Prime Minister Kier Starmer has appointed Emma Reynolds as Secretary of State for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).
The cabinet reshuffle comes as Angela Rayner stepped down from her position as Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, with David Lammy taking on the role of Deputy Prime Minister.
Former Defra Secretary Steve Reed has been appointed Housing, Communities and Local Government Minister, while Emma Reynolds has assumed her position as Defra Secretary of State.
Daniel Zeichner, former Farming Minister, was replaced by Dame Angela Eagle DBE.
A spokesperson for the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) said: “Food manufacturers have been supportive of DEFRA’s plans to build a more resilient, productive and healthier food system. We look forward to working closely with the new Secretary of State and her team to help realise these ambitions and boost productivity, and investment in R&D and innovation in our sector.
“In particular, we look forward to engaging as soon as possible with Secretary of State on the significant regulatory costs facing our industry, including higher labour costs and a £1.4 billion packaging tax. Government must look to bear down on these cost pressures to curb rising food and drink inflation and incentivise the investment our sector needs.”
Andrew Opie, director of Food and Sustainability at the British Retail Consortium (BRC), said: “We welcome the new Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to her role and look forward to working closely with her on key policies such as Extended Producer Responsibility, the Deposit Return Scheme and the new food strategy. We want to help her deliver a more sustainable, healthy, resilient and affordable supply chain for our customers.”
NFU president Tom Bradshaw commented: “I would like to congratulate Emma Reynolds MP on her appointment as Defra Secretary of State. I look forward to working closely with her in the months ahead and hope she uses the role to champion farming, ensure its high production standards are valued and invest in its future with policies that back British farming and deliver for food security.
“I would also like to thank Steve Reed MP for his time in post. Despite not always agreeing, we developed a strong working relationship and his door was always open to the NFU. He recognised the planning system needed significant change to enable investment in the farm infrastructure of the future.
“I am confident he will be able to support rural growth and farming communities in his new role at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government.”
“The UK’s food security is at risk and consumers are seeing prices on supermarket shelves jump because of the more extreme climate.”
Alasdair Johnstone from the Energy and Climate Intelligence Unit (ECIU) said: “The new Secretary of State is faced with a British countryside under immense pressure, from the hottest ever summer that followed one of the driest springs that’s in turn resulted in a record number of wildfires and intense strain on farmers.
“This year’s harvest could well be one of the five worst on record and last year’s was the third worst, because it followed the wettest winter we’ve seen. To stop ever worsening extremes we need to reach net zero emissions and on that journey Government schemes to improve resilience through better soil health, trees to shade livestock and hedges to reduce flood risk will be critical. The UK’s food security is at risk and consumers are seeing prices on supermarket shelves jump because of the more extreme climate.”
“At a time when the UK food system faces significant challenges… we stand ready to work with Defra to ensure the integrity of UK food production as a matter of national security.”
British Poultry Council (BPC) chief executive, Richard Griffiths, said: “We congratulate Emma Reynolds on her appointment. British poultry meat producers play a crucial role feeding the nation. We look forward to working with her to bolster our food security, support our contribution to growth, and uphold the high standards that consumers expect of UK food production.
“At a time when the UK food system faces significant challenges – including the rise of illegal imports as reported on by the EFRA Select Committee today – we stand ready to work with Defra to ensure the integrity of UK food production as a matter of national security.”
