Animal Feed: Costs
The question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support she plans to provide to farmers in a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and b) Staffordshire facing increases in the average costs of a bale of hay.
Answered by Dame Angela Eagle
The UK's agricultural sectors, including those farming in Newcastle-under-Lyme and Staffordshire, operate in an open market with the value of commodities established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers and consumers. While the Government may take action in exceptional market circumstances, it does not routinely intervene in these markets.
On 29 January 2026, Defra published the Agriculture Price Index (Agricultural price indices – United Kingdom: November 2025 - GOV.UK). This shows rises in output costs over time outstripping rises in input costs, for example the price of hay. Defra continues to closely monitor the agricultural market including output and input costs.
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