Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the water management grant of up to £15 million, within the drought support package.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the significant challenges that drought conditions can pose for farmers and growers. As part of the drought support package announced on 14 August 2026, up to £15 million has been made available to support on-farm reservoir construction.

The proposed level of funding has been informed by evaluation evidence from the previous two rounds of the Water Management Grant, where applications are expected to result in around £12.5 million of grant expenditure in total. Given the previous government were unable to spend the full budget allocated to the previous rounds of the Water Management Grant, we won’t repeat that failure and as such will continue to monitor delivery and demand to ensure the grant supports practical investments that strengthen water security and farm resilience to climate change.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Press release “PM: Farmers should not carry the risk of a changing climate alone” published on 14 August 2026, in what way will the measures introduce more flexibility in environmental schemes.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has made temporary adjustments to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes, giving farmers flexibility and making it easier for farm business cash flow as they deal with growing food in this summer’s extreme conditions.

Adjustments will enable farmers to create firebreaks on land in an agreement to protect houses, animals and crops from wildfires.

To ease shortages of animal feed and bedding, the government has acted by removing restrictions so farmers can cut and graze land in an ELM agreement.

The Government has also given farmers more time to establish ELM actions where dry conditions have made planting impossible.

GOV.UK guidance (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hot-and-dry-weather-temporary-support-for-farmers-in-2026) went live on Saturday 15 August and measures came into force on the same day.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that agricultural carbon reporting frameworks distinguish clearly between independently verified data, modelled estimates and elements that remain unquantified.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

For farms businesses and agricultural products Defra is developing a standardised approach to carbon reporting. The work aims to establish robust methodologies and criteria for high-quality farm carbon assessments. It will improve the consistency and reliability of emissions data, enabling transparent and comparable greenhouse gas reporting for the agri-food system.

For UK territorial emissions Defra operates a world leading agricultural emissions accounting system, compliant with requirements set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. National emissions estimates are verified with real world measurements and modelled using science-based methodologies which are independently reviewed and publicly available.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the budget for Environmental Land Management schemes in the 2026–27 financial year.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This year's budget for Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes is £1.9 billion. This has increased by more than fourfold since 2020, when we spent £433 million. This is rising further still, and by 2028/29, we plan to spend £2 billion on ELM schemes, making a total of £2.7 billion of investment into farming and nature.

We have also recently published our Annual Report for 2025/26, which sets out that we spent £1.8bn on ELM schemes which includes the Sustainable Farming Incentive, CS Higher Tier and ELM Capital.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled PM: Farmers should not carry the risk of a changing climate alone, published on 14 August 2026, how the additional £50 million for the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 will be made available to eligible farmers.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The additional £50m announced by the Prime Minister last month as part of the dry weather package will be included in Window 2 of SFI26, thereby increasing the Window 2 budget to £230m (in addition to any remaining Window 1 budget).

Window 2 is expected to open on Tuesday 22 September 2026 for all farmers and land managers. It will be open to all farmers and land managers with at least 3 hectares of agricultural land.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential implications of the proposed UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement for the regulation of glyphosate use in home gardens, schools and playgrounds.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Health and Safety Executive is currently reassessing glyphosate to determine whether it continues to meet strict approval criteria.

Defra is working through the implications of the transition from the current pesticides regulatory system in Great Britain to a new one defined by the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement under negotiation. The department cannot comment further on the SPS agreement as negotiations are ongoing.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to farm support payments on farm businesses in West Dorset constituency.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Supporting British farmers and boosting the nation’s food security are key priorities for the government. As set out in the Farming Roadmap, food security and restoring nature are not competing aims. They are, over the long term, inseparable. The most resilient farms are profitable precisely because they work with the environment, which is why Government is backing a shift towards lower input, more sustainable farming systems.

There are now 4,165 live SFI agreements and 658 live CS agreements within the West Dorset constituency. This uptake by farm businesses and land managers in the constituency is supporting them to build nature‑friendly farming systems that can sustain or enhance production while strengthening resilience and reducing input dependency.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of changes to farm support schemes on participation in Countryside Stewardship agreements.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government's environmental land management schemes have been developed to support delivery of the ambitious goals set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan, with farmers and land managers playing a critical role in achieving these outcomes.

To support the continued delivery of Environmental Land Management agreements, including Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, Defra has introduced temporary adjustments that provide additional flexibility to support the delivery of CSHT. Agreement holders using these temporary measures must continue to meet all other scheme and legal requirements and return to the original requirements once conditions allow.

We do not expect recent changes to farm support schemes to reduce participation in Countryside Stewardship agreements.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of using GWP* alongside GWP100 to account for methane emissions from livestock, in order to reflect whether herd-level emissions are increasing, stable or declining over time.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises the ongoing debate on how best to account for short-lived greenhouse gases such as methane. While GWP* can provide useful insights into methane's warming effects, it is not currently considered a suitable replacement for conventional emissions reporting metrics in agriculture. The GWP* concept of "no additional warming" risks implying that continued methane emissions are environmentally neutral and may weaken incentives for emissions reductions. GWP100 remains the internationally agreed metric for greenhouse gas reporting. The UK will continue to engage in international discussions and monitor emerging evidence, guided by the best available science and international consensus.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government to what extent the differential in farm payments between farmers in England and those in Scotland is affecting the competitive position of the former.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Agriculture is devolved. Defra administers farming policy in England, while the Scottish Government, Welsh Government and Northern Ireland Executive determine their own agricultural policies and support schemes. As part of this arrangement, funding for agriculture and fisheries was baselined and un-ringfenced in each devolved governments block grant from 2024-25. It is for devolved governments to allocate funding as they see fit and they are accountable to their devolved legislatures for those decisions. The devolved governments’ settlements for 2025-26 are the largest in real terms of any settlements since devolution.

The UK government is acting in England to support farmers and give them clarity to plan and invest. The recently published Farming Roadmap and Farming Profitability Review response set out a range of short-term and long-term actions. These include investment in ELM funding, support for and investment in innovation and technology, and action to make supply chains fairer. The government has also established the Farming and Food Partnership Board, bringing together senior leaders from farming, food, retail and finance to drive profitability and strengthen food security. Defra continues to cooperate openly and transparently with devolved government colleagues on these frameworks – as well as ongoing policy development across the four nations - via informal and formal structures established under the Common Framework for Agricultural Support.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase UK food system and supply chain resilience, with reference to the national security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK’s Nature Security Assessment examined how global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation could affect the UK’s national security, resilience and prosperity, including potential disruptions to food systems.

To boost domestic food and supply chain resilience, this Government is investing £120 million in 2026 through grants to increase farming productivity and innovation, while Environmental Land Management schemes support practices that improve resilience and reduce reliance on artificial fertiliser.

Defra will continue strengthening preparedness for risks to our food supply including working closely with Cabinet Office, other Government Departments, Devolved Governments on resilience planning and food security.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the impact of data centres on the natural environment.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency works with government and the data centre sector to ensure environmental considerations are reflected in planning and decision-making. They also engage with developers and planning authorities to help identify environmental constraints and opportunities at an early stage, supporting sustainable development while protecting water resources, habitats and wider environmental quality. Where appropriate, developments are also subject to environmental permitting, abstraction licensing or other regulatory requirements.

All new developments, including data centres, must consider local environmental impacts, such as water availability. New data centres will only be supplied with water where the relevant water company assesses that sufficient water resources are available.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much and what proportion of the agriculture budget is being paid directly to farmers in the 2026–27 financial year.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. On 16 June 2025, following the 2025 Spending Review, Defra set out indicative funding figures (https://defrafarming.blog.gov.uk/2025/06/16/spending-review-2025-a-commitment-to-farming/ ) for the 2026-27 to 2028-29 financial years, including plans to increase the amount of money paid to farmers under Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes from £800m in 2023/24 towards £2bn by 2028/29.

We have also recently published our Annual Report for 2025/26, which sets out that we spent £1.8bn on ELM schemes. This includes the Sustainable Farming Incentive, CS Higher Tier and ELM Capital.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of recognising existing carbon stocks held in peatland, permanent pasture, hedgerows and woodland on farms, in addition to new annual carbon sequestration, within agricultural emissions accounting methodologies.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory accounts for greenhouse gas emissions and carbon sequestration from managed land through the Land Use, Land Use Change and Forestry (LULUCF) sector, alongside the agriculture sector. Together, these form the Agriculture, Forestry and Other Land Use (AFOLU) component of national greenhouse gas reporting.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how the Sustainable Farming Initiative will apply to upland farms, and in particular, graziers.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

SFI26 is an improved version of SFI (Sustainable Farming Incentive). Upland farms below the moorland line can apply for all conventional SFI actions, provided their land is eligible, so will benefit from these improvements. Farms above the moorland line can additionally benefit from increases to some moorland payment rates.

SFI is just part of a range of support Defra offers the uplands, with other support coming from Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, Landscape Recovery, Farming in Protected Landscapes, and the place-based, community-led uplands project Defra is undertaking with Dr Hilary Cottam.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to meet farmers, veterinary professionals, scientists and livestock industry representatives to discuss a national strategy to tackle the spread of bluetongue virus serotype 3, and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra engages regularly with farmers, veterinary professionals, scientists, devolved governments and livestock industry representatives on bluetongue virus (BTV-3). Baroness Hayman met industry leaders and veterinary representatives on 8 September to discuss the outbreak. The Secretary of State is also engaging directly with the farming sector, including at the NFU’s Back British Farming Day event on 9 September. Defra is supporting the industry-led Battle Bluetongue campaign to encourage vaccination, and signposting support through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. Defra will continue to work closely with industry and scientific experts to inform its response.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her department is taking to support farmers in addressing workforce shortages.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises that its vital farms have the workforce they need to harvest their great British produce and grow their businesses. We set out in the Farming Roadmap that to build clear skills pathways for a modern farming sector we are working across government, including Skills England, industry and with training providers, to strengthen professional routes into and through the sector, providing accessible pathways for people to enter, progress and build long term careers in agriculture that reflect the sector’s diverse and evolving needs.

We have just confirmed the 2027 Seasonal Worker visa allocations for the horticulture and poultry so businesses can plan the year ahead with confidence and are working on Sector Growth Plans for these sectors to explore how our growers can be more profitable, productive and grow whilst also working within key government policy parameters, including migration policy.

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 restore confidence among farmers in environmental land management and stewardship schemes.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra remains committed to supporting farmers through Environmental Land Management and stewardship schemes. We are working with the RPA to improve scheme delivery. We are also strengthening our communications with farmers, providing clearer information and greater certainty where possible. We are focused on ensuring these schemes support both profitable farm businesses and environmental outcomes.

Defra is committing £1.8bn for Environmental Land Management schemes in 25/26 rising to £2bn by 28/29.

Recent levels of uptake in both Countryside Stewardship capital offers, and the Sustainable Farming Incentive demonstrate continued farmer confidence in these schemes.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her department has made of the potential impact of workforce shortages in the agricultural sector on UK food security.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises the importance of the workforce to food security. The Government’s Good Food Cycle publication references the importance of attracting talent and developing a skilled workforce to our nation and food security. The Farming Roadmap also makes clear the link between a strong, skilled and confident workforce in driving rural economic growth and strengthening Britain’s food security, whilst also committing to the Seasonal Worker visa route for the horticulture and poultry sectors until at least 2030. Addressing workforce recruitment and retention will be central to the Sector Growth Plans we have underway with sector experts.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what work is being done by her Department to establish how epidemiological, genetic, meteorological and geographical evidence explain the pattern and speed of bluetongue virus serotype 3 transmission during the current outbreak.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) work closely with scientific partners to monitor and assess the spread of bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3). Epidemiological, meteorological, virus characteristics and geographical evidence is used to support disease surveillance and disease-control decisions, including improving understanding of disease patterns and vector activity. APHA is operationally supporting The Pirbright Institute in delivering enhanced bluetongue testing capacity, and accredited molecular diagnostic tests used by APHA support the detection and monitoring of virus circulation. This evidence-based approach helps inform the Government's response and ensures control measures remain under review as new information becomes available.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's long-term education, vaccination and disease-control strategy is to prevent bluetongue virus serotype 3 becoming an annual cycle of infection, reproductive losses and reduced livestock production.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Bluetongue will likely recur in 2027. The best way to protect against reproductive and production losses is to vaccinate early. Defra supports the industry-led Battle Bluetongue campaign and continues to encourage animal keepers to speak to their vet about vaccination. The department take part in industry led webinars and provide other communications. During her recent roundtable with industry representatives affected by bluetongue on 8 September, Baroness Hayman heard first-hand the challenges faced by the sector, the importance of partnership working, and the need to strengthen long-term preparedness and resilience across the sector.

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 consider a coordinated programme combining large-scale vaccination, Culicoides surveillance and systematic genetic monitoring, similar to measures adopted in France, to tackle the spread of bluetongue virus serotype 3.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government keeps its approach to bluetongue under continual review and considers scientific evidence and international experience when developing control policies. While the decision to vaccinate remains one for animal keepers, in consultation with their private vets, we have worked closely with sector representatives to encourage take-up, including supporting the Battle Bluetongue campaign to advocate for vaccination. The Animal and Plant Health Agency publishes a heat map of suspected and confirmed cases. The bluetongue virus genome is not prone to variation and recent genetic sequencing shows the virus in 2026 is very similar to the virus first detected in the Netherlands and later England in 2023.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of checks on the welfare and age of dogs imported into Great Britain for sale.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has one of the toughest pet border checking regimes in the world and this Government is committed to preserving the high standards of biosecurity and animal welfare.

The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 gives the Government powers to prohibit the import into Great Britain of puppies and kittens under six months old and introduce measures to strengthen current enforcement mechanisms. Defra will continue to work with UK enforcement bodies as we develop these measures.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for the ratification and implementation of the EU SPS Agreement.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government is progressing negotiations on the UK-EU SPS Agreement alongside preparations for its ratification and implementation. Ratification and implementation will be completed once negotiations have concluded and the required UK and EU processes are conducted. Implementation will require passing the European Partnership Bill. Defra is preparing to ensure the benefits of the deal are realised as soon as possible.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the merits of introducing a ban on Brazilian meat imports, in line with measures introduced by the European Union.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is working as quickly as possible to assess Brazilian production systems to ensure that beef and chicken from animals treated with certain antimicrobial products are not exported to Great Britain and is keeping trade restrictions under review. The assessment will include an urgent in-country audit. Sanitary and phytosanitary trade measures must be evidenced-based and proportionate in line with World Trade Organization rules.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what modelling her Department has undertaken comparing (a) predicted and (b) actual outcomes for the UK fishing industry following the UK's departure from the EU.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Following the signing of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, The Marine Management Organisation published an analysis of fishing quota shares, estimating them to be worth an additional £146m by 2026.

Every year we publish statistics on the economic value of the Economic outcomes of annual negotiations for UK fishing opportunities in 2026 available on gov.uk.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the change has been in UK fishing quota share since the Trade and Cooperation Agreement came into force.

Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

UK fishing quota is negotiated across 3 key forums (UK-EU bilateral, UK-EU-Norway trilateral, Coastal States) and a handful of smaller forums.

Since the TCA came into force, the total UK fishing quota was negotiated as follows.

Changes in the quota figures above also reflect impacts from changes in scientific advice for stocks and the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Found: It should be noted that during the evidence session both Ministers Hardy (Defra) and Johnson (DHSC)

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, whether she will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a comprehensive fire risk management and reporting system; and whether she plans to require relevant landowners to consider all properties that could be affected by fire outbreaks, establish and maintain appropriate firebreaks, and ensure adequate access for firefighting crews.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Government is taking forward a range of measures to reduce wildfire risk and improve the resilience of our landscapes and communities. Land managers are encouraged to assess wildfire risk and implement proportionate wildfire management plans, including measures such as managing vegetation and fuel loads, creating and maintaining fire and fuel breaks, restoring peatlands and wetlands, and improving access for firefighting. These measures are supported through Environmental Land Management schemes and Countryside Stewardship options.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government is working closely with Defra and other partners to consider further measures to reduce wildfire risk, including approaches to land management, access for firefighting and the protection of communities and property. This work will inform the Government’s forthcoming Wildfire Summit and Action Plan.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential risk of wildfires in West Dorset during the summer of 2026.

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Fire and Rescue Authorities are responsible for assessing and planning for wildfire risk locally through their Community Risk Management Plans and work with other responders to ensure appropriate preparedness.

However, to strengthen resilience more broadly, MHCLG and Defra have established joint governance arrangements with partners across government and the resilience sector to drive coordinated action on prevention, preparedness, response and recovery. This work is helping to inform the development of a cross-government Wildfire Action Plan to improve resilience over the short, medium and long term.

Question to the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government:

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including food supply disruption as a specific planning scenario for local resilience forums

Answered by Florence Eshalomi - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) are responsible for assessing risks that may impact their local area through Community Risk Registers and for developing plans against a range of nationally and locally identified risks, informed by the National Security Risk Assessment (NSRA) and associated planning assumptions. Risks within the NSRA are assessed against reasonable worst-case scenarios with input from relevant subject matter experts. The NSRA assigns clear ownership of risks to the relevant Lead Government Department and considers both specific risks and their wider consequences through linked and cascading scenarios.

Food-related risks are considered within the national risk framework, including through risks owned by DEFRA and the Food Standards Agency. Decisions on food supply planning assumptions and food resilience policy therefore sit primarily with DEFRA as the Lead Government Department.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of rural crime prevention measures in reducing thefts of agricultural machinery, livestock and fuel in rural communities; and what further support her Department plans to provide to police forces to tackle rural crime.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Rural crime can have a devastating impact on rural communities and the agricultural sector. Rural crime is not recorded as a distinct category within police recorded crime, so it is not possible to produce a single, centrally verified assessment of its scale. However, NFU Mutual’s latest Rural Crime Report estimates that the overall cost of rural crime fell by 6% in 2025.

The Government acknowledges there is more to do, that’s why we are implementing the Equipment Theft Act to make agricultural equipment harder to steal and easier to recover, including new requirements for forensic marking and registration of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and agricultural GPS units.

We recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in rural offences, including the theft of agricultural machinery, livestock and fuel. The Home Office is therefore providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 for the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide operational support, intelligence, analysis and coordination to police forces across the UK, helping them to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries. The National Rural Crime Unit has helped recover £32 million worth of stolen machinery, vehicles and equipment since it was established.

The Home Office worked closely with DEFRA and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to publish the 2025-2028 Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which further strengthens the policing response by setting national operational and organisational priorities and supporting intelligence-led action against organised criminality.

Visibility and responsiveness are critical to building trust in rural communities, which is why our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is strengthening local policing presence in all areas, including rural areas. By 31 March 2026, forces had delivered 3,814 additional neighbourhood policing personnel, and our target remains 13,000 by the end of the parliament. In addition, through the guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, has named and contactable officers dedicated to tackling local crime and anti-social behaviour, with a response to non-urgent enquiries within 72 hours. These measures, alongside strengthened specialist national capability, will support forces to prevent and investigate rural crime and protect rural communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of organised criminal gangs on rural crime levels; and what steps she is taking to disrupt those activities.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Rural crime can have a devastating impact on rural communities and the agricultural sector. Rural crime is not recorded as a distinct category within police recorded crime, so it is not possible to produce a single, centrally verified assessment of its scale. However, NFU Mutual’s latest Rural Crime Report estimates that the overall cost of rural crime fell by 6% in 2025.

The Government acknowledges there is more to do, that’s why we are implementing the Equipment Theft Act to make agricultural equipment harder to steal and easier to recover, including new requirements for forensic marking and registration of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and agricultural GPS units.

We recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in rural offences, including the theft of agricultural machinery, livestock and fuel. The Home Office is therefore providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 for the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide operational support, intelligence, analysis and coordination to police forces across the UK, helping them to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries. The National Rural Crime Unit has helped recover £32 million worth of stolen machinery, vehicles and equipment since it was established.

The Home Office worked closely with DEFRA and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to publish the 2025-2028 Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which further strengthens the policing response by setting national operational and organisational priorities and supporting intelligence-led action against organised criminality.

Visibility and responsiveness are critical to building trust in rural communities, which is why our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is strengthening local policing presence in all areas, including rural areas. By 31 March 2026, forces had delivered 3,814 additional neighbourhood policing personnel, and our target remains 13,000 by the end of the parliament. In addition, through the guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, has named and contactable officers dedicated to tackling local crime and anti-social behaviour, with a response to non-urgent enquiries within 72 hours. These measures, alongside strengthened specialist national capability, will support forces to prevent and investigate rural crime and protect rural communities.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that police forces serving predominantly rural areas have sufficient resources to investigate and prevent rural crime.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

Rural crime can have a devastating impact on rural communities and the agricultural sector. Rural crime is not recorded as a distinct category within police recorded crime, so it is not possible to produce a single, centrally verified assessment of its scale. However, NFU Mutual’s latest Rural Crime Report estimates that the overall cost of rural crime fell by 6% in 2025.

The Government acknowledges there is more to do, that’s why we are implementing the Equipment Theft Act to make agricultural equipment harder to steal and easier to recover, including new requirements for forensic marking and registration of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs) and agricultural GPS units.

We recognise that organised criminal groups are involved in rural offences, including the theft of agricultural machinery, livestock and fuel. The Home Office is therefore providing over £800,000 in 2026/27 for the National Rural Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit. These specialist capabilities provide operational support, intelligence, analysis and coordination to police forces across the UK, helping them to identify, disrupt and pursue offenders operating across force boundaries. The National Rural Crime Unit has helped recover £32 million worth of stolen machinery, vehicles and equipment since it was established.

The Home Office worked closely with DEFRA and the National Police Chiefs’ Council to publish the 2025-2028 Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which further strengthens the policing response by setting national operational and organisational priorities and supporting intelligence-led action against organised criminality.

Visibility and responsiveness are critical to building trust in rural communities, which is why our Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee is strengthening local policing presence in all areas, including rural areas. By 31 March 2026, forces had delivered 3,814 additional neighbourhood policing personnel, and our target remains 13,000 by the end of the parliament. In addition, through the guarantee every neighbourhood, rural or urban, has named and contactable officers dedicated to tackling local crime and anti-social behaviour, with a response to non-urgent enquiries within 72 hours. These measures, alongside strengthened specialist national capability, will support forces to prevent and investigate rural crime and protect rural communities.

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Found: looked at the Natural Capital Framework by the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra

Found: Purpose: This document has been produced by the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra

Found: Defra has decided to apply the national security exemption in the Procurement Act 2023 to this contract

Found: 2025/26) This period (Q1 2026/27) Previous RAG This RAG Export market access requests from DEFRA

Found: Government departments and agencies, including Department for the Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra

Found: The designations were subject to a Landscapes Review published in 2019 (DEFRA).

Found: structure) AWEC: Animal Welfare & Ethics Committee ARS: Area-Restricted Search CI: Confidence Interval Defra

Found: Marine environment: unexploded ordnance clearance Joint Position Statement’ (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: We work in partnership with our colleagues in Defra and across UK government, and with international

Found: inquiries Nick Thomas-Symonds 2026-05-19 Gail Soutar, NFU, Tom Bradshaw, NFU A joint meeting with Defra

Found: Soutar NFU Tom Bradshaw NFU

Found: 2026

Found: 25.8 N/A N/A 25.8 Gerry Kaspers 13/04/2026 13/04/2026 Travelling from permanent office to visit to a DEFRA

Found: class="govuk-table__cell">Research Company Costs

Found: class="govuk-table__cell">OFFICE FOR CIVIL SOCIETY

Found: class="govuk-table__cell">IMPLEMENTATION AND REFORM

Found:

Found: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) is responsible for policy on food composition

Found: govuk-table__cell">DEPT AME

Found: Source: DEFRA annual report and accounts 2024-25 6 How to Read WGA WGA provides a consolidated view

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: confirmed cases of BTV-3 in Northern Ireland. 2024 to 2025 outbreak season (1 July 2024 to 30 June 2025) Defra

Found: This must be conducted in accordance with DEFRA and Environment Agency's 'Land Condition and Risk Management

Found: This must be conducted in accordance with DEFRA and Environment Agency's 'Land Condition and Risk Management

Found: Dairy Show 7 October 2026 (Somerset) Join us at the Defra stand for the UK’s largest Dairy Show.

Found: Defra Contract No. MB5301.

Found: House, 8 Mint Walk CROYDON United Kingdom CR0 1EA Wider Public Sector 10005367 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: information charter and privacy notices.APHA is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: APHA approves and inspects these premises on behalf of Defra, the Scottish Government and Welsh Government

Found: Defra is looking for farmers, growers and land managers to join a user panel to help improve guidance

Found: Defra is looking for farmers, growers and land managers to join a user panel to help improve guidance

Found: You can view all of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ (Defra’s) guidance and forms

Found: including: Marine Management Organisation (MMO) Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra

Found: (MMO) • Daniel Bush (MMO) • Jacob Bestwick (MMO) • Alex Pearson-Ross (MMO) • Iain Glasglow (Defra

Found: of PM2.5 and PM10)  guide to the demonstration of equivalence of ambient air monitoring methods  Defra

Found: based on the most up to date information about the risk of bird flu transmission which is available to Defra

Found: Defra: Authorising structures (gaps, gates & stiles) on rights of way gives guidance primarily to Local

Found: If you want to export captive birds with an ‘826’ transponder, you must also register them with Defra

Found: If you want to export captive birds with an ‘826’ transponder, you must also register them with Defra

Found: 825 outside office hours (including public holidays) If other numbers are out of order, please call Defra

Found: ‘Defra’ means The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Found: non-EU country, you may need a transit EHC - check with the competent authority (the equivalent of Defra

Found: Investigations into such illegal activities are carried out by our enforcement officers or by officers from Defra

Found: Flood map for planning - GOV.UK Check coastal erosion risk for an area in England - GOV.UK data.gov.uk Defra

Found: Day and Smith (2018), and was developed by the University of Exeter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Day and Smith (2018), and was developed by the University of Exeter for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: for Scotland advisory note for Northern Ireland Vets in England, Scotland and Wales should notify Defra

Found: The Marine Management Organisation follows all Defra statistical policies.

Found: 2025/26) This period (Q1 2026/27) Previous RAG This RAG Export market access requests from DEFRA

Found: o Work alongside Defra to develop plans for wider rollout of the model.

Found: Defra is a ministerial department, supported by 34 agencies and public bodies.

Found: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 1 Updated Outbreak Assessment #6

Found: In the UK, any suspicion of rabies must be reported to APHA by calling the Defra Rural Services Helpline

Found: LIT 65354 OFFICIAL Version: 3 Published: 28/09/2026 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: OFFICIAL Version: 3 Published: 28/09/2026 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: OfficesCaernarfonGwyneddWalesLL55 1BN Telephone: 0300 303 8268APHA is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: These are collated by Defra in the strictest confidence and the information forwarded to the commission

Found: information charter and privacy notices.APHA is an Executive Agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Databricks Pearson Atos Leonardo UK Scottish Government KingÕs College London Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: CIRIA Construction Industry Research and Information Association CPM Convection-permitting model Defra

Found: Defra Minister Baroness Hayman, Minister for Biosecurity and Trade, said: This is real progress for

Found: robust cooperation between the Philippines’ Department of Agriculture and the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Review panel: Andy Burman – British Dietetic Association Balwinder Dhoot – Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Found: The DEFRA Policy paper “Our vision for a thriving veterinary sector” which lays out plans for reform

Found: decontamination of the built and open environment, the lead would be transferred to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: decontamination of the built and open environment, the lead would be transferred to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: decontamination of the built and open environment, the lead would be transferred to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: decontamination of the built and open environment, the lead would be transferred to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs

Found: Regular meetings are held with The Institute of Agriculture and Horticulture (TIAH), sponsored by Defra

Found: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) (2026).