Written question asked by Ann Cryer (Labour) on Tuesday, 9 June 2009, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 11 June 2009. It was answered by Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour) on Monday, 22 June 2009 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Horticulture

Question: (3) if he will match-fund the Horticultural Development Company levy for horticulture research and development.

Answer: DEFRA funds a significant amount of horticultural research through research programmes on Sustainable Farm Management, Agriculture and Climate Change, Resource Efficient and Resilient Food Chain and Sustainable Water Management. DEFRA plans to continue supporting the horticultural sector through these programmes with research in areas including crop protection, nutrient management, water use and crop genetic improvement for horticulture. The Horticulture LINK research programme is jointly funded with industry and so is able to translate Research & Development into a commercial reality.DEFRA spent over £7 million on horticulture research in 2008-09. We spent £1.35 million in 2007-08 and again in 2008-09 directly on co-funded research with industry. We are likely to spend a similar amount this financial year. This exceeds the Horticulture Development Company's Research& Development expenditure.

Secondary information