Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

We will bring forward one of the toughest bans on the import of hunting trophies in the world and we are exploring a range of legislative options to further protect animals abroad.

We will bring forward one of the toughest bans on the import of hunting trophies in the world and we are exploring a range of legislative options to further protect animals abroad.

We will bring forward one of the toughest bans on the import of hunting trophies in the world and we are exploring a range of legislative options to further protect animals abroad.

Littering is a criminal offence and in recent years we have bolstered councils’ enforcement powers, such as by almost doubling the maximum fixed penalty for littering from £80 to £150. We have also published guidance for local authorities on the design and placement of bins. Alongside this guidance, we provided nearly £1 million across 44 councils to help them purchase new bins to keep litter off the streets.

Councils also have powers to issue Public Spaces Protection Orders. These are a wide-ranging tool which councils can use to prohibit specified activity in a public place where it has a detrimental effect on the quality of life of those in the locality, such as the recreational use of nitrous oxide.

Where nitrous oxide is supplied either knowingly or recklessly for its psychoactive effect, the maximum offence under the Psychoactive Substances Act 2016 is seven years’ imprisonment.

As set out in my answer of 19 April, no formal report was produced by the Access to the Outdoors commission. The outcomes of the commission include £30 million provided through the Spending Review to improve public access to green spaces and better joined up working across government in taking forward a number of policy measures.

These include the development of the UK-wide Levelling Up Parks Fund which will create parks and green spaces on urban land which has become unused, undeveloped or neglected. This Government is investing an unprecedented £2 billion in walking and cycling over this Parliament, building hundreds of miles of high-quality cycle lanes and increasing access to a range of places including green spaces. We have also launched the Department for Education's Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy, which includes a commitment to increase opportunities for all children and young people to spend time in nature, learn more about it, and get involved in improving their environment.

The 'Preventing and Tackling Mental Ill Health through Green Social Prescribing' cross-governmental project is testing nature-based social prescribing in seven test and learn sites. The project is working in both rural and urban locations and is helping connect those living in cities with nature.

We are working to complete the England Coast Path, to support our network of National Trails and intend to create a new National Trail across the North of England.

Over the last two years Defra has worked with stakeholders and delivery partners to develop the capability to deliver new SPS border controls on goods arriving in England from the EU. The figures below cover IT delivery, staffing costs and infrastructure.

Over the last two years Defra has worked with stakeholders and delivery partners to develop the capability to deliver new SPS border controls on goods arriving in England from the EU. The figures below cover IT delivery, staffing costs and infrastructure.

Over the last two years Defra has worked with stakeholders and delivery partners to develop the capability to deliver new SPS border controls on goods arriving in England from the EU. The figures below cover IT delivery, staffing costs and infrastructure.

Over the last two years Defra has worked with stakeholders and delivery partners to develop the capability to deliver new SPS border controls on goods arriving in England from the EU. The figures below cover IT delivery, staffing costs and infrastructure.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any protected animal, or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of an animal, including fish, for which that person is responsible.

Regulations also require that farmed fish are spared avoidable pain, distress or suffering during their killing and related operations.

As part of the Government’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are currently considering a number of improvements that could be made to the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing and have asked the Animal Welfare Committee to update its 2014 Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing.

Any allegations of welfare or health issues will be investigated by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and Cefas, and where there are non-compliances with the regulations, appropriate action is taken against anyone who breaks the law when non-compliances are disclosed.

The UK has been formally ‘listed’ as a ‘Part 2’ third country for the purposes of the EU pet travel scheme, which means that new rules apply to pet movements from Great Britain to the EU and to Northern Ireland. The pet health and documentary requirements for such pet travel are set out under the EU Pet Travel Regulations.

Defra recognises the impact that these changes are having on pet owners and assistance dog users. We are continuing to seek agreement from the European Commission on awarding GB ‘Part 1’ listed status and recognition of the UK’s tapeworm-free status, and we see no valid animal health reason for these not to be granted.

We have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity and we are currently planning for further engagement with the EU to progress both of these issues. Achieving these would alleviate a number of pet travel rules for all travellers, including the need for an Animal Health Certificate.

Flood Re is a joint government and industry reinsurance scheme designed to help UK households at high risk of flooding to access affordable insurance. New regulations came into force on 1 April to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme and promote uptake of Property Flood Resilience measures.

Flood Re can now pay claims from insurers which include an amount for resilient repair (Build-Back-Better) up to a value of £10,000 over and above the cost of like-for-like reinstatement for actual flood damage. This will help flooded households become more resilient and allow homeowners to return more quickly after any future flooding

Build-Back-Better will be available through a range of major insurance brands. To ensure consistency and fairness for all customers, insurers who choose to participate in Build-Back-Better are required to offer it on all policies across their home insurance offerings and not just on policies ceded to Flood Re.

Flood Re is a joint government and industry reinsurance scheme designed to help UK households at high risk of flooding to access affordable insurance. New regulations came into force on 1 April to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the scheme and promote uptake of Property Flood Resilience measures.

Flood Re can now pay claims from insurers which include an amount for resilient repair (Build-Back-Better) up to a value of £10,000 over and above the cost of like-for-like reinstatement for actual flood damage. This will help flooded households become more resilient and allow homeowners to return more quickly after any future flooding

Build-Back-Better will be available through a range of major insurance brands. To ensure consistency and fairness for all customers, insurers who choose to participate in Build-Back-Better are required to offer it on all policies across their home insurance offerings and not just on policies ceded to Flood Re.

The call for evidence on commonly littered and problematic plastic items closed on 12 February 2022. We are currently analysing responses and will provide a further update in due course.

Surface water flood risk, caused by storm water and excessive rainwater, is localised and complex. It is difficult to predict, often happening quickly and is exacerbated by impermeable surfaces and overwhelmed drainage networks. In England 3.2 million properties are at risk of surface water flooding, more than the number at risk from river and sea flooding, and this is likely to increase due to the effects of climate change and population growth if no action is taken to mitigate it.

There is no single solution to mitigating surface water flooding but rather a holistic approach, where everyone has a role in how we manage water and mitigate the risks we face. This includes flood defence schemes and nature-based solutions (such as sustainable drainage systems and other blue-green infrastructure), property flood resilience measures and ensuring we have a robust drainage system now and for the future.

As a local flood risk, it is the responsibility of lead local flood authorities, who have the operational lead and are best placed to understand, mitigate and respond to it. All lead local flood authorities will work with local communities and other bodies, such as water companies, to mitigate the risk as part of their local flood risk management strategy.

The Government is also taking action and last year restated its commitment to ensuring surface water flood risk is tackled. In July 2021 we published a progress update, including where further action is required, on our Surface Water Management Plan, and our response to the independent review into surface water and drainage responsibilities:

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surface-water-management-a-government-update).

The Action Plan and Review include 22 actions and 28 recommendations respectively, for a wide range of stakeholders to deliver, including the Government, Environment Agency and lead local flood authorities.

The Government is investing £5.2 billion in 2,000 flood and coastal erosion defences in England to better protect a further 336,000 properties. Approximately a third of these schemes will mitigate surface water flood risk, following changes in 2020 to the Government’s partnership funding rules.

Alongside this water companies, who are responsible for the maintenance and resilience of the drainage and wastewater networks, are producing the first cycle of non-statutory Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs), is currently ongoing. These plans are an important part of ensuring a robust drainage system and will help fully assess network capacity and develop collaborative solutions with local authorities and other bodies who are responsible for parts of the drainage system. The Government will be making these plans a statutory requirement through the Environment Act when the first cycle ends.

Surface water flood risk, caused by storm water and excessive rainwater, is localised and complex. It is difficult to predict, often happening quickly and is exacerbated by impermeable surfaces and overwhelmed drainage networks. In England 3.2 million properties are at risk of surface water flooding, more than the number at risk from river and sea flooding, and this is likely to increase due to the effects of climate change and population growth if no action is taken to mitigate it.

There is no single solution to mitigating surface water flooding but rather a holistic approach, where everyone has a role in how we manage water and mitigate the risks we face. This includes flood defence schemes and nature-based solutions (such as sustainable drainage systems and other blue-green infrastructure), property flood resilience measures and ensuring we have a robust drainage system now and for the future.

As a local flood risk, it is the responsibility of lead local flood authorities, who have the operational lead and are best placed to understand, mitigate and respond to it. All lead local flood authorities will work with local communities and other bodies, such as water companies, to mitigate the risk as part of their local flood risk management strategy.

The Government is also taking action and last year restated its commitment to ensuring surface water flood risk is tackled. In July 2021 we published a progress update, including where further action is required, on our Surface Water Management Plan, and our response to the independent review into surface water and drainage responsibilities:

(https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/surface-water-management-a-government-update).

The Action Plan and Review include 22 actions and 28 recommendations respectively, for a wide range of stakeholders to deliver, including the Government, Environment Agency and lead local flood authorities.

The Government is investing £5.2 billion in 2,000 flood and coastal erosion defences in England to better protect a further 336,000 properties. Approximately a third of these schemes will mitigate surface water flood risk, following changes in 2020 to the Government’s partnership funding rules.

Alongside this water companies, who are responsible for the maintenance and resilience of the drainage and wastewater networks, are producing the first cycle of non-statutory Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs), is currently ongoing. These plans are an important part of ensuring a robust drainage system and will help fully assess network capacity and develop collaborative solutions with local authorities and other bodies who are responsible for parts of the drainage system. The Government will be making these plans a statutory requirement through the Environment Act when the first cycle ends.

The UK has been at the forefront of opposing animal tests where alternative approaches could be used. This is known as the "last-resort principle", which have retained and enshrined in legislation through our landmark Environment Act.

We are determined that there should be no need for any additional animal testing for a chemical that has already been registered, unless it is subject to further evaluation that shows the registration dossier is inadequate or there are still concerns about the hazards and risks of the chemical, especially to human health.

The Health and Safety Executive, as the UK REACH Agency, will shortly be publishing its first report under Article 117(3) on the status of implementation and use of non-animal test methods and testing strategies under REACH. This report covers the first twelve months of UK REACH operation.

Agricultural commodity prices are closely linked to global gas prices. Farmers are facing increased input costs, including for fertiliser, feed and fuel. We are monitoring the situation closely, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group. Defra is in regular contact with key industry figures including the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and key sector representatives.

The Government announced on 30 March a number of actions to help mitigate the current issues and support farmers and growers ahead of the next growing season. These included changes to statutory guidance to the Environment Agency on how they should implement the "Farming Rules for Water" to provide clarity to farmers on how they can use slurry and other manures during autumn and winter to meet agronomic needs; increased grants funding to help farmers and growers boost research and development; and a delay to changes to the use of urea by at least a year. When the urea restrictions are introduced, they will be related to the use of ammonia inhibitors rather than a complete ban.

We recognise that fertiliser pressures on the livestock and arable sectors may differ, particularly over the farming seasons. On 31 March, Minister Prentis hosted the first meeting of the Fertiliser Taskforce with key industry bodies to discuss potential mitigations to the challenges which global supply pressures are causing. Ministers will continue to meet with key industry bodies for further Fertiliser Taskforce sessions in the coming months, to help identify and mitigate potential risks.

Support in the form of guidance from fertiliser suppliers and agricultural organisations such as National Farmers Union can be found from various public sources. Defra is aware that AHDB have published many helpful public pieces of guidance, advice and webinar recordings on mitigating high fertiliser prices. They can be found on the AHDB website.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

We want to minimise disruption for business and ensure a smooth transition to UK REACH. We have put in place provisions to minimise the costs for businesses and maintain market access to both the EU and GB markets

We recognise that transition to the UK REACH regime has presented some challenges for the chemicals industry, particularly around the cost of having to access and purchase data to support their registration.

We previously extended the transitional registration deadlines (from two years to a phased two, four, & six-year approach) to allow industry more time to adapt and comply with UK REACH and to spread costs over a longer period. We have now gone further and committed to exploring alternative arrangements for UK REACH transitional registrations that would reduce the need for companies to access EU REACH data packages whilst maintaining high standards to safeguard public health and the environment. Although it is too early to commit to this model, we wish to further explore its potential. We will engage fully with industry, NGOs and other interested stakeholders as part of this process. We have also committed to consult on further extending the transitional registration deadlines.

The cost to Government in running UK REACH includes the cost of further digital development and management of the Comply with UK REACH digital service and the cost of regulatory capacity in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA). In 2022/23 this will cost around £13 million. There will also be additional costs of Defra staff working on REACH.

We want to minimise disruption for business and ensure a smooth transition to UK REACH. We have put in place provisions to minimise the costs for businesses and maintain market access to both the EU and GB markets

We recognise that transition to the UK REACH regime has presented some challenges for the chemicals industry, particularly around the cost of having to access and purchase data to support their registration.

We previously extended the transitional registration deadlines (from two years to a phased two, four, & six-year approach) to allow industry more time to adapt and comply with UK REACH and to spread costs over a longer period. We have now gone further and committed to exploring alternative arrangements for UK REACH transitional registrations that would reduce the need for companies to access EU REACH data packages whilst maintaining high standards to safeguard public health and the environment. Although it is too early to commit to this model, we wish to further explore its potential. We will engage fully with industry, NGOs and other interested stakeholders as part of this process. We have also committed to consult on further extending the transitional registration deadlines.

The cost to Government in running UK REACH includes the cost of further digital development and management of the Comply with UK REACH digital service and the cost of regulatory capacity in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA). In 2022/23 this will cost around £13 million. There will also be additional costs of Defra staff working on REACH.

We want to minimise disruption for business and ensure a smooth transition to UK REACH. We have put in place provisions to minimise the costs for businesses and maintain market access to both the EU and GB markets

We recognise that transition to the UK REACH regime has presented some challenges for the chemicals industry, particularly around the cost of having to access and purchase data to support their registration.

We previously extended the transitional registration deadlines (from two years to a phased two, four, & six-year approach) to allow industry more time to adapt and comply with UK REACH and to spread costs over a longer period. We have now gone further and committed to exploring alternative arrangements for UK REACH transitional registrations that would reduce the need for companies to access EU REACH data packages whilst maintaining high standards to safeguard public health and the environment. Although it is too early to commit to this model, we wish to further explore its potential. We will engage fully with industry, NGOs and other interested stakeholders as part of this process. We have also committed to consult on further extending the transitional registration deadlines.

The cost to Government in running UK REACH includes the cost of further digital development and management of the Comply with UK REACH digital service and the cost of regulatory capacity in the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Environment Agency (EA). In 2022/23 this will cost around £13 million. There will also be additional costs of Defra staff working on REACH.

Defra and the devolved administrations are continuing to consider representations received during the recent consultation on introducing a deposit return scheme in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and expect to publish a response in due course.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Fly-tipping policy is a devolved matter. In England, we are taking action to crack down on fly tipping and support people to dispose of their waste properly. We have announced grants worth £450,000 to help councils in England use innovative methods to tackle fly-tipping and launched a consultation to close a loophole that allows recycling centres to charge for recycling DIY waste.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

I have been repeatedly clear that the frequency of sewage discharges and pollution incidents is unacceptable. We are the first Government to introduce a legal duty to clean up our waterways, backed up by our direction to Ofwat. We are cracking down on water companies, putting in place ambitious targets, and we have launched a consultation on our plan to reduce storm overflows. On this side of the House we voted in favour of a whole package of measures to improve water quality – the Hon Lady and her colleagues opposite did not.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency does not charge exporters for Export Health Certificates. Official Veterinarians operate in a private market and will charge exporters for certification. Decisions on the use of import and export agencies remain commercial matters for traders.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

It has not proved possible to respond to this question in the time available before Prorogation. Ministers will correspond directly with the Member.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

The UK has a high degree of food security. Last year, we published the Food Security Report which includes a section on food security at a household level. The latest statistics point to an increase in household food security between 2019 and 2020. There are undoubtedly going to be pressures on food prices as a result of increased input costs – including gas, fuel and fertiliser. That will have to be passed through the system, but the Government is providing an additional £500 million to help provide targeted cost of living support for households most in need.