VerbatimParliament, as it happens

Food: Production

Asked by James McMurdockIndependentDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled Answered 11 March 2026UIN 118127

The question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to increase domestic food production capacity.

Answered by Dame Angela Eagle

This Government allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. It is targeting public money where it delivers most value – supporting nature, because all farms need healthy soils, abundant pollinators, and clean water to produce good food.

The Government will continue to invest in our farmers and land managers to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through Environmental Land Management (ELM). For example, Defra has streamlined the actions available under the SFI26 offer, reducing complexity while still having actions available for all farm types. This means the Government removed around a third of the previous actions – particularly those that weren’t delivering for food production or the environment.

Verbatim has judged this answer against the question that was actually asked — answered, partly answered, or evaded. Sign in to see the verdict →

Open this question in Verbatim →

Every written question, searchable

155,000 questions tabled since the election, with the answer each department gave — and the ones still unanswered, with the clock running. Free to search.

Search written questions →Read on Verbatim