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Written question asked by Lord Elystan-Morgan (Crossbench), in the House of Lords. It was answered by Lord Bach (Labour) on Tuesday, 18 April 2006.

Agriculture: Funding

Question
Further to the Written Answer by the Lord Bach on 2 March (WA 86), how the 11.56 per cent. reduction in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ funding for sustainable farming and food research for 2006–07 compares in percentage terms with funding available for (a) climate change and energy; (b) natural resource protection; (c) sustainable consumption and production; (d) sustainable rural communities; and (e) sustainable farming and food in that financial year.
Answer

Spend on sustainable food and farming research in the financial year 2006–07 will be around £34 million, a cut of approximately 11.5 per cent. on the financial year 2005–06. This spend forms part of the £80.7 million allocated to Defra’s ““Sustainable Food and Farming and Animal Health and Welfare”” strategic priority. The £80.7 million spend on this strategic priority forms 49 per cent. of Defra’s total research spend. In comparison, 19 per cent. of research spend is on the climate change and energy strategic priority, 13 per cent. is spent on the Natural Resource Protection strategic priority, 6.4 per cent. on the Sustainable Consumption and Production strategic priority and 1.4 per cent. on the Sustainable Rural Communities strategic priority. The remaining funds are allocated elsewhere. While this refocusing of Defra’s research programmes will mean a reduction in our level of investment in farming and land-based research, we will continue to be a major investor in biological research on sustainable agriculture in the future.

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
4573; 680 c159WA
Session
2005-06
Related items
Subjects
Agriculture Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Finance Sustainable development Research
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.publications.parliament.uk