Written question asked by Dave Robertson (Labour) on Monday, 2 December 2024, in the House of Commons. It was due for an answer on Wednesday, 4 December 2024. It was answered by Daniel Zeichner (Labour) on Thursday, 19 December 2024 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Agriculture: Finance

Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the budget allocation for the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Weybridge for the financial year 2025-26 is included within the £500 million uplift for agricultural spending for the same period; and how much was spent from the agricultural budget for farms in Lichfield constituency in the last three years.

Answer: The Spending Review confirmed Defra’s budget for 2024-25 and 2025-26. The settlement provides £5 billion total departmental expenditure limit over two years (2024-25 and 2025-26) to support the transition towards a more productive and environmentally sustainable agricultural sector in England, ensuring food security. It also confirms £208 million funding across 2024-25 and 2025-26 to support the transformation of the Government’s biosecurity facilities at Weybridge. More detailed budgets will be set following the department’s business planning exercise. The department does not hold constituency level spending information for the farming budget.

Secondary information