Defra minister Daniel Zeichner to face cross-party MPs’ questions on farming, profitability and fairness in supply chains
The Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs, Daniel Zeichner MP, will make his first appearance before the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee (EFRA) Select Committee next week.
He will face cross-party MPs’ questions on their thematic inquiries into the future of farming, fairness in the food supply chain, and fisheries and the marine environment.
In the first section of the session, committee members will probe the government’s vision for the future of farming.
It will pose questions on the early closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) 2024 to new applications.
MPs will also raise ongoing concerns within the sector, including Defra’s communication of, and consultation on, key policy changes to stakeholders.
Questions to the minister in the second part of the session will be focused on fairness in food supply chains.
MPs will enquire into the steps Defra is taking to make the supply chain fairer, a key element of the government’s plans to support the farming sector.
MPs will consider the scope of the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA) and the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA), and whether the two are adequately resourced to fulfil their functions.
In the final part of the evidence session, MPs will quiz the Defra minister on the outcome of the annual fisheries negotiations between the UK and its nearby coastal partners.
The EFRA Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of Defra and its associated public bodies. It is not a government committee but a select committee of the House of Commons with a key role in holding ministers to account.
