Context
The question arises from reports indicating that energy costs and climate change have pushed up food bills by an average of £605 over the past two years, with 60% of this increase attributed to climate change.
Question
I thank the Secretary of State for his response. The Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit reports that energy costs and climate change have pushed up food bills by an average of £605 over the past two years, with climate change driving 60% of that increase. We already import £8 billion-worth of food from countries struggling with extreme weather. Obviously, we want to support those countries on an international level with climate adaptation. In terms of our food security here, will the Secretary of State review his predecessor's decision to secretly scrap the horticulture strategy, which could have helped domestic growers and made us more resilient to the impact of climate change on food security and food prices?
Answer from Steve Barclay
The hon. Lady raises an important point about the impact of climate change on food prices in the future. That is exactly why the Government passed the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 to help unlock innovation and strengthen food security by enabling our leading scientists to develop crops that will best resist climate change. It is why the Government published the third national adaptation programme as recently as July, and it is why we have our farming innovation programme with £270 million of funding focused on driving productivity and ensuring sustainability in environmental and farming sectors.
Not addressed: The decision to scrap the horticulture strategy was not reviewed or addressed directly.
How: Redirecting To Other Initiatives, General Commitment Without Specifics
Was this summary accurate? Tell us
How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)