In September 2021, the government provided limited financial support for CF Fertilisers’ operating costs for three weeks. The deal enabled CF Fertilisers’ Billingham plant to continue to operate while global gas prices remained high. It meant that key sectors, including food processing and nuclear power, were ensured supplies of CO2. Details of this support will be published in the usual way in the 2021-22 BEIS Annual Report and Accounts.

Industry then came to an agreement in October without taxpayer support to ensure CF Fertilisers on Teesside could continue to operate for 3 months. This market-led agreement was renewed in January 2022 and continues at the current time, even with high global gas prices.

In the longer term, the government would like to see the market take measures to improve resilience, and we are engaging on ways this could happen.

An innovative, productive and competitive agricultural sector is one of the Government’s key priorities, and we recognise the role greenhouse crop production has in ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh produce throughout the year.

The Government is working with the sector on a forward-thinking approach. It is looking at innovative ways of growing crops, such as increased use of greenhouse crop production and other state of the art farming technology which can help maximise crop growth and increase productivity.

We are aware of the challenges facing greenhouse growers and other farming sectors, as a result of the recent increase in the cost of a range of inputs including high gas prices, and the impact this is having on the production of food crops.

We continue to keep the market situation under review through UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We are increasing our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The Department’s Electricity Generation Cost Report, published at https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/energy-generation-cost-projections#2020, sets out levelised cost of electricity estimates for a range of technologies, including renewables, nuclear energy and fossil fuels.

Fortunately, we in this country have a high degree of food security. We currently produce about 60% of all the food we need and 74% of all the food we can grow or rear here. We monitor the level of production extremely carefully and, as the Secretary of State said earlier, published a detailed report at the end of last year.

What estimate he has made of the level of food that will be produced by UK farmers in each of the next three years.

I chaired a fertiliser taskforce several weeks ago, and the strong message from Government, those who work in the industry and those who supply fertiliser to the industry was that we should have confidence in this year’s fertiliser supply, buy fertiliser and use it as required. We will continue to work together to monitor the situation.

As the shadow Minister referred to earlier, last autumn CF Fertilisers in my constituency stopped production because of high energy costs, and it has not reopened because the demand for its products simply is not there. It really is a concern that farmers are not putting food into the ground because of the high prices. I wonder what the knock-on effect will be in the next two or three years, particularly on availability and cost for consumers as well as my constituents’ jobs. We have had a list of things that the Government are doing, but surely it says something that even now, with rocketing fuel prices and food prices, there is simply not enough demand for that factory to reopen. Does the Minister agree that more must be done?

My hon. Friend knows that food is always at the very top of my agenda, and the nation’s food security is as well. He and I have discussed the right frequency for that report’s sequencing many times. It is a substantial piece of academic work, and I was proud of the version that we published at the end of last year. We have always said that we will undertake more frequent reporting if that is required, but I think that, for that serious piece of work, the three-year timescale is about right.

I associate myself with the Secretary of State’s comments on Lord Plumb, who for over 70 years really fought for agriculture and food in this country.

Further to the great question from my hon. Friend the Member for Penrith and The Border (Dr Hudson), the Agriculture Act 2020 requires the Government to conduct and assess our national food security every five years. The Minister has said that that will be reduced to every three years. In 2020, after food supply chain challenges arose during the pandemic, the Select Committee recommended that the Government commit to producing a report every year and, with the situation in Ukraine, global gas prices, pressures on food supply, severe labour shortages and the high price of fertiliser, that is more important than ever. Will my hon. Friend therefore reconsider producing an annual report?

The Government announced on 30 March a number of actions to help mitigate the current issues and support farmers and growers ahead of the next growing season. These included changes to statutory guidance to the Environment Agency on how they should implement the "Farming Rules for Water" to provide clarity to farmers on how they can use slurry and other manures during autumn and winter to meet agronomic needs.

The announcement also included new infrastructure grants to help farmers improve slurry storage and management from autumn 2022 under the Farming Investment Fund; alongside measures in the Farming Innovation Programme to boost research, including on nutrient management; and a delay to changes to the use of urea by at least a year. When the urea restrictions are introduced, they will be related to the use of urease inhibitors and timings of application rather than a complete ban.

Given current fertiliser prices, our priority must be to pioneer new technologies to manufacture more organic-based fertiliser products in future and we will support the development of these through the Farming Innovation Programme.

We must also look at alternatives to fertiliser, using techniques like nitrogen fixing legumes and clovers. We have therefore announced that the Government will pay farmers, through the Sustainable Farming Incentive, to help them with the costs of sowing nitrogen fixing plants and green manures in their crops – or in advance of their crops – to substitute some of their fertiliser requirements.

Supporting domestic food production is a priority for the Government.

The Agriculture Act 2020 includes powers to enable the Government to support farmers to invest in long-term food security by investing in the foundations of food production: healthy soil; water; and biodiverse ecosystems. Through the legal powers in the Act, the Government is also providing funding to farmers to be more productive and improve the health and welfare of their animals.

In providing this financial assistance, the Act requires the Secretary of State to have regard to the need to encourage the production of food by producers in England and its production by them in an environmentally sustainable way.

Recognising the importance of food production and security of supply, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. This report provides a crucial evidence base for ongoing policy work, including around the Food Strategy.

Last month, the Government set out a package of measures to support farmers respond to some of the secondary impacts we are seeing due to the Russian Invasion of Ukraine.

In the coming weeks, the Food Strategy White Paper will set out the Government's ambition for the food system: to support exceptional British food and drink producers, and to protect and enhance the nation's health and the natural environment for generations to come.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the COVID-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built upon supply from diverse sources and strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. This provides us with the resilience we need in the face of risks such as adverse weather, animal or crop disease, or transport and border disruption.

Our production to supply ratio remains high in comparison with historical levels. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years. The UK's year-round production includes cereals, meats, milk and some fresh produce. We have very high production to supply ratios in poultry, turnips, carrots, swedes, eggs and beef.

Additionally, Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. We are also working closely with the Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, and the Secretaries of State have regular discussions about a range of issues including land use, planning and food production.

Recognising the importance of food production and security of supply, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report, published in December 2021, considers the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security. The Report does not contain policy recommendations but will serve as an evidence base for future policy work.

Looking forward, the Food Strategy White Paper will set out Government's ambition for the food system.

Solar is a cheap, versatile, and effective technology that will help limit household electricity bills and ensure Britain is less affected by fluctuations in volatile global gas prices.

The Government recognises the need to preserve productive arable farmland. Planning guidance prioritises the effective use of land and encourages the deployment of large- scale solar farms on previously developed and non-agricultural land. Where greenfield sites are considered, projects should be designed to avoid, mitigate and, where necessary, compensate for impacts. The government supports solar that is co-located with other functions (for example, agriculture, onshore wind generation, or storage) to maximise the efficiency of land use.

The UK has a high degree of food security built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production, as well as imports through stable trade routes.

The Government recognises the importance of semiconductor technology to the global economy. Semiconductors are a fundamental enabling technology for electronic devices and the UK holds current and historical strengths in certain aspects of the semiconductor supply chain, notably design.

The Government is reviewing its approach to the semiconductors sector, working closely with industry experts and representative bodies. We are considering how best to mitigate the risk of future disruption to technology supply chains, and ensure that the UK can continue to get access to the chips it needs. This will include considering how to strengthen the UK's own semiconductor sector and work with international partners to improve long term resilience within the global semiconductor ecosystem.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 60% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year. These figures have changed little over the last 20 years.

Strong domestic food production is an important factor in our food security. The UK enjoys considerable self-sufficiency in food, with production to supply ratios of nearly 100 percent in poultry, carrots and swedes, and we also produce 88% of all the cereals that we need. In addition, UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production, and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. The Government is also supporting farmers in England to become more efficient and has recently awarded grants of £48.5 million through the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund, helping boost productivity at this critical time.

Recognising the importance of food production, the Government has set out a legal obligation on the Government to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. It recognised the contribution made by British farmers to our resilience, and the importance of strong domestic production to our food security. This report will serve as an evidence base for future policy work.

With regard to the Noble Lord’s question on Dig for Victory, the Government is not considering the introduction of this type of mass civilian food production campaign at this time. However, the Government has recently announced a number of steps it is taking to support farmers ahead of the growing season. Farmers are facing rising costs in inputs, including manufactured fertiliser prices, which we know has an impact on the productivity and profit of farms in this country. The Government’s measures include new slurry guidance and new slurry storage grants, a delay in planned changes to urea usage, and further details of the early rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive and opening of more farming grants worth more than £20 million to support farming R&D and productivity. The Government will also continue to work with farmers and growers, including through a newly created fertiliser roundtable, to identify solutions and better understanding of current pressures on farmers.

Licensing of locations for onshore oil and gas exploration and production is a separate process from planning, typically encompassing large areas and occurring some years in advance of any actual developments that would require planning or landowner consent. It would not be practicable to base licensing decisions on future planning or landowner decisions.

In addition to requiring the relevant planning consents and landowner agreements, onshore oil and gas operations are subject to regulatory oversight including environmental permitting processes and scrutiny by the Health and Safety Executive.

The Government does not offer a royalty to landowners or local authorities in relation to onshore oil and gas exploration and production. Any agreements between developers and other parties would be a matter for the relevant parties.

The most recent offshore licensing round was the 32^nd UK Offshore Licensing Round. It was conducted by the Oil and Gas Authority (now the North Sea Transition Authority), and concluded on 30^th September 2020, with 113 licences issued that year. The Government recently held a public consultation on the new Climate Compatibility Checkpoint, which will inform the next licensing round to be opened later this year.

Oil and gas fields, after being licensed, require a number of consents issued by regulators, such as Development and Production Consents granted by the North Sea Transition Authority, before they can begin production. A number of fields have received these consents in recent months. A full list of these consents can be found on the North Sea Transition Authority’s website here: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/data-centre/data-downloads-and-publications/field-data/.

The most recent offshore licensing round was the 32^nd UK Offshore Licensing Round. It was conducted by the Oil and Gas Authority (now the North Sea Transition Authority), and concluded on 30^th September 2020, with 113 licences issued that year. The Government recently held a public consultation on the new Climate Compatibility Checkpoint, which will inform the next licensing round to be opened later this year.

Oil and gas fields, after being licensed, require a number of consents issued by regulators, such as Development and Production Consents granted by the North Sea Transition Authority, before they can begin production. A number of fields have received these consents in recent months. A full list of these consents can be found on the North Sea Transition Authority’s website here: https://www.nstauthority.co.uk/data-centre/data-downloads-and-publications/field-data/.

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. Our food import dependency on the Eastern European region, including for wheat, is very low, so Defra does not expect any significant direct impact of this conflict on UK food supply. The UK produced 14m tonnes of wheat in 2021, close to the volume of wheat the UK consumes, and has stocks of 1.7m tonnes. We can also import cereals from alternative sources.

While the price of wheat may go up due to global market disruptions, the primary effect for UK farmers is likely to be an increase in the cost of a range of inputs including red diesel, animal feed, fertiliser, and energy.

It is not Government policy to determine which crops farmers should prioritise to include in their crop rotation. In 2021 we permanently removed Basic Payment Scheme ‘greening measures’ on crop diversification and ecological focus areas, meaning when growers are making crop planting decisions, they are free to react to market signals.

We are in regular contact with the NFU, major grain traders, manufacturers, and food retailers to understand the impacts of global events on supply chains. We are also working with the industry to identify where mitigations are available and continue to keep the situation under review.