Horticulture
Question
Kerry McCarthy
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government Food Strategy policy paper, published on 13 June 2022 and the Answer of 30 January 2023 to Question HL3858 on Horticulture, when the decision was taken not to develop a Horticulture Strategy; for what reasons the Department is not developing a strategy; and who was consulted on that decision.
Answer
Government is committed to an increasingly prosperous horticulture sector and as referenced in the answer to Question HL 3858 published on 30 January, we will not be developing a published strategy for the horticulture sector as originally envisaged in the Government Food Strategy. The sector operates in a complex, ever-evolving commercial and political landscape as such we are prioritising policy work that maximises impact through multiple avenues, this includes establishing the seasonal worker visa route, the labour review, automation, the Farming Innovation Programme and the Farming Investment Fund and working across Government on energy support and planning.