PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
(19 May 2026)

Question Asked

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans her Department has made for red diesel availability and costs if the conflict in Iran becomes a long-term issue.

Asked by:
Sarah Bool (Conservative)

Answer

Food security is a priority for the Government, and Defra is taking the impacts from the Middle East conflict seriously.

The Government has increased the frequency of official fertiliser price reporting, now published by the AHDB on a weekly basis. This will give farmers more timely and transparent information to support decision-making.

The Government asked the Competition and Markets Authority to consider industry concerns about red diesel, including transparency, and has taken further decisive action to support farmers by cutting it to its lowest rate in over 20 years, reducing the rates on red diesel by a third.


Answered by:
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