Steve Reed branded ‘Where's Wally' as he is accused of ‘ducking scrutiny'
Environment Secretary Steve Reed has been branded 'Where's Wally', as he was accused of 'ducking scrutiny' after the abrupt closure of a nature-friendly farming payments scheme.
Mr Reed also failed to guarantee his budget will not have further cuts, when pressed by the shadow environment secretary ahead of the Chancellor's spring statement next week.
In the Commons, shadow environment secretary Victoria Atkins said farmers will not survive the latest 'assault' by the Government, after the sustainable farming incentive (SFI) was shut to new applications with immediate effect.
The Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Department (Defra) announced last Tuesday that the SFI, which pays farmers in England for 'public goods' such as insecticide-free farming, wildflower strips and managing ponds and hedgerows, was fully allocated for this year.
The Government had previously committed to give six weeks notice if the scheme was withdrawn, according to its official website.
During Defra questions on Thursday, Ms Atkins said: 'May I welcome the Secretary of State back to the chamber? He has been in hiding for a week, we were so worried about him we were going to start a Where's Wally? competition.
'And the reason he's been in hiding is because he is ducking scrutiny of his dreadful decision to stop the SFI farm payment scheme immediately and without warning.
'We on this side have been inundated with messages from farmers that businesses will not survive this latest assault by the Government. How many farmers will be bankrupted as a result of the SFI stoppage?'
Mr Reed replied: 'There were of course, unfortunately, record levels of bankruptcies of farm businesses under the previous government, of which she was a member of the cabinet.
'Under this Government, we have more money in the hands of more farmers through SFI than at any point under the Conservative government.
'But this Government understands that when a budget has been fully allocated, you stop spending it. The party of Liz Truss prefers instead to keep spending, bankrupt the economy, send mortgages spiralling – that is not good for farmers, that's not good for the economy, or for anyone.'
Ms Atkins said: 'He can't find his way around a farmyard, he's certainly not speaking to farmers, because we on this side know that if you continue to tax, tax, tax businesses, they will break.'
She added: 'His answer sums up the cold fury in the countryside at his impotence in standing up to the Chancellor – on compulsory purchase orders, the massive cuts to delinked payments, the stopping of capital grants, SFI, and of course, the family farms tax.
'Ahead of next week's emergency budget and spending review, and given the Guardian seems to know more than he does, will he guarantee that his Government's budget will not face further swingeing cuts?'
Mr Reed replied: 'The problem facing farming is that it became unprofitable because of the actions of the previous government.
'They undercut farm businesses in trade deals, undercutting farmers on welfare and environmental standards, they raised barriers to exports to the European markets, causing exports to plunge by 20% since 2018, and that led to record numbers of bankruptcies.
'This Government has a plan for change and it involves turning farming into a profitable set of businesses, including backing British businesses by public sector food procurement, and ruling out trade deals that undercut farmers in the way that that government was happy to do.'
Elsewhere in the session, former prime minister Rishi Sunak said the importance of family farms should be at the forefront of ministers' minds.
The Conservative MP for Richmond and Northallerton said: 'I recently visited New Sheepfold Farm in Ingleby Greenhow to see the great work that the Day family are doing to diversify their farm, help nature recovery, and improve enjoyment of our rural area.
'Now they did this with the help of the National Park Authority, the North York Moors, but also the Farming in Protected Landscape Scheme, which I'm glad the Government has extended for a further year.
'So can I ask the minister if he agrees with me about the importance of family farms, like the Day's, in landscapes like the Dales and the Moors? And will he ensure that they remain at the forefront of ministers' minds?'
Mr Reed replied: 'Of course I agree with him, and our focus on farm profitability is precisely so family farms up and down the country can have a bright and secure future.
'Any sector which doesn't make a profit isn't going to attract investment, and isn't going to have a future. We want farming to succeed in his constituency and in every constituency across the land.'
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