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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

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.

The Department does not hold data on the number of brachycephalic animals in the UK.

As part of the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. This will include proposals to improve the health and welfare standards which all licensed breeders must meet.

The strategy also includes a commitment to improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

The strategy was developed following engagement with key stakeholders alongside consideration of sector evidence and reports, such as the Animal Welfare Committee’s reports on canine and feline breeding practices. We continue to engage with representatives across the sector.

Defra also supports the work of the UK Brachycephalic Working Group (BWG), which is comprised of academia, the veterinary profession, and animal charities. The BWG has set out simple measures to address issues with brachycephalic dogs, such as not using imagery of dogs with brachycephaly for advertising unless it is aimed specifically at protecting the health and welfare of dogs in relation to brachycephaly. BWG members have committed to these measures, and other groups are encouraged to sign up to them too.

Any advice received from FTI Consulting in this context would be commercially sensitive, and it would not be appropriate to publish it.

Defra is working to ensure owners are supported to remain compliant with the law once the current insurance product ends. Dog owners must continue to meet all existing legal requirements but do not need to take any further action at this stage.

Defra works closely with its arms-length body regulators, including Ofwat and the Environment Agency (EA), to assess performance, review enforcement powers and ensure that regulators are equipped to carry out their functions effectively to deliver for the public and the environment. This includes supporting effective compliance with the Urban Waste Water Treatment (England and Wales) Regulations and broader regulatory framework.

The Water (Special Measures) Act has provided the most significant increase in enforcement powers to the regulators in a decade, giving existing regulators the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies.

We have since published the Water White Paper, a once-in-a-generation plan to overhaul the water system. This set out set our ambition to create a powerful new water regulator, bringing together the relevant functions from the existing regulators (Ofwat, the Drinking Water Inspectorate, EA and Natural England) into one new body. This will replace the current fragmented system with one regulator capable of integrated management of the water system.

It is a longstanding principle that Government does not comment on or publish legal advice.

Baroness Batters’ Review offers a clear assessment of the challenges alongside 57 recommendations for strengthening farm businesses. We are carefully considering the findings and recommendations with the sector to support farmers to access the tools and opportunities to succeed.

That is what the 25-year Farming Roadmap, to be published in 2026, will deliver. It will bring together our work on regulation, innovation, skills, investment and environmental recovery into a single, long-term plan for the sector.

The report will inform Defra policy including the development of the Farming Roadmap, the Food Strategy and the recently published Land Use Framework, as well as wider government missions, especially economic growth. This will help ensure our farming sector is more viable, self-sustaining and competitive in the long-term.

Pets leaving Great Britain must comply with the relevant requirements as determined by the country of destination. The Government always advises pet owners to consult with the relevant authorities in the country of destination if any pet travel requirements for movements from Great Britain are unclear.

The Government understands that updated EU rules governing the non‑commercial movement of pets into the EU are scheduled to come into force on 22 April 2026. The EU has yet to publish guidance on how its updated rules will be applied and any relevant transitional arrangements. The Government is actively working to confirm the details of the new requirements with the EU and will update the guidance to pet owners on the relevant documentary requirements once the EU have confirmed its position.

Defra Minister’s and officials meet with a range of stakeholders based on policy need.

Catchment Sensitive Farming acts as an advisory and endorsement route for relevant Farming Grants and includes Capital Grants and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier where applications have included specific items.

In the 2025 scheme year, the Rural Payments Agency received 271 Capital Grant and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier applications from farm businesses in Devon and Cornwall that required and had received Catchment Sensitive Farming support from Natural England. Of these, there are three applications that have not been offered an agreement as yet.

The consultation titled Animal Health and Welfare Pathway: mandatory proposals does not include any requirements related to immobilisation cages for pigs, so the Department has no plans to make an assessment of the potential impact.

The delay on CCW’s annual report and accounts for 2023-24 and 2024-25 is due to an issue requiring clarification regarding charging. CCW are cooperating with the National Audit Office and are working closely to ensure a sign-off on the accounts is completed as soon as possible. CCW has stated they have not gone over budget. Defra regularly carries out performance reviews with CCW, as required by the CCW Framework Document, to ensure CCW is delivering on its objectives and providing value for money, including on complaints handling. Putting customers first is a key pillar of the Government's White Paper and Defra will continue working with CCW to deliver strengthened consumer advocacy.

The Government has made no specific assessment of fly-tipping levels in woodland areas over the last 12 months.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents to Defra, which are published annually, which can be found on: Fly-tipping statistics for England - GOV.UK

Local authorities are required to report to Defra the size of a fly-tipping incident, its waste type and the land-type where it occurred. However, this does not cover if the area is a particular habitat or a woodland.

Following the closure of the 2025 Environmental Land Management Capital Grant, Catchment Sensitive Farming have worked with farmers and land managers to prepare for the 2026 Capital Grants round. Catchment Sensitive Farming advice is very popular and there is the need to prioritise advice and support visits for those who have already requested one. This means Catchment Sensitive Farming are now focusing efforts on those who have already requested a visit to support 24 items in the 2026 Capital Grant offer. Once the offer opens in July Catchment Sensitive Farming will start accepting new requests for advisory visits.

The Government is committed to supporting British farmers and the vital role they play. In England, the Government will continue to invest in our farmers and land managers to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through Environmental Land Management (ELM), including our heritage farmland.

Part of ELM, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier includes actions and capital items which support farmers and land managers in protecting and restoring historic or archaeological features and carrying out heritage actions. For example, actions include:

• “Control scrub on historic and archaeological features” (CHS4)
• “Manage historic features in woodlands supplement” (CWS7)
• “Stone wall restoration” (BN12)

Furthermore, there are three boundary feature actions and two heritage actions remaining available in the Sustainable Farming Incentive 2026 offer, as follows:

• “Manage hedgerows” (CHRW2)
• “Maintain dry stone walls” (BND1) and “Maintain earth banks or stone-faced hedgebanks (BND2)
• “Maintain weatherproof traditional farm or forestry buildings” (HEF1) and “Manage historic and archaeological features on grassland” (HEF6)

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) provided an updated assessment of retail competition and profitability in July 2024 which did not find that groceries inflation was being driven at an aggregate level by weak competition between retailers. There was overall growth in revenues, profits, and margins for retailers in the 2023/24 financial year. However, operating profits and margins remained broadly at or below financial years 2019/20 to 2021/22 level.

The CMA’s November 2024 analysis of supermarket loyalty pricing also found limited evidence of price changes which could indicate that supermarkets may have inflated prices to make their loyalty prices appear misleadingly attractive.

Supermarkets relations with suppliers are guided by the Groceries Supply Code of Practice. This imposes various obligations on the largest retailers such as dealing fairly and lawfully with suppliers, not varying supply agreements retrospectively, and providing reasonable notice of any significant changes to supply chain procedures.

Food and drink prices showed an annual rate of inflation of 3.3% in the year to February 2026, in the most recently published inflation figures for the UK, released by the Office for National Statistics. This is a decrease from 3.6% in January 2026.

General inflation in the UK was 3.0% in February 2026, unchanged from January 2026.

The ONS does not breakdown inflation figures at constituency level.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 January 2026 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 105878.

All customers of water and sewerage companies are entitled to guaranteed minimum standards of service, as set out by Government. These rights are known as the guaranteed standards scheme (GSS). Where a company fails to meet any of the standards, it is required to make a specified payment to the affected household or business customer.

Ofwat is responsible for monitoring the scheme. Details on payment amounts and conditions can be found here.

All customers of water and sewerage companies are entitled to guaranteed minimum standards of service, as set out by Government. These rights are known as the guaranteed standards scheme (GSS). Where a company fails to meet any of the standards, it is required to make a specified payment to the affected household or business customer.

Ofwat is responsible for monitoring the scheme. Details on payment amounts and conditions can be found here.

Local councils are responsible for keeping their public land clear of fly-tipped waste, including public rural areas. Local councils have powers to take enforcement action against offenders. Anyone caught fly-tipping may be prosecuted which can lead to a significant fine, a community sentence or even imprisonment. Instead of prosecuting, local councils can choose to issue a fixed penalty notice (on-the-spot fine) of up to £1,000 to fly-tippers. Councils also have powers to seize and search vehicles of suspected fly-tippers.

We encourage and support councils to make good use of their enforcement powers. For example, we have recently published best practice guidance and case studies on the website of the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, which will support councils to make better use of their power to seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers.

We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers.

Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping.

We committed in our manifesto to force fly-tippers and vandals to clean up their mess. Defra will consult on giving local councils the powers to issue fly-tippers with conditional cautions, one of a range of pre-court community-based sanctions. These cautions could see offenders complete up to 20 hours of unpaid work, cleaning our streets or parks, and pay back the cost of cleaning up the waste that they have dumped on public land. If an offender admits to the crime, agrees to the caution and complies with the conditions, they will not face prosecution.

We are looking at measures to award penalty points on driving licences for those found guilty of fly-tipping, which could lead to them losing their licences altogether. This would make it harder for offenders to continue dumping illegally if they are disqualified from driving and send a clear warning that fly-tipping is not tolerated.

In addition to that, we recently published the Waste Crime Action Plan which sets out how we will tackle waste crime through prevention, enforcement, and accelerating the clean-up effort. More information can be found on: Waste Crime Action Plan - GOV.UK.

I meet regularly with water companies to discuss a range of issues, including the need to reduce sewage discharges into our rivers, seas and lakes. A record £104 billion of private sector investment has been secured to accelerate the cleaning up of our rivers, lakes and seas. This includes over £10 billion to improve about 2,500 storm overflows in England over the next five years.

The Environment Agency maintains regular engagement with Wessex Water to ensure that all investigations and improvement schemes, including those relating to the River Wriggle, are progressing as planned and being delivered to the expected standard. Its engagement supports planning for what should be included in the company’s next Asset Management Period (2030-2035).

No estimate is available for the annual cost of clearing fly tipping in the Yeovil constituency or other rural areas.

Total clearance costs for all fly-tipping incidents are not available. Defra only publish cost data for clearance costs for ‘tipper lorry load’ and ‘significant/multi load’ incident categories, which are reported directly by local authorities.

This information is available in the local authority level dataset: Fly-tipping statistics for England - GOV.UK

This cost data is available at local authority, regional and national levels, but not at constituency level.

The National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group has met 4 times since 5 July 2024. The Group is chaired by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, and so the Department has been present at each of the last 4 meetings.

Officials from Defra continue to meet with FTI Consulting to ensure that this Government is fully prepared for all eventualities, whist working with Ofwat to help support a market-led solution to the company’s issues of financial resilience and operational delivery.

Defra worked closely with DESNZ and other government departments to consider how to implement the recommendations of the Nuclear Regulatory Review, whilst taking account of our international obligations and our important environmental protections.

Our approach to achieve this is set out in the implementation plan published on 13 March 2026. The implementation plan sets out how we can simplify regulations and processes for new nuclear projects whilst continuing to protect the environment.

Natural England's Nutrient Mitigation Scheme (NMS) demonstrates the value of a strategic, catchment-level approach over site-by-site mitigation. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) will build on this approach with Natural England’s NRF and NMS teams working collaboratively to consider best practices including the value of working with local stakeholders to identify and deliver solutions that have the greatest impact and secure value for money. The Government has committed to returning to Parliament once the first nutrient EDPs are made to provide a statement on initial learnings. EDPs covering other environmental issues will only be made after Parliament has considered that statement.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) does not record the IUCN Red List status of species for trophy imports. The import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern is controlled through the UK Wildlife Trade Regulations, which implement the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

Permits are only issued when the strict conditions set out in the regulations are met. This includes demonstrating that the import will not have a detrimental effect on the conservation status of the species.

Trade data up to 2024 is available on the CITES Trade Database CITES Trade Database.

The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan sets out the timeline for delivering storm overflow improvements.

The UK’s 7th National Report was published in February 2026 and sets out our progress towards meeting the 23 targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) by 2030. We are on track to meet 3, with the remaining 19 showing real improvements, including advances in marine protection, sustainable fishing, and biodiversity finance.

We are accelerating nature recovery, building on the steps we have already taken through our strengthened Environmental Improvement Plan. This includes: delivering the largest nature friendly farming budget in history, with £11.8 billion to be spent across this Parliament; enabling the return of lost species and habitats such as the first wild beaver releases since they were hunted to extinction around 400 years ago; investing £1 billion in tree planting and the creation of two new National Forests with a third to follow; and driving forward waste reforms which will see £10 billion invested in new recycling facilities.

Local councils are responsible for tackling fly-tipping in their area and have a range of enforcement powers to help them do so. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000 and prosecution action. We have published best practice guidance and case studies on the website of the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group, which will support councils to make better use of their power to seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers.

We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to consistently, appropriately and effectively exercise these existing powers.

Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping.

We committed in our manifesto to force fly-tippers and vandals to clean up their mess. Defra will consult on giving local councils the powers to issue fly-tippers with conditional cautions, one of a range of pre-court community-based sanctions. These cautions could see offenders complete up to 20 hours of unpaid work, cleaning our streets or parks, and pay back the cost of cleaning up the waste that they have dumped on public land. If an offender admits to the crime, agrees to the caution and complies with the conditions, they will not face prosecution.

We are looking at measures to award penalty points on driving licences for those found guilty of fly-tipping – which could lead to them losing their licences altogether. This would make it harder for offenders to continue dumping illegally if they are disqualified from driving and send a clear warning that fly-tipping is not tolerated.

Currently within the Newbury constituency, there are no reports of large-scale fly tips being investigated by the Environment Agency. There is one major Environment Agency investigation that includes (but isn’t limited to) an illegal waste site in the constituency.

Depositing of new waste to this illegal site has been stopped since 2024.

The cross‑government nature strategy is currently undergoing final cross‑government clearance, in line with standard collective agreement processes.

Publication in March was dependent on the completion of this process. The Department now expects to publish the strategy once collective clearance is complete and is working closely with other departments to enable publication as soon as possible.

The treatment or removal of Japanese knotweed is the responsibility of the homeowner and Defra has no plans to offer financial support.

Defra has not reviewed its current guidance, as no new evidence has emerged that would make a further review necessary. Existing guidance on preventing spread and treatment — most recently updated in February 2026 — remains in place.

The treatment or removal of Japanese knotweed is the responsibility of the homeowner and Defra has no plans to offer financial support.

Defra has not reviewed its current guidance, as no new evidence has emerged that would make a further review necessary. Existing guidance on preventing spread and treatment — most recently updated in February 2026 — remains in place.

The Environment Agency (EA) has undertaken a full investigation into the March 2023 oil spill in Poole Harbour and rigorously assessed Perenco’s £6 million Enforcement Undertaking (EU) in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy. The package covers pollution clean‑up, compensation for verified claims, the development of a remediation plan, and funding for local environmental improvement projects. The EU was reviewed at both local and national levels within the EA to ensure it was proportionate, consistent, and reflected the operator’s level of responsibility.

Independent impact reports commissioned by the Recovery Co‑ordination Group found that the environmental harm from the incident was short‑lived and localised, with limited long‑term impacts on wildlife, community, and the local economy.

Perenco has additionally implemented operational improvements to reduce the risk of future incidents. Based on the EA’s assessment and the findings of the impact reports, the Secretary of State has not identified a need for further compensation.

Under the Environment Act 1995, local authorities have a duty to review and assess local air quality and to take action to reduce pollution where air quality objectives are exceeded.

Where these objectives are being met, as is the case in Surrey Heath, Defra’s Local Air Quality Management Statutory Policy Guidance 2022 states that local authorities should produce a Local Air Quality Strategy to enable a proactive approach to reducing air pollution. Surrey Heath Borough Council have a draft local air quality strategy for 2026 - 2029, setting out the actions they plan to take to maintain compliance with air quality objectives and continue improving air quality.

As set out in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, Government is committed to supporting local authority delivery and reducing the time and investment needed to act on air quality at a local level. To help with this, we are refreshing guidance, webinars and materials for air quality officers.