agriculture – The Church of England in Parliament

Bishop of St Albans asks about classifying agriculture and horticulture as vulnerable sectors

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 13th December 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the need to classify (1) agriculture, and (2) horticulture, as a vulnerable sector.

Lord Benyon (Con): We understand that the global spike in oil and gas prices has affected the price of agricultural commodities, which are always closely correlated to energy costs. The Energy Bill Relief Scheme will provide a price reduction to make sure that all businesses, including farmers, food producers, manufacturers and packagers, are protected from excessively high energy bills over the winter period.

HM Treasury will publish a review into the operation of the scheme to inform decisions on future support after March 2023. The review will focus in particular on identifying the most vulnerable non-domestic customers and how the government will continue assisting them with energy costs.

Bishop of Southwark asks about effectiveness of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers Scheme

The Bishop of Southwark received the following written answer on 29th November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Southwark asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of the seasonal workers’ scheme.

[This answer is a correction from the original answer.]

Lord Callanan: The Seasonal Worker visa route was specifically designed to support the horticulture sector in the United Kingdom where growers typically require higher volumes of labour, for relatively short-term periods of time, in line with seasonal production peaks.

Bishop of St Albans asks about permits for overseas agricultural workers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 14th November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what plans they have to grant more overseas workers permits for work in food production in the Lee Valley.

Lord Murray of Blidworth (Con): Our skills-based immigration system enables us to treat people from every part of the world equally. We have broadened the eligibility of Skilled Worker visas from graduate jobs only to include jobs skilled to RQF level 3 and lowered the salary threshold to £25,600, making more overseas worker eligible to enter the UK. There are already a range of occupations in the agri-food sector which are eligible under our immigration system, if English language and salary requirements are met. Our immigration system is not regional and therefore available to all employers (including those in the Lee Valley area).

Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asks about water supply to farms

The Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich received the following written answers on 9th November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich asked His Majesty’s Government what help they are giving to ensure that farmers can access the water they need this winter to give them confidence to plant next year’s crops.

Bishop of St Albans asks about economic challenges to agriculture in the Lee Valley

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 9th November 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the economic challenges facing vegetable growers in the Lee Valley due to increasing energy prices.

Bishop of St Albans asks about energy and food costs for farmers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 31st October 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked His Majesty’s Government what steps they are taking to support British farmers (1) with the increasing cost of energy, and (2) to ensure food security.

Bishop of St Albans asks about heatwave impact on agriculture

The Bishop of St Albans asked the following question on 21st July 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked: My Lords, it is right that we think about the effect on human beings, but these high temperatures have a huge effect on our agricultural sector, particularly on livestock. Extreme heat reduces milk yields from cattle, for example, and reduces fertility and increases the number of miscarriages.

What work is being done by government scientists to prepare our agriculture industry if this continues, and what advice is being given in the short term to help our first-class British agriculture sector adapt and continue to provide the food as it does so well?

Bishop of Manchester asks a question on the Food Strategy White Paper

On 7th July, the House of Lords discussed the Food Strategy White Paper. The Bishop of Manchester asked the following question:

The Lord Bishop of Manchester: My Lords, the National Food Strategy that was produced last year found that the UK’s current appetite for meat was unsustainable and that the intake needed to fall by 30% within 10 years to help the environment. I would be grateful if the Minister could clarify what role exists for vegetarian and vegan food in the Government’s strategy. It does not appear to be set out, not least when it comes to aligning with the Government’s net-zero strategy.

Bishop of St Albans asks about food export plans

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 26th May 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the National Farmers Union Growing our agri-food exports to 2030 and beyond, published on 27 April, what plans they have to increase the number of agri-food experts in British embassies located in target markets for future free trade agreements.

Bishop of St Albans asks about agricultural exports

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 25th May 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the report by the National Farmers Union Growing our agri-food exports to 2030 and beyond, published on 27 April, what plans they have to match Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board levy contribution funding to help grow British agricultural exports.

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