Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Agriculture

Wednesday 16 December 2020 · 3 questions

Summarised by AI from the official record, so it can contain mistakes.

Read the full transcript on Parliament.uk

At a glance

Answered 1 Partly answered 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government provides 337 million a year in 2021-22 to Welsh agriculture, matching pre-Brexit levels.
  • UK Internal Market Bill aims to ensure fair competition across the UK despite differing support levels for farmers.
  • UK Government gives 1.3 billion in additional funding to Welsh Government for agricultural use.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 John Lamont Con Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Wales Brexit Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question arises from the need to support farmers in Wales after Brexit. The funding levels are critical to ensure continued support.

Question

What steps his Department is taking to support the Welsh agricultural sector. I am concerned about the stability and future of Welsh agriculture post-Brexit.

Answer from David Davies

The Government are steadfast in their support for Welsh agriculture, providing £337 million a year in 2021-22 as they received in 2019, meeting our manifesto commitment to guarantee the annual budget for farmers. This applies for the whole of this Parliament.

Answered
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Q2 Edward Timpson Con
Brexit Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question addresses the disparity in agricultural payments between English and Welsh farmers due to area payments for Welsh farmers continuing while basic payment scheme payments for English farmers will be halved by 2024.

Question

How can my hon. Friend ensure that farmers in my Eddisbury constituency will compete with Welsh farmers who continue to receive their area payments, whereas all English farmers see their payments halved by 2024?

Answer from David Davies

As a Government committed to the devolved settlement, we will not dictate how devolved Governments use their funds. The UK Internal Market Bill aims to ensure fair competition across the UK by preventing one part from unfairly competing with another due to differing support levels.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific measures to level playing field for English farmers

How: Proposed Uk Internal Market Bill Instead Of Addressing Competitiveness Issues

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Q3 John Lamont Con Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk
Wales Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The question stems from the high dependency of Scottish border regions on common agricultural policy payments post-Brexit and the need to maintain this support.

Question

How will the Government support the devolved Administrations with these payments in the future? My constituency is the second-highest recipient of common agricultural policy payments, four of top five recipients are in devolved administrations.

Answer from David Davies

We have used the most generous exchange rate to calculate agricultural payments, preventing a 10% cut as brought about by the EU. The UK Government provides £1.3 billion of additional funding to the Welsh Government for agriculture use.

Partly answered

Not addressed: specific measures for Scottish border regions

How: Provided Details For Wales Instead Of Scottish Regions

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