Written question asked by Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated) on Thursday, 23 July 2026, in the House of Lords. It was due for an answer on Thursday, 6 August 2026. It was answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour) on Wednesday, 5 August 2026 on behalf of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Land: Data Centres

Question: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of large-scale AI data centres on the availability of agricultural land for food production.

Answer

The expansion of AI infrastructure is critical to the UK's long-term economic growth, resilience, and global competitiveness. This Government is working with industry to improve understanding of the demand for agricultural land.

National planning policy gives clear preference for development sited on brownfield, industrial, contaminated, or previously developed land. Where development of agricultural land is necessary, lower-quality land should be preferred to higher-quality land.

The Land Use Framework included a clear, long-term commitment to maintain overall food production in England while increasing resilience to climate change and safeguarding our best and most versatile agricultural land.

Secondary information

Type: Written question
Reference: HL2782
Session: 2026-27
Subjects: Agriculture Land Artificial intelligence Data centres
Link: View this Written question on www.parliament.uk

Land: Data Centres

Secondary information

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