Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

National Food Strategy: Small-scale Family Farms

Thursday 22 July 2021 · 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 0 Partly answered 3 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Government committed to considering recommendations from the independent review of the food system and will respond with a White Paper within six months.
  • Minister acknowledges the importance of small family farms in the agriculture system and notes their proficiency.
  • Government working on a sanitary and phytosanitary policy statement to outline farm-to-fork approach and food safety standards.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Philip Hollobone Con
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The National Food Strategy's recommendations are being considered by the government, with a focus on supporting all types of farms. However, concerns have been raised about potential negative impacts on small-scale family farms.

Question

What steps he is taking to help ensure the National Food Strategy provides a sustainable future for small-scale family farms?

Answer from George Eustice (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government thank Henry Dimbleby and his team for their work on the independent review of the food system. We are committed to carefully considering the review and its recommendations, and responding in full with a White Paper in the next six months. That will set out our ambition and priorities for the food system to support farms of all sizes and our exceptional food and drink producers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific steps to ensure sustainability for small-scale family farms were not detailed, only a commitment to consider recommendations and respond in six months.

How: Commitment To Consider

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Q2 Philip Hollobone Con
Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Concerns have been raised about the impact of industrial agriculture and cheap food pursuit on small-scale family farms in Kettering and elsewhere.

Question

Does the Secretary of State agree that the heart will be ripped out of the British countryside if small-scale family farms in Kettering and elsewhere go under as a result of industrial agriculture and the relentless pursuit of cheap food? What will he do to ensure that family farms remain an important and permanent feature of rural life?

Answer from George Eustice (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

My hon. Friend makes an important point about the importance of small family farms in our agriculture system. A lot of the economic analysis done by the Government and companies such as AB Agri shows that some of those smaller family farms are technically the most proficient and often the most profitable, as they have attention to detail. The Government are going to be bringing forward more proposals to support new entrants to our farming industry so that we have a vibrant, profitable sector, with farms of all sizes.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific actions or policies to protect small-scale family farms were not detailed; instead, general commitment to supporting new entrants and diverse farm sizes was provided.

How: Commitment To Support

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Q3 Neil Parish Con
Business & Trade Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

The National Food Strategy has recommended defining minimum standards for future free trade deals, as well as a mechanism to protect these standards. The Trade and Agriculture Commission made a similar recommendation in March.

Question

The National Food Strategy has recommended that the Government must define the minimum standards we will accept in future free trade deals and a “mechanism for protecting them”. Given that the Trade and Agriculture Commission already made exactly that recommendation in its March report, can the Secretary of State tell me when these core standards will be set out and whether that mechanism for defending them will be in place before the Australia deal is signed?

Answer from George Eustice (Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government are working on a sanitary and phytosanitary policy statement that will set out the UK's farm-to-fork approach on these matters, the science of good farm husbandry and how that improves food safety standards. We also have some key things in our legislation, such as bans on the use of hormones in beef and of chlorinated washes. Those are in our legislation and will not change.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Specific timeline for setting out minimum standards or implementation of protection mechanisms was not provided; only general policy statements were given.

How: Commitment To Work On

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