11 November 2025 - Work of the Department and its arm’s-length bodies - Oral evidence

Future of agriculture, food security, EU relations and water sector reform among key questions for EFRA Secretary of State debut

Emma Reynolds, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, is to make her first appearance at the Committee’s evidence session on 11 November.  She was appointed to the role in September, succeeding Steve Reed MP. Committee Members will be keen to discern the new Secretary of State’s priorities for her department and if there is to be any change of approach to key challenges.

Recently the Department has been slow to publish several important strategies and reviews relating to the future of farming, and the Committee will press for the status of their publication.  It will also explore how the Government is supporting fishers, some of whom feel let down by recent Government decisions resulting from its negotiations with the EU.  Members will also raise the practical implications of an SPS agreement and ‘dynamic alignment’ with the EU. Meanwhile the Department’s workforce numbers continue to drop at a time when Defra is taking on more responsibilities, including on biosecurity at the border. The committee will aim to obtain further information on all these matters.