations in response to the covid-19 outbreak; and what funding has been allocated to each of those programmes in the 2020-21 financial year.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Since March the Government’s priority has been to save lives and protect jobs, businesses, and livelihoods. To support workers and businesses across all sectors the Government has provided an unprecedented package of support worth more than £280 billion.
My Department has introduced a number of support packages to avoid the loss of productive capacity, prevent disproportionate harm to the economy or society and to protect vulnerable groups against the effects of Covid-19. These are as follows:
In addition, Defra has worked with delivery bodies and partners to introduce a number of regulatory easements to ensure regulatory obligations remain proportionate in these challenging circumstances, including in the areas of veterinary medicines, environmental regulations and marketing standards inspections. Specific interventions were also made with key Departments to ease regulations to support food supply, including competition law exclusions and driver hours flexibilities.
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) agriculture and (b) horticulture in Lincolnshire.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We recognise the importance of agriculture and horticulture to Lincolnshire, and the contribution of Lincolnshire producers to UK food production.
This week, the Agriculture Act 2020 received royal assent. This has been welcomed by stakeholders, and will allow us to transform the way that we support farmers. Funds released as a result of the phasing out of the legacy subsidies will fulfil our manifesto pledge to be re-invested in a rollout of our future farming policy, which will be centred around support aimed at incentivising sustainable farming practices, creating habitats for nature recovery and supporting the establishment of new woodland and other ecosystem services to help tackle challenges like climate change. We will support farmers to produce high quality food in a more sustainable way and improve transparency in the supply chain to help food producers strengthen their position at the farm gate and seek a fairer return from the marketplace.
The Defra-led Food is GREAT campaign continues to raise the international profile and reputation of food and drink from across the UK, including Lincolnshire. Defra and the Department for International Trade (DIT) are also working together to offer immediate support to help agri-food businesses grow their trade activity overseas. We jointly announced in June 2020 a package of measures including: GREAT DIT Food and Drink Exporting Masterclasses; a Food and Drink SME E-Commerce Accelerator Pilot; fifty Food and Drink Export Champions to encourage aspiring exporters alongside our International Trade Advisor networks; our first Defra Agri Counsellor based in Dubai and serving the wider Gulf region; a programme of physical and virtual events, using innovative, interactive software to?connect buyers, promote the UK and reach international markets; and support from UK Export Finance to identify and respond to the needs of the sector and raise awareness of how UKEF and Trade Finance can help the businesses win and fulfil export contracts.
Throughout the Coronavirus pandemic, the Government has provided support to businesses operating in agriculture and horticulture. The COVID-19 Business Interruption Loans Scheme is available to the sector. The Government has been in priority discussions with the banking sector to clarify the position for agricultural and horticultural businesses, with clear guidance issued to the banks. In addition, the Bounce Back Loan Scheme, ensures that the smallest businesses, including those operating in agriculture and horticulture, can access up to £50,000 loans. The Government is providing lenders of this latter scheme with a 100% guarantee on each loan, to provide them with the confidence they need to support the smallest businesses in the country. The Government will also cover the first 12 months of interest payments and fees charged to the business by the lender. We have also launched specific funds to help businesses with particular difficulties, such as our Dairy Response Fund.
Asked by: Layla Moran (Liberal Democrat - Oxford West and Abingdon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to allocate additional funding to food producers to ensure a regular food supply during winter 2020-21.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain. Our food security depends on supply from diverse sources, from strong domestic production as well as imports from stable and diverse sources. This ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK’s overall security of supply.
Our thorough preparations for leaving the EU in 2019, alongside the lessons we have learned from the range of interventions deployed during the Covid-19 response provide a robust foundation for planning on food supply this winter.
We are currently working alongside industry and across Government including with the Devolved Administrations to review our plans for the end of this year. These will incorporate the potential concurrence of further peaks of Covid-19, supply chain risks at the end of the transition period and other potential risks such as severe weather and seasonal flu.
Through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), Defra and the Devolved Administrations we continue to monitor the market situation across various agricultural commodities. The group will enable us to remain agile and to identify, and respond as required, to any unforeseen impacts on food producers.
The Government appreciates that parts of the food and farming sectors are currently facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
Farmers and food processors are, where eligible, able to apply for public support through the various Covid-19 related Government schemes including Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme (BBLS). On 24 September, the Government announced an extension to its access to finance schemes to 30 November 2020 for new applicants and introduced ‘Pay as you Grow’ options for BBLS borrowers, who will be offered more time and greater flexibility for their repayments.
Asked by: Sajid Javid (Conservative - Bromsgrove)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers in (a) Worcestershire and (b) the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is taking steps to support farmers throughout the UK, including Worcestershire, by introducing schemes using powers in the Agriculture Bill. This Bill will allow us to introduce ambitious new schemes in England, based on the principle of "public money for public goods", so that we can reward farmers and land managers who protect our environment, improve animal welfare and produce high quality food in a more sustainable way.
The Bill helps farmers to stay competitive with measures to increase productivity and invest in new technology. We will also improve transparency in the supply chain to help food producers strengthen their position at the farm gate and seek a fairer return from the marketplace. The Bill also provides the legislative framework necessary to ensure a smooth transition to the new system. Farmers and land managers will be supported over a seven-year agricultural transition period, giving them time to plan and adapt to the new approach.
The Government appreciates that the food and farming sectors are currently facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and is grateful for the hard work farmers have done to maintain food supplies. In response to the pandemic, we introduced a range of measures to support the agriculture sector, including farmers and agricultural businesses in Worcestershire. These included: easements to competition law to help producers get food where it was needed; a dairy support scheme; support for various AHDB promotional campaigns and the opening of intervention and storage aid schemes for various products. Employees in the food sector were also designated as key workers and there has been a temporary relaxing of the normal rules on drivers' hours, enabling the sector to keep supply chains running, including deliveries from farm gate to processors. Farmers have also, where eligible, been able to apply for public support through the various Covid-19 related Government schemes including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, business rates relief, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme. On 24 September, the Government announced an extension to its access to finance schemes to 30 November 2020 for new applicants and introduced ‘Pay as you Grow’ options for Bounce Back Loan borrowers, who will be offered more time and greater flexibility for their repayments.
In June we announced a package of trade support for food and drink exporters. This joint Defra and Department for International Trade package of short-term practical measures will support businesses to get their products back in front of international buyers and grow their exports. More information can be found on the GOV.UK website: www.gov.uk/government/news/bounce-back-plan-for-agriculture-food-and-drink-industry-launched.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the public (a) right of way and (b) right to roam on farmers and landowners.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The effect of the public accessing the countryside over recent months has been monitored continuously through engagement with a range of stakeholder groups. Stakeholder feedback has informed government guidance and key messages on accessing the countryside in a safe and respectable manner.
We have published guidance to promote safe access to green spaces: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/coronavirus-covid-19-advice-on-accessing-green-spaces-safely
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to support the farming industry in Shropshire.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This Government is committed to supporting our farming industry. Our ambition is for this country to have a thriving, self-reliant and resilient farming sector.
The Government appreciates that the food and farming sectors are currently facing unprecedented challenges as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, and is grateful for the hard work farmers have done to maintain food supplies
In response to the pandemic, we introduced a range of measures to support the agriculture sector, including farmers and agricultural businesses in Shropshire. These included: easements to competition law to help producers get food where it was needed; a dairy support scheme; support for various AHDB promotional campaigns and the opening of intervention and storage aid schemes for various products. Employees in the food sector were also designated as key workers and there has been a temporary relaxing of the normal rules on drivers' hours, enabling the sector to keep supply chains running, including deliveries from farm gate to processors.
Farmers have also, where eligible, been able to apply for public support through the various Covid-19 related Government schemes including the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme, business rates relief, Coronavirus Business Interruption Loan Scheme and the Bounce Back Loan Scheme.