Written question asked by Mark Pritchard (Conservative) on Monday, 21 October 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 23 October 2024. It was answered by Daniel Zeichner (Labour) on Friday, 25 October 2024 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food: Production

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase domestic production of fruit and vegetables.

Answer: This Government recognises that food security is national security and fruit and vegetables grown in the UK have an important part to play. As part of our mission-driven government and, in partnership with the sector, we are considering several ways to achieve our ambitious, measurable and long-term goals for the sector. We also recognise the importance of ensuring that growers can access the labour they need, and we have recently confirmed the Seasonal Worker visa route for 2025 with a total of 43,000 Seasonal Worker visas available for horticulture.

Secondary information