Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve support for farmers affected by flooding.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) agri-environment schemes currently fund a range of actions offering multi-year support for farmers to manage and reduce flooding on their land. Defra provides grants such as BFS1: 12-24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land and CSW24: Manage grassland for flood and drought resilience and water quality. The Government will be opening a new round of SFI for applications from small farms and those without an existing SFI agreement this summer and the CSHT scheme is open to those who have been invited to apply by the Rural Payments Agency.
The Farming Recovery Fund was used to make exceptional, one-off recovery payments to support farmers affected by Storms Babet, Henk and severe wet weather over the winter of 2023 and 2024 to help cover the uninsured costs of restoring farmland. Farmers are encouraged to continue managing their own risk by taking actions in their own business to build resilience, including taking advantage of commercial insurance markets. There are no plans to open the Farming Recovery Fund at this time.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to improve the farming recovery fund.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) agri-environment schemes currently fund a range of actions offering multi-year support for farmers to manage and reduce flooding on their land. Defra provides grants such as BFS1: 12-24m watercourse buffer strip on cultivated land and CSW24: Manage grassland for flood and drought resilience and water quality. The Government will be opening a new round of SFI for applications from small farms and those without an existing SFI agreement this summer and the CSHT scheme is open to those who have been invited to apply by the Rural Payments Agency.
The Farming Recovery Fund was used to make exceptional, one-off recovery payments to support farmers affected by Storms Babet, Henk and severe wet weather over the winter of 2023 and 2024 to help cover the uninsured costs of restoring farmland. Farmers are encouraged to continue managing their own risk by taking actions in their own business to build resilience, including taking advantage of commercial insurance markets. There are no plans to open the Farming Recovery Fund at this time.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 8 December (HL11969), what plans they have to restrict the import of animal products produced using antibiotic growth promoters, regardless of country of origin.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In line with the UK’s own domestic position on the use of antibiotic growth promoters, and considering our international obligations as a trading partner, the Government is engaging with all trading partners. This is to secure assurances that they have measures in place ensuring that antimicrobials used for growth promotion or yield enhancement have not been used in food-producing animals or animal products exported to Great Britain for human consumption.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of Storm Goretti on habitats and biodiversity.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Storm events place increasing pressure on the water environment and can disrupt habitats and biodiversity. The Environment Agency (EA) would not usually look at the impact of a particular storm, such as Storm Goretti, on nature. Instead, the EA considers these issues in the broader context of climate resilience, including how natural processes contribute to protection and recovery.
The England and UK Biodiversity Indicators (see both attached) give a snapshot of the current status of biodiversity and track trends over time, showing whether aspects of biodiversity are improving, declining, or remaining stable. The England Biodiversity Indicators are continually adapted to align with the Environmental Improvement Plan.
Asked by: Adrian Ramsay (Green Party - Waveney Valley)
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 tackle the contamination of rivers with insecticides applied as flea and tick treatments to dogs and cats.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises concerns about the environmental impacts of spot‑on parasiticide treatments for companion animals. Research funded by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has improved understanding of how key active substances enter the environment, but further evidence is needed to address gaps relating to contamination pathways, behavioural influences and effective monitoring. To strengthen the evidence base, the VMD has launched a national survey to gather information on pet owners’ behaviours, while exposure modelling is also being explored to inform potential future regulatory decisions. In addition, the VMD will undertake a regulatory review of the AVM‑GSL (‘general sales list’) status of companion animal parasiticide products containing fipronil and imidacloprid, with details expected in early 2026. These actions aim to protect animal health while reducing environmental harm.
On 14 August 2025, the cross‑government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Group held its first stakeholder workshop, focusing on educational guidance for pet owners. This guidance is being refined for launch in spring 2026, alongside further measures to promote responsible use.
Asked by: Lord Cromwell (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Baroness Hayman of Ullock on Wednesday 14 January (HL Deb col 1727), what specific plans they have to provide (1) practical, and (2) financial, assistance to the victims of organised waste tipping on private land to support them with the cost and difficulty of removing the waste and cleaning the affected land.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to tackling waste crime and continues to keep under review how best to do this.
It is a long-established policy that landowners are responsible for clearing dumped or abandoned waste from their land.
We continue to work with stakeholders, such as the National Farmers Union (NFU) and local authorities, through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to share good practice, including how to prevent fly-tipping on private land. The Environment Agency also conducts communications campaigns around tackling and preventing waste crime, including working through landowner associations such as the NFU or The Country Land and Business Association.
We recognise the financial burden that clearing fly-tipped waste places on landowners. However, central Government generally does not compensate victims of non-violent crime. It is important not to create a perverse incentive for some people to dump, or facilitate the dumping of, waste. However, where there is sufficient evidence, fly-tippers can be prosecuted and, on conviction, a cost order can be made by the court so that a landowner’s costs can be recovered from the perpetrator.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
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 26 November 2025 to Question 84665 on DEFRA: Secondment, whether a business case was made for seconding the Second Permanent Secretary; and who is undertaking that role in the interim.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The secondment was arranged and undertaken in accordance with Defra’s standard secondment approach. There are no interim arrangements in place to cover the role of Second Permanent Secretary. Responsibilities previously held by the Second Permanent Secretary have been shared across other portfolios.
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough, Oadby and Wigston)
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 Forestry Commission's annual reports for 2017-18 and 2024-25, which teams and roles within the Forestry Commission have expanded since April 2017; and for what reason the body's (a) overall headcount and (b) headcount of senior civil servants has increased in that time.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
| 2017/2018 | 2024/2025 |
Forestry Commission |
|
|
Staff | 310 | 560 |
Directors & Senior Civil Servants | 5 | 4 |
Forest Research |
|
|
Staff | 230 | 417 |
Directors & Senior Civil Servants | 1 | 3 |
Total |
|
|
Staff | 540 | 977 |
Directors & Senior Civil Servants | 6 | 7 |
Total | 546 | 984 |
The information on headcount for individual teams and roles is not held centrally and to obtain it would incur disproportionate costs.
Headcount changes within the Forestry Commission are a direct result of responding to the Government’s increased ambition for woodland creation alongside ensuring England’s woodlands remain resilient to the challenges associated with climate change and the impacts of pests and diseases.
Forest Research has increased its headcount in a range of scientific disciplines from silviculture to wind modelling and tree breeding. The focus on improving UK biosecurity has also led to an increase in the number of pathologists and entomologists. The Senior Civil Service headcount in Forest Research has increased by two following independent regrading of two existing posts.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government to ensure that planning exemptions for campsites in national landscapes maintain protections for the environment.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to working with local partners and Protected Landscapes organisations to understand how planning measures can protect the unique landscape and natural assets of these areas, while supporting sustainable tourism and rural economic growth.
Exempted organisations are encouraged to consult with the relevant National Landscape teams about what might be done to minimise environmental impacts of a site.
Permission must still be sought from Natural England by exempted organisations to use land within protected sites.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that planning exemptions for campsites in national landscapes maintain protections for the environment.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to working with local partners and Protected Landscapes organisations to understand how planning measures can protect the unique landscape and natural assets of these areas, while supporting sustainable tourism and rural economic growth.
Exempted organisations are encouraged to consult with the relevant National Landscape teams about what might be done to minimise environmental impacts of a site.
Permission must still be sought from Natural England by exempted organisations to use land within protected sites.