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Written question asked by Jim Fitzpatrick (Labour) on Monday, 27 February 2017, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 1 March 2017. It was answered by George Eustice (Conservative) on Wednesday, 8 March 2017 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Investment Returns: Agriculture

Question

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the return to the UK taxpayer of each £1 invested in UK Farming.

Answer

UK taxpayers support the agricultural sector in variety of ways: through the EU Common Agricultural Policy (CAP), spending on agricultural research and development, including the Agri-tech Strategy, and indirectly through wider programmes such as on skills development. The benefit of each pound spent on the Agri-tech Strategy was estimated to be £9 (BIS Evaluation Plan 2016)[1]. The estimated benefit, on average, for funds spent in England under Pillar 2 of the CAP is over £3 per pound spent according to the Rural Development Plan for England Impact Assessment 2015[2], but less than £1 per pound spent for Pillar 1 according to a report on implementation of CAP in England in 2013[3]. As a result of the UK’s decision to leave the European Union there is a real opportunity to improve returns to taxpayer support for agriculture.

[1] BIS Evaluation Plan 2016

[2] The Rural Development Programme for England, 2014 to 2020: Final Impact Assessment (2015)

[3] Implementation of CAP reform in England 2013

Secondary information

Type
Written question
Reference
65622
Session
2016-17
Transferred
Yes
Subjects
Agriculture Investment returns
Contains statistics
Yes
Link
View this Written question on www.parliament.uk