Farming: South Yorkshire

1. What steps she is taking to support farming in South Yorkshire.

This Labour Government are working in close partnership with farmers to strengthen productivity, resilience and long-term food security. In recent weeks, we have published Baroness Batters’ farming profitability review, allocated £30 million to our farmer collaboration fund, set out plans to simplify the sustainable farming incentive and delivered a £30 million extension to the farming in protected landscapes programme in areas such as the Peak district.

I welcome the commitment to extend the farming in protected landscapes funding, which is worth £75,000 to farms in my constituency. Last summer, I had the pleasure of visiting Snailsden moor with Jim Sutton, the moorland manager, and representatives from the Peak district national park, the Moorland Association and Natural England. They raised the high risk of wildfires in local uplands, as a result of large-scale dry spells, that can cause poor air quality and damage to nearby farms. The risk is exacerbated by a lack of a cohesive fire plan and firefighting infrastructure, including water storage. Will the Minister meet me, along with her colleagues from the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government, to develop a cross-Government wildfire management strategy to protect against upland moorland wildfires?

I pay tribute to all those who do the dangerous work to bring wildfires under control. As my hon. Friend will know, the wildlife management and the fire and rescue elements of her question are the responsibility of MHCLG, but she is right that my Department is responsible for water. The Water Minister or I would be pleased to meet her to discuss how we strengthen the resilience of our emergency services and our water storage, so that we can get a hold on such problems when they arise.