The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 22nd May 2025:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support farmers in the light of dry conditions this spring.
Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab, DEFRA): The UK has a resilient food supply chain that has frequently demonstrated its ability to adapt when required.
The Met Office’s 3-month weather outlook for May, June, and July indicates near average rainfall is most likely for the UK but with a slightly higher than normal chance of wet weather. Defra is aware of the current concerns around the ongoing dry conditions. However, it is too early to understand the impact of this period of dry weather on livestock, horticulture and crop plantings, and the subsequent impact this may have on yield and quality later in the year at harvest time.
We continue to engage and work closely with the industry and to monitor the weather impacts on domestic food production, through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), which was established by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market across all key agricultural commodities.
The Government is also engaged with research on climate change and adaptation measures through our work with the Met Office Hadley Centre Food Farming and Natural Environment (FFNE) service.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to introduce specific legal protection for chalk streams.
Baroness Hayman of Ullock: Chalk Streams will be prioritised as part of the record £11 billion of investment to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows in England and Wales during Price Review 2024, with 75% of such High Priority Sites needing to be improved by 2035 and the rest by 2045. By 2050, we expect no storm overflow spill to cause any adverse ecological harm and spill no more than 10 times per year.
The Government is committed to securing better environmental outcomes alongside securing the development we need and is considering how best to reform environmental assessment processes with this objective in mind.
The Church of England in Parliament 
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