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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the food and drink sector on food labelling in advance of the consultation on that issue.

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

The Department is engaging with a range of key food and drink stakeholders as part of the development of the food strategy. We will provide further information by the summer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the microchipping database system in reuniting dogs with their owners.

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

Pet microchipping policy is a devolved matter. In 2021, Defra carried out a post implementation review of the Microchipping of Dogs (England) Regulations 2015. This review concluded that microchipping had had a positive effect on reunification rates and was identified as a leading means of reunification.

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 effectiveness of the type approval process for inshore vessel monitoring systems in 2021.

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

Four devices were granted type-approval in 2021, based on evidence provided that devices met the I-VMS device specification of requirements, with the roll-out starting in 2022. Following feedback of quality assurance concerns, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) paused the roll-out and commissioned a third-party testing laboratory to undertake assurance testing of the four devices in 2022/23. Those devices were evaluated according to the I-VMS device specification of requirements. As a result of that testing, two devices passed and retained MMO type-approval status. The roll-out recommenced in 2023 with those two devices.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the financial impact of being required to apply Extended Producer Responsibility charges retrospectively in the absence of published official rates for relevant material streams on businesses.

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

The Regulations do not impose a retrospective charge and were subject to the required legal and parliamentary scrutiny before coming into force

To prepare businesses for the implementation of the packaging pEPR scheme we have now published illustrative base fees, based on local authority waste management costs forming the basis for indicative local authority payments for 2025, and on packaging tonnages reported by large producers for the first 6-months of 2024. These illustrative base fees for the first time show point estimates as opposed to ranges, providing further certainty to businesses. Producers were required to submit their final 2024 data by 1 April 2025. Following this deadline, regulators are conducting regulatory checks. Once checks are conducted to an appropriate level we will use 2024 data and insight from regulator checks to publish packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) base fees in June 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of National Landscape status on (a) planning and (b) development of that land.

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

Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. As part of this, they undertake evidence-based assessments to consider the potential impact of any proposed changes.

As set out in the National Planning Policy Framework great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and National Landscapes which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.

The scale and extent of development within all these designated areas should be limited, while development within their setting should be sensitively located and designed to avoid or minimise adverse impacts on the designated areas.

When considering applications for development within National Landscapes, permission should be refused for major development other than in exceptional circumstances, and where it can be demonstrated that the development is in the public interest.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will publish the animal welfare strategy.

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

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the change in average household water bills on a family home in England in cash terms between (a) 2025 and (b) 2030; and what proportion of this change is (a) assumed inflation and (b) increases in charges other than inflation.

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

For too long, investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population and climate change.

It is Ofwat's responsibility to independently scrutinise water company business plans and ensure that the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. Ofwat’s final determinations set out in December 2024 that bills in England and Wales will increase by an average £31 (or 36%) per year, before inflation, between 2025 and 2030. Individual bills will vary depending on the circumstances of each household: for instance, metered customers’ bills depend on their water use and non-metered customers’ bills can depend on the rateable value or assessed water use of the property.

Government expects water companies to ensure their customers know what support schemes are available and how to access them if they need help. Water companies have more than doubled the number of customers that will receive help with their bills through social tariffs – from 4% of customers supported in 2020-25, to 9% by 2030.

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 the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the need for food labelling which allows people with medical needs to effectively monitor their condition.

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

All food sold on the UK must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. Information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. The United Kingdom maintains high standards on the information provided on food labelling to ensure consumer confidence.

Defra works with other government departments, including both the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to provide consumers with information to assist with medical needs and ensure that food safety standards are maintained.

This includes improving the provision of information for people with allergies and working with food businesses to increase allergen training in the sector. The FSA’s programme on food hypersensitivity is focused on policy, research and evidence to support enforcement and engaging with consumers and businesses.

It is mandatory for food and drinks packaging to include a Nutrition Declaration on the back-of-food packaging. At a minimum, this must include information on energy plus the amounts of fat, saturated fat, carbohydrate, sugars, protein and salt. It can also provide information on other nutrients on a voluntary basis including other fats and vitamins and minerals. This label will help individuals with medical conditions, who need to manage their diets.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to consider the potential impact of trends in the number of small, local abattoirs on the operations of livestock farms as part of the Farming Profitability Review.

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

In conducting her review, Baroness Minette Batters is considering implications for all farming sectors (including livestock), regions, and the different stages of the food supply chain. Minette has written an open letter to farmers and growers to be collated by relevant sector and trade groups to consider three barriers to profitability and three corresponding solutions for returns by 11 July. She has ongoing engagement with livestock sector groups convened by the Department and relevant trade unions. We expect small abattoirs to be considered as part of this.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which local authorities would be affected by Natural England's National Landscape area of outstanding natural beauty proposed designations for (a) the new Yorkshire Wolds, (b) the new Cheshire Sandstone Ridge, (c) extensions in the Surrey Hills and (d) extensions in the Chilterns; and how many hectares would be added.

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

The Local Authorities affected by the Yorkshire Wolds National Landscape designation are North Yorkshire Council, East Riding of Yorkshire Council, York and North Yorkshire Combined Authority, Hull and East Yorkshire Combined Authority. At present, the proposed new National Landscape covers 465km² (46500ha). The Local Authorities affected by the Surrey Hills extension proposals are Waverley Borough Council, East Hampshire District Council, Guildford Borough Council, Reigate and Banstead Borough Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Hampshire County Council, Mole Valley District Council, City of London, London Borough of Croydon, Tandridge District Council, London Borough of Bromley, Surrey County Council. The total proposed extension area is currently 129 km²(12900ha). The work on the Cheshire Sandstone Ridge National Landscape and the Chiltern National Landscape extension has been stopped.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of trends in the number of abattoirs on (a) food security and (b) local food supply chains.

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

The Government recognises the importance of abattoirs to national food security, local supply chains and rural communities. We remain committed to maintaining a resilient and sustainable meat processing sector.

While the sector has faced and continues to face a wide range of challenges in recent years, our national abattoir network remains resilient and continues to deliver high-quality meat products that are fundamental to feeding the nation and maintaining a strong export market.

We continue to work closely with stakeholders across the sector in addressing both the challenges and opportunities they face.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on when the full redevelopment of the Animal and Plant Health Agency headquarters in Weybridge will be completed.

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

Defra is making good progress with the redevelopment of the APHA Weybridge site. Planning consent is in place, construction of interim science facilities is underway, work is proceeding on the design of the main National Biosecurity Centre and with the appointment of construction partners. The main construction works are expected to begin in 2027, be completed by 2032 with licensing and commission complete by 2034.

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 merits of using AI technologies in the national recycling system for (a) waste separation and (b) material recovery.

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

The Government has not conducted a specific assessment of use of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies to support recycling in England.

However, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) conducts ongoing engagement with local authorities and businesses that collect and dispose of waste, including as part of the Simpler Recycling Collections reforms. Through this engagement, Defra is aware of the use of AI technologies to support improved separation and recovery of recyclate from material recovery facilities (MRFs). At some MRFs such as Sweeep Kuusakoski in Kent which I visited recently, AI technology is helping to sort materials that could not previously be easily sorted for reprocessing, including plastic films.

UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Defra are funding research to help overcome the challenges faced when seeking to build a circular economy. An example of this is the work that the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (EPSRC) and Defra are funding to accelerate UK recycling capabilities.

Moreover, Defra has recently published its AI Strategy and has appointed a new AI Enablement team within its Digital, Data, Technology and Security directorate. Our approach is to seek out opportunities to apply AI technologies but to do so by taking a reasonably cautious approach as to ensure that this is done responsibly and ethically as we continue to develop our expertise and harness the expertise and learning from others.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to enable the completion of work that has started following the announcement of the decision to reduce funding to Natural England's programme to designate and expand national landscapes.

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

Natural England have the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new National Landscape designations. For year 2025/26 the direct funding for this work was not continued. Natural England is using baseline budget to fund a reduced programme of landscape designation work.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of Water UK’s response to the Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence, April 2025.

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

The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will recommend reforms to reset the water sector and is expected to form the largest review of the industry since privatisation. It is considering a wide range of areas, as set out in the Commission’s Call for Evidence(opens in a new tab).

The Commission aims to build consensus for a resilient and innovative water sector and a robust wider regulatory framework that will deliver long-term benefits, restore rivers, lakes, and seas to good health, provide a reliable and efficient water supply in a changing climate, and ultimately serve both customers and the environment.

The Commission’s interim Report was published on 03 June 2025; the report's findings can be found at Independent Water Commission publishes interim findings - GOV.UK. The final report and recommendations will be published later in the summer. More than 50,000 submissions were submitted to the Call for Evidence, including Water UK, and the Commission has engaged widely with a range of stakeholders.

Once the Commission has made recommendations, both Governments will respond and consult on proposals. These recommendations are expected to form the basis of further legislation to attract long-term investment and clean up our waters for good.

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 his Department's press release entitled Councils to seize and crush fly-tipping vehicles to clean up Britain, published on 29 April 2025 whether the Cabinet Office propriety and ethics team was consulted on its publication.

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

Government departments do not comment on or share internal advice. Any announcements made during the pre-election period are carefully considered and taken in line with the principles set out under the Civil Service guidance.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department has provided to the programme to designate and expand national landscapes.

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

Defra provided direct funding of £1.1 million per annum for years 2022/23 - 2024/25 to accelerate Natural England's work on designations. As well as the programme to consider designating and expanding National Landscapes, Natural England used this funding on wider work relating to landscape designations and alternatives.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the use of (a) mobile abattoirs and (b) farmer-assisted slaughter on (i) costs for livestock farmers and (ii) animal stress.

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

A mobile slaughter facility must be approved on the premises on which it is to operate. Currently there is one mobile abattoir in England and two Food Standards Agency (FSA) approved sites it can operate from. Mobile abattoirs may offer benefits in certain localised or remote settings and in reduced transport times for animals. There are operational and regulatory constraints, and throughput is low and as such their wider application across the industry is limited.

Other than mobile slaughter facilities, the only forms of slaughter allowed on farm are emergency slaughter, which is strictly defined in the legislation, and slaughter by the animal’s owner for their own private domestic consumption. In both circumstances FSA have set out requirements on their website. No recent assessment of costs to farmers has been made for mobile or on farm slaughter.

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 regulate online pet sales.

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

Defra endorses the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG) to combat growing concerns regarding the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming, and exchange. Defra have backed a set of Advertising Standards that PAAG developed which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet.

Under current regulations, anyone who is in the business of selling animals as pets or breeding and selling dogs needs a valid licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities. Any licensee advertising animals for sale must list certain details in the advert, including their licence number and the local authority which issued the licence.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of implementing a graduated regulatory system for smaller scale abattoirs operating within smaller distribution areas on (a) movement of and (b) stress to livestock.

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

The Government recognises the vital role smaller abattoirs play in supporting a resilient food supply chain and reducing journey times for livestock, which minimises the risk of welfare issues arising during transport. However, to date there has been no formal assessment of the potential impact of implementing a graduated regulatory system for smaller-scale abattoirs operating within smaller distribution areas.

Defra remains committed to working with industry and the Food Standards Agency to explore how the current regulatory framework can better support smaller operators while maintaining high standards of food safety and animal welfare. Ongoing efforts, such as reviewing Official Veterinarian attendance requirements and introducing exception reporting to reduce administrative burdens, reflect this commitment.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54446 on Environmental Land Management Schemes: Lancashire, what the projected allocation of the £5 billion farming budget is for farmers in Lancashire between 2024 and 2026.

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

The farming budget is not ring fenced according to area but will depend on which schemes and grants farmers have agreements for and/or apply for.

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 report by the National Audit Office entitled Resilience to Animal Diseases, published on 4 June 2025, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the UK's preparedness to respond to a major animal disease outbreak.

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

Defra and APHA actively assisted the National Audit Office in the collation of the data and information used to inform their report and will carefully work through the findings and recommendations to inform a plan for improvement. The National Audit Office will monitor progress against the recommendations at approximately 6 monthly intervals and we look forward to working with them on this. We are committed to improving biosecurity and resilience to animal diseases.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to conclude a UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement that includes provisions for the movement of zoo animals, and what recent discussions they have had with zoos and aquariums on the inclusion of conservation transfers in such an agreement.

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

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders’ Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone, aimed at reducing trade barriers and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of trade and facilitating the safe and efficient movement of terrestrial and aquatic zoo animals. Our aim is to start talks straight away and we want to remove barriers as soon as possible.

Ministers have actively engaged with the zoo and wildlife sector through multiple visits and discussions to understand its challenges and opportunities. This dialogue will continue as we work together to support the zoo and wildlife sector.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what contribution, if any, the vaping industry makes to the cost of the appropriate disposal of vapes.

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

The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment regulations make producers responsible for electrical products (including vapes) they place on the market when they become waste. This week, following a consultation under the previous Government, we laid an amending SI to create a new category of electrical equipment for vapes (previously included in category 7: Toys, and Leisure), to ensure vape producers pay their fair market share towards separate collection, treatment, and recycling costs of their products.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the cost to the environment of the disposal of vapes.

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

Single-use vapes are a blight on our environment with an estimated 5 million incorrectly disposed of each week. This is why on 1 June 2025 we banned the sale and supply of these products. We have published our impact assessment which considers the environmental, economic and other impacts of this policy and will continue to monitor the impact of the ban.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how many sites of special scientific interest in England were assessed in (1) 2021, (2) 2022, (3) 2023, and (4) 2024.

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

On 1 April 2023 Natural England changed from a unit (or area)-based assessment and corresponding reporting process to one based on the features within each site, called Whole Feature Assessment. A feature is a habitat, species or geological characteristic for which the site is important.

More information is available here TIN216 Edition 2 Environment Act Interim Target for protected sites - TIN216 and a copy is attached.

As of March 2025, the proportion of SSSI features that had an up-to-date condition assessment in England is 31.6%

The breakdown of the number of assessments in England in each of those years was as follows:

2021- 939 assessments

2022- 781 assessments

2023- 591 assessments

2024- 921 assessments

The number of assessments in a year refers to either an assessment of a unit (pre-2023), or a feature (from 2023) on a site and not to a whole site. More than one unit or feature may be assessed on a site in a year, and the same site may have been visited in more than 1 year to monitor different units or features.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how many sites of special scientific interest in England have up-to-date condition assessments.

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

On 1 April 2023 Natural England changed from a unit (or area)-based assessment and corresponding reporting process to one based on the features within each site, called Whole Feature Assessment. A feature is a habitat, species or geological characteristic for which the site is important.

More information is available here TIN216 Edition 2 Environment Act Interim Target for protected sites - TIN216 and a copy is attached.

As of March 2025, the proportion of SSSI features that had an up-to-date condition assessment in England is 31.6%

The breakdown of the number of assessments in England in each of those years was as follows:

2021- 939 assessments

2022- 781 assessments

2023- 591 assessments

2024- 921 assessments

The number of assessments in a year refers to either an assessment of a unit (pre-2023), or a feature (from 2023) on a site and not to a whole site. More than one unit or feature may be assessed on a site in a year, and the same site may have been visited in more than 1 year to monitor different units or features.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the source of revenue to fund social tariffs under Section 13 of the Water (Special Measures) Act 2025 is; and whether costs will be imposed (a) directly and (b) indirectly on the water bills of residential customers who do not have social tariffs.

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

This Government is working with industry to ensure that eligible customers across the country get the support to which they are entitled.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the average water usage per household is in volume terms by number of (a) bedrooms and (b) occupants.

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

This information is publicly available here:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-resources-2023-2024-analysis-of-the-water-industrys-annual-water-resources-performance/water-resources-2023-2024-analysis-of-the-water-industrys-annual-water-resources-performance

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 to ensure that commercial properties have reached the minimum requirement of EPC Grade B by 2030.

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

The Government consulted on strengthening the non-domestic, which includes commercial properties, Private Rented Sector Minimum Energy Efficiency Standards to EPC C by 1 April 2027, and EPC B by 1 April 2030. We are currently reviewing the policy design, including the timelines for introduction, to ensure that it remains fair and proportionate for landlords and tenants. Until the response is published, and the Government position on any future standards confirmed, only the EPC E Minimum Energy Efficiency Standard applies.

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 consult with (a) farmers and (b) agricultural stakeholders from Fylde constituency in advance of the implementation of the new Higher Level Stewardship payment rates.

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

There are no live Higher Level Stewardship (HLS agreements in the Fylde constituency.

HLS payment rates have stayed the same for more than 10 years. In that time, they have fallen behind the rates offered through other schemes, including Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). On that basis we have taken the opportunity to reduce the difference by investing £30 million to increase payment rates so farmers in HLS agreements can continue to restore habitats, support rare species, preserve historic features and maintain traditional landscape features in our iconic countryside. We consulted with national stakeholders including the NFU, CLA and TFA in advance of making these changes.

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 (a) the Family Farm Tax and (b) increased solar panel construction on arable land on national food security.

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

The Government recognises that food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports British farmers and food producers.

The Government believes its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses and fixing the public finances. The reforms announced by the Government are expected to result in up to around 520 estates claiming agricultural property relief paying more inheritance tax in 2026-27. Almost three-quarters of estates claiming agricultural property relief, including those that also claim for business property relief, will not pay any more tax as a result of the changes in 2026-27, based on the latest available data. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others, and compared to the position before 1992.

On solar panel construction, the Government recognises that there will be questions about the effects of land use change and impacts on the local environment. However, the Government does not believe that the rollout of solar generation poses a risk to food security. Planning guidance makes clear that developers should utilise brownfield land wherever possible. Where agricultural land must be used, lower-quality land should be preferred. In any case, the total area of land used for solar is very small – less than 0.1% of UK land, as of September 2024.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how many post implementation reviews completed by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since October 2024 entailed consultation with external stakeholders.

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

As of 10 June 2025, Defra has completed 42 post implementation reviews since October 2024. Of these, 36 involved consultation and engagement with external stakeholders. Methods included targeted stakeholder surveys, questionnaires, and interviews in addition to evidence gathered in the course of business-as-usual stakeholder engagement and wider policy consultations.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will set out the role (a) seagrasses and (b) marine nature-based solutions will have in his Department's net zero plans.

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

The Government has set out a clear mission to make Britain a Clean Energy Superpower and accelerate progress towards Net Zero. Achieving this ambition within Defra sectors requires enhanced decarbonisation efforts alongside strengthened nature-based solutions.

The Net Zero pathway for Carbon Budgets 4-6 includes nature-based measures aimed at protecting existing ecosystems, restoring degraded landscapes, and creating or sustainably managing new ecosystems. Defra is actively exploring the role of marine nature-based solutions, such as seagrass and saltmarsh restoration, to deliver both carbon sequestration and biodiversity benefits.

Through the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership (UKBCEP) Defra is working with Devolved Governments and DESNZ to address key blue carbon research questions, including assessing their carbon storage potential. The UKBCEP has established a working group and earlier this year Defra published a roadmap to help to address the evidence gaps preventing the inclusion of coastal wetlands in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of seagrass decline on (a) climate change, (b) fisheries and (c) the rate of coastal erosion.

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

Seagrass habitats offer a range of benefits to people and nature. They store and sequester carbon, support a variety of fish species and help prevent coastal erosion. These benefits would diminish were the habitats to decline in future.

To improve our understanding of the impact of climate change on marine and coastal ecosystems such as seagrass, Defra are supporting the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP). MCCIP synthesise the latest evidence on climate change impacts and predicted trends and publish evidence updates on topics including fisheries, coastal erosion and have previously published a report card specifically on seagrass habitats.

Natural England published their “Definition of Favourable Conservation Status for seagrass beds” in 2023. This report outlined seagrass habitat status accounting for historical decline, future pressures – including as a result of climate change – as well as listing beneficial functions seagrass beds provide including for a number of fish species.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help support the National Park City initiative.

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

The Department recognises the value of the National Park City initiative, which aligns with our priorities to increase access to nature and green spaces for everyone. We continue to engage with the National Park City Foundation to support the initiative's ambition to make urban areas greener, healthier, and more connected to nature.

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 regulate water companies operating in protected landscapes to help prevent environmental harm.

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

This Government will continue to work with regulators to hold water companies to account on poor performance and drive improvements which benefit customers and the environment. The Water (Special Measures) Act delivers on our manifesto commitment to put water companies under special measures by strengthening regulation to clean up our waters.

Through water resource management plans and regional water resources plans we are addressing unsustainable abstraction and protecting the environment from climate change over the next 25 years and beyond. These plans include action to protect England’s precious and unique chalk stream habitats, reducing abstraction by nearly 3 billion litres a day by 2050.

Nutrient pollution from wastewater is one of the key pressures affecting our rivers, lakes, and seas. There is a legally binding target under the Environment Act 2021 to reduce phosphorus loadings from treated wastewater by 80% by 2038 against a 2020 baseline. We will require water companies to upgrade 440 wastewater treatment works by 2030, to meet stricter phosphorus permit limits, reducing harmful nutrient pollution from treated wastewater. In Price Review 2024 final determinations, Ofwat has allowed £4.795bn of investment to improve water quality by reducing phosphorus pollution in England and Wales.

Furthermore, as part of the record £11bn of investment to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows in England and Wales during Price Review 2024, with 75% of such High Priority Sites needing to be improved by 2035 and the rest by 2045. By 2050, we expect no storm overflow spill to cause any adverse ecological harm and spill no more than 10 times per year.

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 plans to take to ensure the (a) safe and (b) smooth passage of vessels along the Thames during (i) Henley Royal Regatta week and (ii) other events which attract international visitors to the town.

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

As the navigation authority for the non-tidal River Thames, the Environment Agency (EA) plays a key role in supporting the safe and successful delivery of over 200 river-based events each year. These events contribute significantly to the cultural heritage and public enjoyment of the River Thames, while the EA remains committed to upholding the public right of navigation and ensuring the river remains open to traffic.

The EA has a long-standing and constructive relationship with the event organisers of Henley Royal Regatta. Working together, they’ve developed and implemented local navigation measures that provide a dedicated racing lane for competition and a separate channel for passing vessels. This approach ensures that competitors, commercial operators, and leisure users can all share the river safely and effectively throughout the event.

The EA also maintains a visible presence on-the-water during the Regatta, working closely with professional partners including Thames Valley Police and Oxfordshire Fire and Rescue Service. This coordinated effort helps to ensure compliance with navigation rules and supports the safety of all river users. Drawing on all its operational experience, the EA is confident that this year’s Henley Royal Regatta, along with all other events along the Thames, will proceed smoothly and safely.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 June 2025 to Question 54446 on Environmental Land Management Schemes: Lancashire, which (a) stakeholder groups and (b) representative farming organisations his Department has consulted on the development of the future Sustainable Farming Incentive offer.

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

Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders, including the National Farmers Union, the Country Land and Business Association, the Tenant Farmers Association, the Nature Friendly Farming Network, the Agricultural Industries Confederation, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, National Trust and the Green Alliance and a further group of 30 industry stakeholders, to design a future Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding. Further details about the reformed SFI offer will be announced later in the summer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many permanent civil servants in his Department are staff without assigned posts; and how many are placed in an equivalent (a) people action team, (b) priority movers list, (c) redeployment register, (d) talent pool and (e) skills match hub in the most recent period for which data is available.

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

At any point in time, there is likely to be a small number of individuals who have been displaced due to restructures within their business units or, for example, have returned from a loan from another department and their role no longer exists. The exact number changes on a day-to-day basis but remains insignificant.

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 plans to take to maximise critical mineral recovery from (a) Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment and (b) lithium-ion batteries.

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

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. To support this transition, the Circular Economy Taskforce will start with six priority sectors including electronics and transport, which includes electric vehicle batteries. Interventions, including on critical minerals, will be considered as part of the roadmaps for these sectors. We are also considering regulatory levers to increase battery collection rates and encourage best practise in end-of-life management.

The UK’s Critical Minerals Strategy will set the long-term ambition of secure supply of critical minerals UK and harnessing our competitive advantage in midstream processing and recycling. It will also outline how the ambition will be achieved through optimising domestic production and through strategic international collaboration.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of adopting EU Battery Regulation 2023/1542 as part of the Circular Economy Strategy.

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

This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. The Circular Economy Strategy will be supported by a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We are considering the evidence for sector-specific interventions right across the economy, including for batteries, as we develop our Strategy, including considering international best practices and regulations in other jurisdictions, including the EU.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether internal drainage boards are subject to a biodiversity duty, as set out in the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 and amended by section 102 of the Environment Act 2021.

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

It is Defra's position that Internal Drainage Boards (IDBs) are subject to the biodiversity duty, as set out in section 40(1) of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities (NERC) Act 2006 (as amended by section 102 of the Environment Act 2021). Defra’s view is that under the 2006 Act, IDBs are captured under section 40(4)(c) as public bodies and under 40(4)(d)(ii) as they are created or continued in existence by a public general Act (the Land Drainage Act 1991) which empowers the Secretary of State to establish them by Order.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many days Ministers in his Department have worked in (a) departmental offices and (b) Government hubs outside London since 5 July 2024.

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

As under the previous Government, Defra does not hold specific information regarding how many days Defra Ministers have worked in departmental offices and Government hubs outside of London since 5 July 2024.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Conservators of Ashdown Forest are considered to be a public authority.

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

Whether the Conservators of Ashdown Forest are considered a public authority depends on the specific legal context. There is no general or universal definition of a public authority in UK law. It may include any individual or organisation that carries out functions on behalf of the public or a particular section of the public. Where an organisation needs to understand if it is defined as a public authority in a particular context, it will need to seek its own independent legal advice.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they made of the vape ban in Australia when considering the single-use disposal vape ban in the UK.

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

On 1 June 2025 the sale and supply of disposable vapes across the UK was banned. Officials considered other international bans, such as the one in Australia, as part of the work to develop this policy, but did not formally assess them.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeline for for the proposed Fens Reservoir is for the (a) submission of a development consent order application to the Planning Inspectorate, (b) final decision on the development consent order application, (c) construction work to start on site, (d) construction work to finish on site, and (e) for the reservoir to be operational.

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

Anglian Water is responsible for the development of the Fens reservoir. Proposals will be consulted on and will follow the requirements of the National Policy Statement for Water Resources Infrastructure. A traffic and transport assessment is currently underway and further information will be shared with communities as part of the next phase of consultation this Autumn.

Anglian Water will submit the application for a Development Consent Order in 2027. The determination of the application by the Secretary of State is expected in 2028/29 and should Development Consent be granted, construction of the reservoir will start in 2029/30.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the capital budget for flood defences was in each of the last three fiscal years; and what the capital budget for flood defences is for each year of the 2025 Spending Review period.

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

We are investing £2.65 billion over two years in 2024/25 to 2025/26 maintain, repair, and build flood defences. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change, the Spending Review settlement committed a further £4.2 billion total investment over three years (2026/27 to 2028/29) to construct new flood schemes and maintain and repair existing defences across the country. This is £1.4 billion on average each year – a 5% increase on the current average of £1.33 billion over 2024/25 and 2025/26. Further details will be published at Main Estimates.

Information on previous years spend is published as part of the Environment Agency Section 18 reports which can be found here Flood and coastal erosion risk management annual report - GOV.UK.

We are consulting on proposals for reforming flood defence funding, protecting all communities including rural, coastal, and poorer areas.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish the final pricing and billing rates for the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme.

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

Producers were required to submit their final 2024 data by 1 April 2025. Following this deadline, regulators are conducting regulatory checks. Once checks are conducted to an appropriate level, we will use 2024 data and insight from regulator checks to publish packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) base fees in June 2025.

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 paragraph 4.62 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, what proportion of flood defence spending from 2026-27 to 2028-29 will be allocated to Somerset.

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

We’re investing £2.65 billion over two years to March 2026 to maintain, repair, and build flood defences. We’re committing a further £4.2 billion over three years from April 2026, an increase of 5% per year, as announced at Spending Review 2025. We’re consulting on proposals for reforming flood defence funding, protecting all communities including rural, coastal, and poorer areas.

The list of projects to receive government funding will be consented on an annual basis through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the effectiveness of voluntary corporate commitments in preventing deforestation in UK supply chains.

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

We have not made a comprehensive assessment of the contribution of voluntary corporate commitments in the estimated 22% reduction in UK consumption-driven global deforestation between 2017 and 2022.

However, there is some evidence that voluntary commitments are having a positive impact. For instance, in 2022, 86% of palm and palm kernel oil imported to the UK was certified by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil, driven in part by supermarket sustainability pledges.

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and will set out our approach in due course.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54984 to Government Departments: Catering, what steps he is taking to provide (a) specific support schemes and (b) funding opportunities to farmers in Fylde and Lancashire to help them meet procurement standards.

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

Our commitment to farmers and growers remains steadfast, which is why we want our farmers to have the chance to get a fair share of the £5 billion pounds a year spent on public-sector food and catering contracts, including for farmers in Fylde and Lancashire.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential environmental impact of levels of UK consumption of (a) palm oil, (b) soy, (c) beef and (d) cocoa on global deforestation rates.

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

The Government recognises that agricultural expansion for commodities such as palm oil, soy, beef, and cocoa is a major driver of global deforestation. In 2022, UK consumption of these commodities linked to approximately 16,000hectares of deforestation worldwide, with cattle accounting for approximately 53% of this impact The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course.

https://commodityfootprints.earth/#dashboard

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to (a) review and (b) strengthen deforestation-related regulations after their initial implementation under the Environment Act 2021.

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

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course. We are committed to ensuring that any regulatory framework is robust, proportionate and effective in addressing deforestation in UK supply chains.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for enacting the due diligence regulations of the Environment Act 2021, in the context of UK efforts to tackle deforestation.

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

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course. We are committed to ensuring that any regulatory framework is robust, proportionate and effective in addressing deforestation in UK supply chains.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to the designation of National Landscapes on nature recovery in Mid Bedfordshire.

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

Natural England (NE) has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. As part of this, they undertake evidence-based assessments to consider the potential impact of any proposed changes. This assessment includes consideration of the contribution of wildlife to the natural beauty of the area and if the designation of a National Landscape is desirable in order to conserve and enhance the area’s natural beauty.

Given budgetary constraints, NE has made the decision to stop work on some of the planned National Landscapes programme – including the Chilterns boundary review. Natural England are considering how the evidence base which has been gathered so far through their designation work can best be shared and used.

The existing boundary for the Chilterns National Landscape is unaffected and remains in place.

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 merits of setting high-risk thresholds and monitoring requirements to ensure an effective due diligence for forest risk commodities regime.

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

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course. We are committed to ensuring that any regulatory framework is robust, proportionate and effective in addressing deforestation in UK supply chains.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to bring forward secondary legislation to establish a due diligence regime for forest risk commodities ahead of COP30.

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

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course. We are committed to ensuring that any regulatory framework is robust, proportionate and effective in addressing deforestation in UK supply chains.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to implement the due diligence on forest risk commodities provisions in the Environment Act 2021.

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

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government will set out its approach to addressing UK consumption of forest risk commodities in due course. We are committed to ensuring that any regulatory framework is robust, proportionate and effective in addressing deforestation in UK supply chains.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the trends in capital investment in the farming sector ahead of the implementation of reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief.

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

Data on farm investment income is available in the table 5 series of Farm Accounts in England – these tables show data for 2022/23 and 2023/24.

The Farm Business Survey is currently collecting the 2024/25 data.

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 tackle potential abuse of the Extended Producer Responsibility exemption threshold; and whether he has made an assessment of the impact of the £2 million turnover exemption on fair competition.

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

As the environmental regulator for England, the Environment Agency (EA) conducts compliance checks to ensure businesses accurately assess themselves against regulatory thresholds. These checks include, but are not limited to, open-source reviews of company accounts via the Companies House website and requests for evidence to verify reported turnover.

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 provide for the assessment of turnover thresholds within corporate groups. Where such a group exists, the turnover of all companies performing a producer function must be aggregated to determine whether the £2 million threshold is met. This measure prevents businesses from establishing additional entities to remain below the threshold.

All EA producer compliance monitoring audits include a review of company structures to ensure that all relevant organisations within a corporate group comply with the regulations.

In October 2024, the Government published an updated impact assessment for the introduction of Extended Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR), this includes an analysis of the impact of pEPR on competition.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what metrics his Department uses to assess the effectiveness of routine avian influenza surveillance systems in detecting early outbreaks of H5N1.

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

Our avian influenza surveillance programmes are line with international standards of best practice and requirements for disease surveillance set out by the World Organisation for Animal Health’s Terrestrial Animal Health Code. In addition to our statutory obligations set out in The Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals (England) (No.2) Order 2006 (as amended).

Our avian influenza surveillance is comprised of mandatory reporting of suspicion of avian influenza in kept birds and mammals, targeted avian influenza and testing of found dead wild birds and wild mammals. In addition, targeted serological surveillance for avian influenza viruses in domestic poultry is carried out annually in Great Britain by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) as required by The Avian Influenza and Influenza of Avian Origin in Mammals (England) (No.2) Order 2006 and in line with the sampling guidance in assimilated legislation 2010/367.

The serological surveillance is a risk-based, targeted programme which aims to detect low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) in gallinaceous birds (chickens, turkeys, game birds) which could mutate into high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), and HPAI and LPAI in domestic waterfowl which generally don’t show clinical signs of avian influenza. Sampling is required to be undertaken where the prevalence of infected poultry holdings is at least 5% with a 95% confidence interval.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to allocate additional funding to upgrade sewage infrastructure in (a) rural and (b) suburban communities impacted by frequent overflows.

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

Ofwat’s final determinations for Price Review 2024 (PR24) set out a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector. Water companies are investing over £11 billion in PR24, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales over the next five years. For England, this equates to over £10bn to improve over 2,500 storm overflows. The PR24 investment package also includes £6 billion to remove nutrients from water bodies.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of sewage spills on biodiversity in rivers in Surrey.

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

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.

The Environment Agency assesses all reported sewage spills, considering impacts on water quality and ecology. For significant incidents, it may carry out enhanced monitoring, such as fish mortality counts and invertebrate surveys. Routine ecological monitoring across Surrey catchments, supported by Citizen Science, helps track river health, with targeted investigations used where deterioration is detected.

As part of Price Review 24, Thames Water will undertake significant investment programme to improve the environment over the 2025-30 period. This includes £740.31 million to reduce storm overflow use and £1.2 billion to prevent nutrient pollution. Ofwat expects reduction of the storm overflows use by at least 29% over the next five years.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 54984 to Government Departments: Catering, whether he has made an assessment of the merits of (a) an annual report and (b) a public tracking system to provide transparency on how much local produce is being procured from (i) Lancashire and (ii) other regions by public sector bodies.

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

The Government is open to considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. This could include approaches designed to improve transparency in the way procurement is carried out.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to expand the Chilterns National Landscape area to cover the whole of the Chilterns Character Area in Bedfordshire.

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

Natural England has the statutory responsibility for identifying areas for new or extended National Landscape designations. Once the designation assessment has been completed, Natural England may submit a recommendation to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who may confirm, refuse or amend it after considering relevant evidence.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue their funding for all local, main and strategic Darwin Plus projects.

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

The UK Government recognises the strong support from the Overseas Territories for the continuation of Darwin Plus.

We will shortly be finalising our plans to fund successful 2025/26 project proposals. For projects extending beyond that, we will update applicants following the completion of the multiyear spending review and internal business planning and publish this on the Darwin Plus website.

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 Welsh Government on limiting the spread of bluetongue virus.

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

I refer the honourable member to the answer given on 4 June 2025 to question UIN 57569.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish his Department's style guide for answering written Parliamentary questions; and if he will publish (a) the style guide that was in use on and (b) any other style guide used since 3 July 2024.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 12 June 2025 to PQ 57805.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate his Department has made of the proportion of sows in the UK kept in farrowing crates in each of the last five years.

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

Defra does not hold official data, however, for the last five years estimates have consistently maintained that 60% of the UK breeding herd were kept indoors with the vast majority of sows using farrowing crates to give birth. The remaining 40% farrow freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement.

Recent industry estimates suggest that the number of sows kept indoors has declined to 50%. Of these, around 8% of the British indoor pig herd were reported to be flexibly farrowed where the sow can be confined on a temporary basis and for a limited period.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of potential merits of recovering the costs of treating chemical pollutants in (a) drinking water, (b) wastewater and (c) high risk sites in England from the producers of those substances.

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

Defra is committed to the ‘polluter pays’ principle and regularly reviews ways to improve its implementation and efficacy.

The Government can already seek cost recovery for contaminated land so that the responsible party (typically the polluter or current owner/occupier) bears the financial burden of cleaning up the land. The Environment Act 1990 Part 2A outlines this principle, with local councils having a statutory duty to recover reasonable costs incurred for remediation. Where contaminated land is designated a special site and the Environment agency is the lead regulator, it also has similar cost recovery powers.

The quality of drinking water in England is exceptionally high and among the best in the world. Water companies and local authorities have statutory duties to carry out risk assessments and to sample drinking water supplies for any contaminants they believe may cause the supply to be unwholesome.

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 (a) adequacy of the performance of Severn Trent Water and (b) potential impact of water pollution on the environment.

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

Severn Trent has delivered a 4-star EPA performance for the past 5 years which is sector-leading. However, 2024 data demonstrated an increase in pollution incidents. The EA demands improved performance by implementing their action plans to improve their Water Resources and Waste License compliance.

The EA assesses compliance against environmental permits and takes enforcement action where failures occur.

Severn Trent’s AMP8 WINEP 2025-2030 will invest £6.4 billion into environmental schemes, which is significantly larger than other water companies. They are investing £566 million in their Green Recovery programme in innovative projects to improve the environment.

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 improve communication with (a) bird keepers and (b) the public during avian influenza outbreaks.

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

Supporting bird keepers, the public and conservation bodies to manage and prepare for avian influenza continues to be one of Defra’s main priorities.

Defra and the Devolved Governments have several lines of communication to bird keepers and the public. Each administration has a live avian influenza page which is updated regularly with the most recent information. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have also been published by each of the UK administrations to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining good biosecurity, including mandatory measures when an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) is in force. We also issue national, local and trade press releases to make sure the latest information is communicated through the media. We regularly post the latest advice, key messages, and situational updates on both Defra and APHA social media channels. Through our work with a wide range of industry groups, this vital information is also distributed out to their members.

All bird keepers in Great Britain must now register their poultry and other captive birds (with the exception of certain psittacines and passerines), even if only kept as pets. Registered keepers will receive regular updates and guidance to help protect their birds from avian influenza. The new registration requirements which came into force in Autumn 2024 will enable Government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to mitigate the risk of further disease spread. In addition, anyone can subscribe to the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) free animal disease alerts service for the latest information on updated risk levels, guidance and new cases in Great Britain regardless of whether they keep birds.

Any bird keepers whose premises are directly affected by avian influenza will receive support from the APHA, including compensation for any healthy birds culled by HM Government for disease control purposes. In addition, a range of grants have been made available to poultry keepers through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway to improve biosecurity on poultry premises and support the welfare of birds.

There are numerous support networks that poultry farmers can contact for help including the rural services helpline. Defra work in partnership with Farming Help organisations to support their work to help the farming community through challenging times.

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 the number of fly-tipping incidents in South East Cornwall constituency.

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

Fly-tipping is a serious crime which blights local communities and the environment, and we appreciate the difficulty and cost that it poses to landowners.

Local councils are usually best placed to tackle fly-tipping in their areas, and they have a range of enforcement powers to help them do so. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, seizing and crushing of vehicles and prosecution action. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and are taking steps to develop new enforcement guidance. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could help them make better use of this tool.

In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course.

In the meantime, Defra continue to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and the National Farmers Union, to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping, including on private land. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available here.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to review (a) agricultural and (b) environmental regulation for (i) food producers and (ii) small farmers.

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

Defra’s ambition is to reform the agricultural and environmental regulatory system so that it is fair, clear and effective for food producers, farmers and landowners. We are working closely with the sector to improve regulation so that it is proportionate, reduces unnecessary burden and improves clarity for farmers through advice and guidance. We welcome Dan Corry’s recent review of Defra’s regulatory landscape and are actively considering all 29 recommendations. Work is already underway on nine key measures with the greatest impact for growth and nature recovery, which are being fast-tracked.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether the proposed Common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area with the European Union will include provisions to restrict or ban the use of added nitrites in processed meats, in the light of scientific evidence linking nitrites to cancer.

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

As outlined in the 19 May UK-EU Summit common understanding document, an SPS Agreement will cover sanitary and phytosanitary standards and controls and also wider agrifood rules related to food labelling, organics, and key marketing standards and compositional standards- as well as pesticides. The details of the Agreement are subject to negotiation, but the Government is committed to high food standards.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the report by Family Business UK entitled Taxing Futures: The economic and fiscal implications of changes to BPR & APR for UK family businesses and farms, published in June 2025.

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

The Government is confident that its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses and fixing the public finances in a fair way. The reforms reduce the inheritance tax advantages available to owners of agricultural and business assets but still mean those assets will be taxed at a much lower effective rate than most other assets. Despite a tough fiscal context, the Government will maintain very significant levels of relief from inheritance tax beyond what is available to others and compared to the position before 1992.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations he has received from (a) the NFU, (b) the CLA , (c) Historic Houses and (d) other rural stakeholders on the economic challenges posed by the proposed inheritance tax reforms.

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

Ministers from multiple Government departments have had several meetings with agricultural organisations on this matter since the Autumn Budget last year.

In February, the Exchequer Secretary and Minister for Food Security and Rural Affairs both met the National Farmers Union, the Tenant Farmers Association, the Country Land and Business Association, the Central Association of Agricultural Valuers, the Ulster Farmers Union, NFU Cymru, NFU Scotland and the Farmers Union of Wales.

Ministers have participated in several debates in Parliament to listen to views. After listening, the Government is confident that the approach set out is an appropriate one.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps will be taken by the Circular Economy Taskforce to engage with small and medium-sized enterprises about the development of the circular economy strategy.

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

The Circular Economy Taskforce has already begun extensive engagement with small and medium-sized enterprises, trade associations, industry leaders, and other key stakeholders to ensure that the Strategy reflects the needs and insights of all involved. The Taskforce will continue its engagement efforts with events taking place through to the summer and beyond. These engagements are crucial for developing a comprehensive Strategy and we encourage all stakeholders, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises, to actively participate in these engagements and share their perspectives to help shape a sustainable and prosperous future for the UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications have been received under the 2025 round of animal health and welfare grants; and what proportion of these applications have been approved in Wiltshire.

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

The Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF 25) opened for applications on the 29 May this year and will close at midday on 10 July 2025. The application process is ongoing; therefore, applications have not been approved at this stage.

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 had recent discussions with his counterparts in the (a) Scottish, (b) Welsh and (c) Northern Irish governments on the potential merits of extending licensing requirements to include (i) animal welfare establishments and (ii) rehoming organisations.

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 the individual nations is the responsibility of the relevant nation’s Ministers. Defra engages regularly with its counterparts in the devolved administrations on animal welfare matters and takes their experience into account.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has contributed to modelling on inheritance tax revenue expected to be raised by proposed reforms to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief.

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

HMT undertakes its own modelling on revenues raised by tax changes. See page 118 here Autumn Budget 2024 – HC 295. The expected revenue from changes to APR and BPR were based on HMRC data. This was independently assessed by the OBR. See page 58 here Economic and fiscal outlook – CP 1169.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of proposed reforms to (a) Agricultural Property Relief and (b) Business Property Relief on the rural economy.

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

The decision to reform agricultural property relief and business property relief was a difficult but necessary decision in order to restore economic stability, fix the public finances, and support public services, including in rural communities.

The Government is confident that its reforms to agricultural property relief and business property relief from 6 April 2026 get the balance right between supporting farms and businesses and fixing the public finances in a fair way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 28 April 2025 to Question 47228, what his plans for the future of the Sustainable Farming Incentive are following the Spending Review.

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

Our new Sustainable Farming Incentive offer will be more targeted to better meet priorities on food, farming and nature. More details on the offer will be available later in the summer.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an estimate of the number of rehoming (a) organisations and (b) centres that are operating (i) with and (ii) without a licence.

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

Defra does not hold a central list of rehoming centres or rescue organisations.

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 estimate of the number of live lobsters being (a) posted and (b) couriered in 2024.

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

Defra does not hold data for live lobsters being posted and couriered in 2024.

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 provide (a) support and (b) resources for (i) small-scale and (ii) backyard bird keepers to help ensure their compliance with avian influenza surveillance and biosecurity measures.

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

Supporting bird keepers, the public and conservation bodies to manage and prepare for avian influenza continues to be one of Defra’s main priorities.

Defra and the Devolved Governments have several lines of communication to bird keepers and the public. Each administration has a live avian influenza page which is updated regularly with the most recent information. Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have also been published by each of the UK administrations to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining good biosecurity, including mandatory measures when an Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) is in force. We also issue national, local and trade press releases to make sure the latest information is communicated through the media. We regularly post the latest advice, key messages, and situational updates on both Defra and APHA social media channels. Through our work with a wide range of industry groups, this vital information is also distributed out to their members.

All bird keepers in Great Britain must now register their poultry and other captive birds (with the exception of certain psittacines and passerines), even if only kept as pets. Registered keepers will receive regular updates and guidance to help protect their birds from avian influenza. The new registration requirements which came into force in Autumn 2024 will enable Government to communicate with bird keepers quickly, to mitigate the risk of further disease spread. In addition, anyone can subscribe to the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) free animal disease alerts service for the latest information on updated risk levels, guidance and new cases in Great Britain regardless of whether they keep birds.

Any bird keepers whose premises are directly affected by avian influenza will receive support from the APHA, including compensation for any healthy birds culled by HM Government for disease control purposes. In addition, a range of grants have been made available to poultry keepers through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway to improve biosecurity on poultry premises and support the welfare of birds.

There are numerous support networks that poultry farmers can contact for help including the rural services helpline. Defra work in partnership with Farming Help organisations to support their work to help the farming community through challenging times.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government how many intellectual property licences the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs holds under contracts or terms of reference for (1) grants, (2) pre-procurement or proof of concept work, and (3) procurement; how many of those have sub-licensing rights; how many of those have resulted in sub-licensing; and how many of those sub-licences are for patents, and for which countries.

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

The information requested is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.

Our standard terms and conditions have clauses setting out ownership, rights and permitted use of intellectual property (IP) assets created in the course of suppliers’ work for DEFRA. We do not keep a central register of IP assets and rights; these are the responsibility of contract owners and contract managers across DEFRA group.

To answer the noble Lady's question, we would have to access all individual contracts to ascertain what IP licensing terms have been put in place. This would mean that this request is manifestly unreasonable on the grounds of cost and time.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to increase global cooperation to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

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

The UK Government is fully committed to preventing, deterring and eliminating illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing. Global cooperation and collaboration are key to tackling this issue, as highlighted at this week’s United Nation Oceans Conference in Nice.

To deliver this objective, we are taking forward a wide range of actions, including, but not limited to, being a co-founder and active member of the IUU Fishing Action Alliance; prioritising tackling IUU fishing within all international fisheries governance forums, of which the UK is a Party; and delivering support and capacity-building to combat IUU fishing through international funding programmes, such as the Blue Belt Programme and the Ocean Country Partnership Programme.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to launch a public consultation on the future use of farrowing crates in the UK.

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

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield, PQ 41698.

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 ensure timely reporting of suspected animal cruelty incidents to the Animal and Plant Health Agency; and whether guidance is issued to (a) industry and (b) the public on how and when to report.

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

There is newly published guidance on what and how to report animal welfare
concerns in England (Report farm animal welfare concerns - GOV.UK); additional contact details are available at the top of the APHA contact list on GOV.UK.

For England and Wales, there is a telephone number which is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. In Scotland, people can call their local APHA field service office.

People should contact APHA immediately with concerns about farm animals being neglected, abused or mistreated. If the concern about the welfare of farm animals is not urgent, they can email APHA at customeradvice@apha.gov.uk.

APHA leads on responding to animal welfare concerns in livestock. For concerns about wild animals or pets, people can contact their local council, private veterinary surgeon or wildlife rescue centre.

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 paragraphs 8 and 10 of the National Audit Office’s report entitled Resilience to animal diseases, published on 4 June 2025, what plans his Department has to (a) deliver an effective digital identification system for horses, (b) enforce the Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018 and (c) upgrade the Central Equine Database.

Answered by Daniel Zeichner - 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 Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and of improving equine identification and traceability.

The SPS agreement, outlined at the UK-EU Leader’s Summit on 19 May 2025, will establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, aimed at facilitating the safe and efficient movement of trade. The SPS Agreement will cover sanitary rules and the regulation of live animals, including animal health conditions governing the movement and importation of Equidae.

Enforcement of Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018 lies with within the responsibilities of the Local Authorities.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by the Minister for Housing and Planning on 7 April (HC40908), what is the evidential basis for the designation of the site of special scientific interest that prevented the development of the town due to jumping spiders.

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

Natural England (NE) notifies areas as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) which, in its opinion are of special interest by reason of their flora, fauna, geological or physiographic features.

The Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI is a corridor of habitats connecting Ebbsfleet Valley with the southern shore of the River Thames between Dartford and Gravesend. It is considered by NE to be of special interest for its:

• Quaternary geology at Bakers Hole, a key Pleistocene site with a complex sequence of periglacial and temperate climate deposits and Middle Palaeolithic archaeology

• Populations of the plants divided sedge Carex divisa, yellow vetchling Lathyrus aphaca, slender hare’s-ear Bupleurum tenuissimum, Bithynian vetch Vicia bithynica and round-leaved wintergreen Pyrola rotundifolia subsp. maritima

• Assemblages of invertebrates associated with bare sand and chalk, open short swards, open water on disturbed mineral sediments, and saltmarsh and transitional brackish marsh

• Two diverse assemblages of breeding birds, one associated with lowland open waters and their margins, lowland fen and lowland damp grassland, the other with lowland scrub.

The more detailed evidence base for the designation of the SSSI is 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 steps his Department is taking to help increase sewage capacity for new build homes.

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

Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 on 19 December, setting company expenditure and customer bills for 2025-2030. The £104 billion funding package is the highest level of investment in the water sector since privatisation and is set to be the second largest private sector investment programme in this parliament. This planned investment will support new home building.

Under the Environment Act 2021, a new duty has been created for water companies in England to produce Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans. These explain how a water company intends to improve its drainage and wastewater systems over the next 25 years, accounting for factors including growing population and changing environmental circumstances.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) food, (b) drink and (c) other (i) aseptic and (ii) chilled liquid cartons are included in the core set of recyclable waste streams required to be collected from all households in England by 31 March 2026.

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

Yes, aseptic and refrigerated cartons made of a fibre-based composite are included within the plastic recyclable waste stream, required to be collected from all households in England by 31 March 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of insurance requirements for companies operating intensive poultry units, in the context of (a) avian influenza and (b) other disease outbreaks.

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

The UK poultry sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years.

Compensation is paid by Defra for animals culled the by HM Government for disease control purposes, as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. In addition to the financial support offered to producers directly affected by outbreaks through compensation, producers can insure privately for losses not covered by Defra’s compensation scheme, this may include consequential losses including business interruption caused by control measures.

Following difficult avian influenza seasons in 2021/22 and 2022/23, poultry and egg producers made the department aware of the challenges that some faced in both obtaining suitable insurance products and the increased cost of such insurance. However, we understand that renewal rates have remained high for producers with existing policies, including those companies operating intensive poultry units.

Defra continues to monitor the situation and to remind producers that they are responsible for the on-farm management of their flocks. Having strong biosecurity measures in place, and maintaining them year-round, significantly reduces the risk of infection on site.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Answer of 9 June 2025 to Question 55351 on Environmental Stewardship Scheme: Fylde, whether any of the Higher Level Stewardship agreements fall within the county of Lancashire.

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

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer given on 9 June 2025, PQ 55343.

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 farrowing crates on the welfare of pigs.

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

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. Defra’s statutory welfare Code of Practice for Pigs states that the aim is for farrowing crates to no longer be necessary and for any new system to protect the welfare of the sow as well as her piglets. Whilst the farrowing crate reduces the risk of piglet mortality, it also restricts sow movement, preventing her from turning around and performing normal behaviours such as nest building. The use of farrowing crates for pigs is an issue we are currently considering very carefully.

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Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increased tariff-free imports of ethanol under the US-UK trade agreement on (a) the viability of (i) Ensus UK and (ii) other domestic producers, (b) wider supply chains, (c) employment and (d) levels of future investment in (A) the Tees Valley and (B) other affected regions.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Since the announcement of the UK-US Economic Deal on 8 May, the Secretary of State and senior officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been meeting with representatives of the bioethanol sector in the Tees Valley and Humberside to discuss how the quota will impact their businesses.

In parallel, DBT officials are continuing to work closely with other government departments, including the Department for Transport and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, to monitor and assess risks across the supply chain.

We will continue to work closely with the industry to understand the impacts of the trade deal and other pressures on the UK’s bioethanol sector.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the quantity of ethanol permitted to enter the UK tariff-free under the UK-US trade agreement on the UK bioethanol industry; and what steps his Department plans to take to help support domestic (a) producers and (b) supply chains.

Answered by Douglas Alexander - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

Since the announcement of the UK-US Economic Deal on 8 May, the Secretary of State and senior officials from the Department for Business and Trade have been meeting with representatives of the bioethanol sector in the Tees Valley and Humberside to discuss how the quota will impact their businesses.

In parallel, DBT officials are continuing to work closely with other government departments, including the Department for Transport and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, to monitor and assess risks across the supply chain.

We will continue to work closely with the industry to understand the impacts of the trade deal and other pressures on the UK’s bioethanol sector.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of levels of resourcing for Natural England on the use of developer levies collected through the Nature Restoration Fund for nature recovery.

Answered by Matthew Pennycook - Minister of State (Housing, Communities and Local Government)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is working closely with Natural England to ensure that resources are in place to administer the Nature Restoration Fund, which is designed to run on a cost recovery basis.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment she has made of the barriers to mental health support for farmers in isolated communities.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we recognise that those living and working in isolated communities, including farmers, may face particular challenges in accessing the mental health services that they need.

Specifically in relation to farmers and agricultural communities, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is supporting access to farmer mental health support services by funding the Farmer Welfare Grant. This aids organisations in delivering projects which will support mental health and build resilience in local farming communities. One recipient, the Farming Community Network, is using the funding to expand their FarmWell platform. This online resource provides business and personal resilience advice on topics including mental health, isolation, depression, and suicide.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is also developing options in consultation with communities, farming support organisations, and experts across the Government, as to how it can further support the Department for Health and Social Care’s investment in mental health interventions for those in agricultural communities.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers experiencing mental health difficulties in rural areas.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

We know that too many people are not receiving the mental health care they need, and we recognise that those living and working in isolated communities, including farmers, may face particular challenges in accessing the mental health services that they need.

Specifically in relation to farmers and agricultural communities, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is supporting access to farmer mental health support services by funding the Farmer Welfare Grant. This aids organisations in delivering projects which will support mental health and build resilience in local farming communities. One recipient, the Farming Community Network, is using the funding to expand their FarmWell platform. This online resource provides business and personal resilience advice on topics including mental health, isolation, depression, and suicide.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is also developing options in consultation with communities, farming support organisations, and experts across the Government, as to how it can further support the Department for Health and Social Care’s investment in mental health interventions for those in agricultural communities.

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