Former Chief Whip Mark Spencer has been appointed Defra Minister of State, replacing Victoria Prentis who was in the role for over two years.
The MP for Sherwood, who comes from a farming background, said he was "looking forward to supporting food production and the environment and our rural communities."
Before coming an MP, Mr Spencer studied at Shuttleworth Agricultural College in Bedfordshire, before joining the family farm business.
He became an MP in 2010, and has served on the Environmental Audit Committee and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee.
He formerly served as Parliamentary Private Secretary to then-Defra Secretary Liz Truss, and was appointed Assistant Government Whip in 2016, before becoming a full government whip in 2017
Mr Spencer was made Chief Whip in 2019 under Prime Minister Boris Johnson.
Responding to this new role, he said on Twitter: "Delighted to be joining the Defra team. Looking forward to supporting food production and the environment and our rural communities."
Victoria Prentis, who was in the role since February 2020, has been moved to a Ministerial role at the Department of Work and Pensions.
It comes after Ranil Jayawardena was appointed the new Defra Secretary earlier this week, following a reshuffle by Prime Minister Liz Truss.
Responding to his new role, Mr Jayawardena said it was a 'privilege' to be appointed the Secretary of State for Defra.
"From food security and backing British farmers, to water security and growing our rural economy, I know that there is much to do," he said, adding that it was also important to recognise where food came from.
"I recently met local farmers with the NFU, to discuss the government’s support for British farming and the export growth ahead."
