Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of trends in the level of breeding and ownership of brachycephalic animals.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Dog breeders licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies.
In the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform to improve health and welfare, and also to improve understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.
The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders and consideration of sector evidence, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices.
Defra works with a range of sector organisations who are raising public awareness of the health risks associated with brachycephalic animals. This includes via tools such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare’s Innate Health Assessment, Royal Kennel Club’s Respiratory Function Grading scheme assessment for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome and the Canine and Feline Sector Group Code of Practice for Dog Breeding. Many organisations have public facing campaigns to promote awareness such as Cats Protection, and the UK Brachycephalic Working Groups ‘stop and think’ campaign to prioritise health when purchasing dogs.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 trends in the level of Brachycephalic Obstructive Airway Syndrome in dogs in the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Dog breeders licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies.
In the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform to improve health and welfare, and also to improve understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.
The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders and consideration of sector evidence, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices.
Defra works with a range of sector organisations who are raising public awareness of the health risks associated with brachycephalic animals. This includes via tools such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare’s Innate Health Assessment, Royal Kennel Club’s Respiratory Function Grading scheme assessment for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome and the Canine and Feline Sector Group Code of Practice for Dog Breeding. Many organisations have public facing campaigns to promote awareness such as Cats Protection, and the UK Brachycephalic Working Groups ‘stop and think’ campaign to prioritise health when purchasing dogs.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to raise public awareness of the health risks associated with brachycephalic animals.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Dog breeders licensed under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies.
In the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform to improve health and welfare, and also to improve understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.
The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders and consideration of sector evidence, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices.
Defra works with a range of sector organisations who are raising public awareness of the health risks associated with brachycephalic animals. This includes via tools such as the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Animal Welfare’s Innate Health Assessment, Royal Kennel Club’s Respiratory Function Grading scheme assessment for brachycephalic obstructive airway syndrome and the Canine and Feline Sector Group Code of Practice for Dog Breeding. Many organisations have public facing campaigns to promote awareness such as Cats Protection, and the UK Brachycephalic Working Groups ‘stop and think’ campaign to prioritise health when purchasing dogs.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department plans to support dairy farms in North Shropshire, who fall within the highest area for heat risk in the country and face escalating climate-related challenges.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service led out of the Met Office has developed evidence on adaptation options which improve resilience of the agri-food sector, including cost and ease of implementation. These adaptation options include those which could be implemented in response to increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms such as using deep rooting and heat tolerant forage varieties.
The Government needs long-term, nature-based solutions to manage the risks of extreme wet and dry weather. To support rural communities and farmers, the Government is funding actions to improve the environment, mitigate flood risk, and boost resilience, through Environmental Land Management schemes.
Defra holds no data on potential impact of increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms on grazing land and silage production to feed livestock. However, Defra continues to work closely with the sector to monitor the production of grass and availability of silage as a feedstock.
The UK Government must prepare a UK-wide Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every five years under the Climate Change Act 2008.
The third CCRA assessed the risks to and opportunities for agricultural productivity from extreme events and changing climatic conditions such as increased temperatures and heat. The next assessment, CCRA4, is due to be published in 2027.
Asked by: Helen Morgan (Liberal Democrat - North Shropshire)
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 increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms on grazing land and silage production to feed livestock.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service led out of the Met Office has developed evidence on adaptation options which improve resilience of the agri-food sector, including cost and ease of implementation. These adaptation options include those which could be implemented in response to increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms such as using deep rooting and heat tolerant forage varieties.
The Government needs long-term, nature-based solutions to manage the risks of extreme wet and dry weather. To support rural communities and farmers, the Government is funding actions to improve the environment, mitigate flood risk, and boost resilience, through Environmental Land Management schemes.
Defra holds no data on potential impact of increasing heat risk to UK dairy farms on grazing land and silage production to feed livestock. However, Defra continues to work closely with the sector to monitor the production of grass and availability of silage as a feedstock.
The UK Government must prepare a UK-wide Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) every five years under the Climate Change Act 2008.
The third CCRA assessed the risks to and opportunities for agricultural productivity from extreme events and changing climatic conditions such as increased temperatures and heat. The next assessment, CCRA4, is due to be published in 2027.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on trespassing incidents in waterways in quarries.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra holds no data on trespassing in waterways in quarries, but the Mining Remediation Authority may hold some information on this matter.
Asked by: Mike Reader (Labour - Northampton South)
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 the cost of regulation introduced since 2019 on the food and drink supply chain, including in farming, manufacturing, retail and hospitality, on food and drink inflation.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food and drink inflation is determined by a range of factors and it is not always possible to isolate the direct impact of regulation on food prices. However, Defra is taking action to reduce cost pressures in the food system, including from regulation. In November, Defra launched the Food Inflation Gateway to ensure regulatory impacts on food businesses are appropriately assessed, and to identify where burdens can be reduced or better sequenced. Food price inflation rose sharply in 2022 (following the start of the war in Ukraine) to a peak of 19.1% in March 2023. Subsequently the inflation rate has decreased but not reached pre-2022 levels. Food price inflation averaged 4.6% over 2025 and in March 2026 stood at 3.7%.
Asked by: Chris Hinchliff (Labour - North East Hertfordshire)
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 ensure that Environmental Land Management schemes include funding for (a) integrated, evidence-based management of predation pressure and (b) specialist farmer advisory support to improve the effectiveness of agri-environment measures for breeding wader recovery, including the Eurasian Curlew.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Support for specific species is primarily delivered via Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier where land managers can benefit from 1:1 advice and support from Natural England Advisers. In addition to the payments for the correct land management for Curlew, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier also includes capital grants for specialised predator fencing to protect nesting sites.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 the transition from general to specific licences does not adversely impact small bird‑keeping groups.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The decision as to whether to allow gatherings by way of a general licence is kept under regular review and is informed by qualitative risk assessment containing the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice.
Where risk levels are not sufficiently low to permit gatherings by general licence, applicants can apply for a specific licence for a gathering. A preliminary, individual risk assessment will be completed for each application, and a specific licence may be granted if the gathering and the transport of birds to and from it would not significantly increase the risk of the spread of bird flu.
Defra has engaged with stakeholders to understand the challenges for those applying for specific licences, including small bird-keeping groups, and regularly considers the feedback received from those applying for licences. Defra has reviewed and improved the clarity of guidance for bird gatherings on gov.uk. Defra continues to work on improving the application process for specific licences, to ensure those applying can provide all the required information for APHA to assess their application.
Although general licences are now in place for poultry (except Anseriformes) and other captive birds, Defra continues to engage with stakeholders to understand achievable conditions for gatherings held under specific or general licence.
Asked by: Suella Braverman (Reform UK - Fareham and Waterlooville)
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 conduct a review of whether both the General and Specific Licences are proportionate, enforceable and workable for organisers of bird gatherings.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza. Detailed risk assessments can be found on Gov.UK.
As legislation requires this to be a risk-based decision, assessments of the impact to individual events, the number of events, or types of event, have not been made.
Defra’s disease control measures seek to contain the number of animals that need to be culled, either for disease control purposes or to safeguard animal welfare. Our approach aims to reduce adverse impacts on the rural and wider economy, the public, rural communities and the environment (including impact on wildlife), whilst protecting public health and minimising the overall cost of any outbreak.
Assessing the risk of each gathering is complex. Factors taken into account include, but are not limited to: the background risk; the origin locations of the birds; the species of birds attending; biosecurity measures; the number of birds and species; and the number of exhibitors. Gatherings, including mixed species exhibitions may be permitted, subject to licence.