PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
Agriculture: Subsidies (20 May 2020)

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans his Department has made for supporting farming in the event of potential disruption at the end of the transition period.

Asked by:
Mr Richard Holden (Conservative)

The Agriculture Bill provides powers for the Government to act in a crisis related to severe market disturbance.

As we are doing now, we will be closely monitoring all agricultural sectors. We have developed the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group which is meeting in shadow form during the transition period. This allows officials in Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor UK agricultural markets, to share the latest stakeholder information and to provide warning of atypical market movements. This will help prepare the evidence base for the cause and possible range of interventions that may be needed in specific markets.

It is in everyone's interests to secure a good trade deal with the EU and that is exactly what the Government is committed to doing.

Answered by:
Victoria Prentis (Conservative)
8 June 2020