Dec. 10 2025
Source Page: Food Strategy Advisory Board IGD Webinar Series: privacy noticeDec. 10 2025
Source Page: Quota application mechanism recipientsDec. 10 2025
Source Page: Quota application mechanism recipientsDec. 10 2025
Source Page: Contractual practice in the UK combinable crops sectorDec. 10 2025
Source Page: Government acts to strengthen fairness and transparency in combinable crops contractsAsked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the answer of 27 October 2025 to Question 83666, how new permanent legal rights of public access will be created through proposals for nine new river walks and three new national forests.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Our nine new river walks and three new national forests will both increase available natural space and make it more accessible.
We are progressing plans to deliver nine new National River Walks across England, one in each region, to enhance access to nature and are currently considering several delivery options. Further details will be announced in due course.
Our three new national forests in the West of England, the Oxford-Cambridge corridor and the Midlands or North of England, once confirmed, will support delivery of environmental improvement goals including improving access to green space and better connecting people with nature. The Government will set out plans for new national forests in the coming months which will incorporate many factors, including a consideration of new permanent legal rights of access.
Asked by: Maya Ellis (Labour - Ribble Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will appoint a Minister for Rural Communities.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister.
Asked by: Martin Wrigley (Liberal Democrat - Newton Abbot)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to increase the corresponding recreational bag limit when commercial bass catch limits are increased.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Annual negotiations between the UK and EU to decide fishing opportunities for 2026 have recently concluded. The outcome for both commercial and recreational seabass opportunities will be made public shortly.
Asked by: Anna Gelderd (Labour - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 24 November 2025 to Question 91862 on the Marine Environment, what is the scope of the Sustainable Ocean Plan; what is the (a) process and (b) timetable for consultation with stakeholders; and whether blue finance will be incorporated.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Sustainable Ocean Plan (SOP) will set out a framework to achieve 100% sustainable use of UK waters, supporting long-term growth in the ocean economy. We are currently in the scoping phase, which includes looking at areas such blue finance. As we develop the plan, we will provide further information on stakeholder consultation.
Asked by: Joshua Reynolds (Liberal Democrat - Maidenhead)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to monitor and tackle the environmental impact of single-use packaging waste on terrestrial trail ecosystems, including public rights of way.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local councils are responsible for keeping their public land clear of litter and refuse.
We are targeting some of the more commonly littered items to reduce the presence of these in our communities. The sale of single-use vapes was banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The Deposit Return Scheme will cover plastic and metal drinks containers (like bottles and cans which make up 55% of litter volume), and the goal is to reduce litter and help keep our streets, rivers, and oceans clean.
We have a number of restrictions on other unnecessary single use plastic products and we will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions. These measures help reduce litter at the source and reduce pollution on terrestrial trail ecosystems.