Mark Spencer: Defra does not hold any data on the number of farms that have ceased farming in any particular year. We produce statistical estimates of national crop areas and livestock populations each year, but we do not track changes in individual farms. Changes in national/regional activity can be seen in our annual publications and this includes the number of agricultural holdings with significant...
Mark Spencer: Defra continues to speak regularly with the agriculture sector and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both seasonal and permanent workforce requirements. To reduce the risk of seasonal labour shortages in horticulture and the poultry sector, the Government announced last May that there would be 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas for the horticulture...
Mark Spencer: The farming budget is set through UK government funding settlements which typically cover 3-5 year period. Environmental land management agreements are funded over different time periods, retaining flexibility for farmers within our offers, with options for longer agreements where farmers want or need those.
Mark Spencer: Defra has guaranteed the annual budget for the farming sector for the life of this Parliament. Future budgets will be decided by future governments.
Mark Spencer: This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. A person must not use “honey” in trade as the name of a product if the product is not honey. Consequently, for a product to be called “Honey” it must be 100% honey and comply with the appropriate compositional criteria for “honey” specified in Schedule 1 of The Honey (England) Regulations...
Mark Spencer: The £366 million figure referred to in the National Audit Office report covered a specific set of activities within Defra's overall 2021 Spending Review digital investment. At least £149.3 million has been spent on these activities as of 31 December 2023, alongside other digital investment.
Mark Spencer: The BTOM minimises additional costs for importers by taking a risk-based approach to controls and will have a negligible impact on the cost of food. Fruit and vegetable imports have been classified as low-risk meaning they will not require any additional paperwork or checks. A limited number of meat and dairy products have been categorised as medium-risk. For these simplified and streamlined...
Mark Spencer: The Department considers that this information is commercially sensitive and should be withheld.
Mark Spencer: Non-executive directors’ personal data, including those relating to personal taxation or status, are protected by the UK General Data Protection Regulation. Collection of personal data on non-dom status is not routinely collected and is generally not required for making public appointments. If any such data was held it could only be published if doing so was in compliance with data...
Mark Spencer: The Sustainable Farming Incentive has a rolling application window and as of 21 February the RPA has received 55 applications of which 39 agreements have been offered and 34 accepted for the Suffolk Coastal Constituency. The SFI23 application window opened in mid-September and there is a rolling window to apply which allows farm businesses to apply when they are ready to do so. We have a...
Mark Spencer: I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member. A reply will be sent in due course.
Mark Spencer: Yes, all buildings and workplaces which staff from Defra occupy have a suitable and sufficient risk assessment under Section 3 of the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999.
Mark Spencer: To apply for a certificate of exemption, owners were required to pay an application fee of £92.40. This fee is not intended to generate a profit and covers the administrative costs for the life of the dog, including processing the application and lifetime record management.
Mark Spencer: Mental health provision is a matter for the Department for Health and Social Care. In working with farmers Defra takes very seriously the need to support farmers' health. We recognise the importance of giving field officers the appropriate tools to be able to support farmers. There are processes in place across Defra to ensure officials visiting farms have adequate guidance about farmers’...
Mark Spencer: Background The UK, as an independent coastal state, participates in bilateral, trilateral and multilateral fisheries negotiations. In these negotiations, the UK strives to improve the sustainable management of fisheries and support our fishing industry in line with the objectives of the Fisheries Act. As a result of quota share uplifts agreed in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, the UK...
Mark Spencer: The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 73% of food which...
Mark Spencer: The Government is banning the export of horses for slaughter through the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill which is progressing through Parliament.
Mark Spencer: Defra worked closely with stakeholders including rescue and rehoming centres and the veterinary sector to consider the impacts of banning XL Bully dogs. We continue to engage with stakeholders to monitor the impacts of the ban.
Mark Spencer: Defra has agreed with HM Treasury to budget exchange from 2023/24 to 2024/25 the following: £47.9 million Capital Departmental Expenditure Limit (CDEL) for the Future Farming and Countryside Programme; £24.2 million CDEL for the Science Capability in Animal Health Programme; and £33.21 million CDEL for the Borders Programme. In addition, Defra has reprofiled £116.24 million CDEL primarily...
Mark Spencer: The Government understands the pressures some farmers are facing in light of rising input costs. We are keeping the situation under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We also continue our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real...