Commons Sense

House of Commons · Ministers' Questions

Public Bodies: British Produce

Thursday 19 June 2025 · 2 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 2 Not answered 0

Key points

  • Ministerial dialogue focuses on encouraging public bodies to prioritize local British produce.
  • The extension of free school meals to those on universal credit aims to support British producers.
  • Government is negotiating with the EU to reduce bureaucracy for supplying British produce to Northern Ireland.

Topics (select to filter)

Questions & Answers

Q1 Rachel Hopkins Lab Luton South and South Bedfordshire
Benefits & Welfare Agriculture & Rural Affairs
Context

Farmers in Rachel Hopkins' constituency emphasize the importance of producing high-quality food and contributing to UK food security. The government aims for half of all public sector food purchases to be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards.

Question

Both beef and crop farmers in my constituency tell me how important it is to produce high-quality food and contribute to UK food security. Can the Minister outline what conversations he has had with public bodies to encourage them to prioritise purchasing local British produce, and to maximise the social value of UK food production?

Answer from The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs (Daniel Zeichner)

We are in constant dialogue with public bodies to achieve exactly that objective. For instance, last week’s announcement on the extension of free school meals to everyone on universal credit is a key plank of our food strategy and will benefit British producers.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not provide specific details on conversations with public bodies or initiatives beyond mentioning the free school meal extension.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)

Q2 Gregory Campbell DUP East Londonderry
Northern Ireland Brexit
Context

GB-based horticultural companies and other businesses face difficulties in supplying British produce to Northern Ireland due to cumbersome bureaucracy and paperwork.

Question

Many GB-based horticultural companies, as well as other companies, want to supply British produce into Northern Ireland but have difficulty with the bureaucracy and paperwork. Will the Minister operate in concert with his colleagues in Cabinet and Government to eliminate the bureaucratic problems preventing those companies from supplying UK citizens in Northern Ireland?

Answer from The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs (Daniel Zeichner)

We have negotiated and are undertaking further negotiations with the European Union to improve systems that can help people achieve their goals of supplying British produce into Northern Ireland. We genuinely believe there are real opportunities here if we can eliminate some of the unnecessary bureaucracy.

Partly answered

Not addressed: Did not explicitly commit to working within Cabinet and Government but referenced ongoing negotiations with the EU.

Was this summary accurate? Tell us

How accurate was this summary? (1 = poor, 5 = spot on)