Asked by: Rosie Duffield (Independent - Canterbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to take forward the spirit and substance of the Climate and Nature Bill.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is absolutely committed to tackling the climate and nature crises. Though there is already a well-developed legislative framework in place, the Government agreed to several actions reflecting the spirit and substance of the Climate and Nature Bill, including an annual statement on the State of Climate and Nature.
On July 14 2025 the Secretary of State for the Department of Net Zero and Energy Security, alongside Defra’s Secretary of State, delivered this first of-its-kind statement, setting out with radical transparency the scale of the crises and how the choices we make influence global action. The written statement notes further steps taken on nature restoration, consumption emissions, public participation and collaboration between the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and Climate Change Committee.
This Government has restored the UK as an international leader on climate change and is reversing nature’s decline after years of neglect. In this year’s Spending Review, we secured the largest investment in clean power in a generation and record funding for nature restoration.
The Government’s climate and nature priorities and policies will be further set out this year in a revised Environmental Improvement Plan, updated delivery plan for Carbon Budgets 4-6 and our Nationally Determined Contributions, Net Zero Public Participation Strategy, Food Strategy, Farming Roadmap, and Land Use Framework.
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, whether allocated funding to the Animal and Plant Health Agency for Asian hornet response operations has changed since 2023.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The response to Asian hornet also known as Yellow-Legged Hornet (YLH) is carried out by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) National Bee Unit (NBU). The NBU do this as part of the overall programme of work that they deliver for Defra from the funding allocated to APHA. There isn’t a specific budget allocated to the response to YLH. Being part of APHA means the NBU can draw on further resources which allows them to take action on notifiable bee diseases, while continuing to provide an effective response to YLH.
In 2023 there was a large increase in the number of YLH nests found in GB and the NBU located and destroyed 72 nests in 56 locations. Further analyses during the winter of 2023 indicated that a few of the nests may have reached maturity and released queens which overwintered. Therefore in 2024 the NBU carried out spring trapping for YLH in 4 areas across the south of GB. Additional funds were allocated for the spring trapping work.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
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 help reduce levels of plastic waste.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. We will publish proposals for the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England this autumn. It will include a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. One of the six sectors we will start with is the chemicals and plastics sector. As a part of the transition to a circular economy, managing and reducing plastic waste will be crucial. This will build upon the existing Collection and Packaging Reforms (CPR) programme which is central to the Government’s mission to minimise waste, promote resource efficiency and move towards a more circular economy.
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.
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, how many full-time equivalent staff were assigned to the (a) identification and (b) removal of yellow-legged Asian hornet nests in (i) 2025, (ii) 2023 and (iii) 2022.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There has been 0.5 full-time equivalent (FTE) staff assigned to nest destruction in 2022, 2023 and 2025. This means they were assigned to that role and available on call when needed.
There has been one FTE Senior Operational Lead dedicated to yellow-legged hornet since 2024 to manage the overall response.
No other staff are employed or allocated on a full-time basis to yellow-legged hornet The response is managed by redeploying staff from other business as usual delivery, based on outbreak demand.
Asked by: Graham Leadbitter (Scottish National Party - Moray West, Nairn and Strathspey)
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 the potential impact of fossil fuel lobbying groups on the effectiveness of the Global Plastics Treaty.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to reaching agreement on an ambitious and effective treaty to end plastic pollution when negotiations resume in August 2025 and will be working closely with a range of countries both within the High Ambition Coalition and outside it to achieve this.
The UK is committed to an open, transparent and inclusive approach to negotiations to ensure that all have equal opportunity for their views to be heard.
The UK Government, at all stages of the INC process, has made it a priority to engage with a broad range of stakeholders. We partnered with the Ocean Plastics Leadership Network to run the UK Treaty Dialogues ahead of each round of negotiations. These brought together stakeholders from across the plastics value chain, including trade associations representing fossil fuel and petrochemical industries, but also academia, eNGOs and other civil society organisations.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of a national rainwater management strategy.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise that recycling rainwater plays a key role in balancing water supply and demand. Implementing rainwater management systems is a key part of existing Government strategy to review Building Regulations and water regulation, to meet the statutory Water Demand Target to reduce water usage by 20% by 2038.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on new dog breeding laws.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Animal welfare is a devolved matter in the UK. This means that responsibility for animal welfare policy in each of the nations, including the regulation of dog breeding, is the responsibility of the relevant nation’s Ministers.
Defra works closely with the devolved Governments on a range of shared priorities, including animal welfare, and will discuss any relevant matters as necessary, including at meetings of the Interministerial Group (EFRA).
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, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 on (a) small-scale and (b) hill farmers in South East Cornwall constituency.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 on small scale and hill farmers in South East Cornwall.
The mandating of sheep carcase classification and price reporting will create a more transparent, productive and efficient sheep market across the UK. It will encourage producers to improve productivity and to rear sheep to better meet market specifications and consumer demand, bringing the sector in line with the beef and pig sectors. Carcases will be assessed against a consistent grading and pricing system rewarding producers for the quality of lambs being sent for slaughter.
The regulations will be applicable to abattoirs with a throughput of at least 2,000 sheep per week. Abattoirs processing 1,000 to 1999 sheep per week are able to opt into the mandatory scheme. The weekly throughput of 2,000 sheep per week will exempt smaller abattoirs from the scheme so that we do not place additional regulatory and administrative burdens on them.
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the growth in demand for water and sewerage services as a result of the population increase of the United Kingdom in the past five financial years.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of having a robust drainage and wastewater system both now and for future demand. It is the responsibility of water and sewerage undertakers to plan to meet the needs of customers, including accounting for population growth. As part of the Environment Act 2021, a new duty has been created for water companies in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). DWMPs set out how a water company intends to improve their drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, accounting for factors including growing population and changing environmental circumstances. These plans will help sewerage companies to fully assess the capacity of the drainage and wastewater network and develop collaborative solutions to current problems and future issues. The plans will bring together various stakeholders including local authorities and industry regulators. Taking a strategic approach to drainage and wastewater management, will help to identify and mitigate issues related to insufficient network capacity or damaged infrastructure.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendations contained in the Dimbleby Report on the National Food Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK Government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK
The food strategy will work to make good, healthy food more accessible and affordable, as part of the Government's Plan for Change. Our strategy builds on existing evidence and analysis, such as The National Food Strategy. We have an opportunity to convert the “junk food cycle”, identified by Henry Dimbleby, into a “good food cycle” that delivers growth, while improving health, climate and environment and food security outcomes from the food system.