Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to review the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s bird gathering licensing framework to allow (a) unified and (b) compatible licensing for mixed-species exhibitions with a demonstrated record of compliance and biosecurity.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The decision as to whether to allow gatherings by way of a general licence is kept under regular review and is informed by regular qualitative risk assessment containing the latest scientific and ornithological evidence and veterinary advice. Defra can also exercise discretion to permit gatherings by granting specific licences. For each application for a licence to hold a gathering of poultry, an individual risk assessment will be completed, and mitigating conditions will be set out in the licence.
In England the general licence for gatherings of Psittaciformes (e.g. parrots and budgerigars), birds of prey and racing pigeons permits a gathering including a mix of these birds. If the organiser of a gathering is granted a specific licence to hold a gathering including other orders of birds, that gathering can also include birds covered by general licence. It is therefore possible, subject to licence, to hold mixed-species exhibitions.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidential basis is for the introduction of separate licensing regimes for (a) psittaciformes and (b) poultry and passerines.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The most recently published qualitative 2025 risk assessment (November 2025) sets out the overall risk of transmission of avian influenza associated with gatherings for each order of birds. The overall risk associated with psittaciformes is assessed as low, whereas the overall risk associated with poultry (galliformes) or passerines is assessed as medium.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the revised bird gathering licensing regime on animal welfare, including the ethical rehoming of captive-bred birds and the maintenance of genetic diversity in breeding populations.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As there has been no revision of the bird gathering licence regime, no impact assessment has been required.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidential basis is for the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s amendments to licensing conditions for bird gatherings, particularly the prohibition on the sale and exchange of captive-bred birds at licensed events.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings (such as shows) of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus. Detailed risk assessments can be found on GOV.UK.
The most recently published qualitative 2025 risk assessment (November 2025) sets out the risk of transmission of avian influenza at gatherings. The exact conditions of issued licences, including activities which can take place at a gathering (such as sales), are determined based on the assessed risk of each gathering.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what consultation the Animal and Plant Health Agency undertook with avicultural event organisers, birdkeeping societies and representative bodies prior to the introduction of revised bird gathering licensing requirements.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials engaged proactively with stakeholders during summer 2025 including show organisers, auctioneers and breed societies, to better understand achievable conditions for gatherings. Engagement was via a number of stakeholder groups which occur regularly, and a series of individual discussions with key impacted parties. This process helped to shape a set of template conditions which could mitigate the disease risk associated with some gatherings.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any documented cases of highly pathogenic avian influenza have occurred in the UK within captive Psittaciformes kept under indoor, high-biosecurity conditions.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since 2022 highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) has been confirmed on 9 premises of which each had at least one captive Psittaciform bird. The department cannot comment on biosecurity of individual premises, as this is not public information; of these premises, three were domestic households, two were recorded as breeders, one was an educational establishment, and the others were open farms or sanctuaries.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff worked for the rural payments agency in each year between 2019 and 2026.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The number of full‑time equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the Rural Payments Agency is published in the public domain as part of Defra’s Monthly Workforce Management Information (MWMI) reports.
This information can be accessed via the following link: : Defra: workforce management information - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Uma Kumaran (Labour - Stratford and Bow)
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 support sustainable farming initiatives.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament, investing more than £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery. Overall, farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme. And up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration. This includes increasing spend on nature-friendly farming including Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes to £2 billion by 28/29.
Defra will continue to invest in our farmers and land managers to make their businesses, food production and our country more sustainable and resilient through ELM.
Asked by: Andrew Mitchell (Conservative - Sutton Coldfield)
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 18 December 2025 to Question 98739 on Biodiversity and Pollution: Sutton Park, what housing developments in the vicinity of Sutton Park have been discussed between DEFRA officials and Birmingham City Council.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I am not aware of discussions between Defra officials and Birmingham City Council.
Asked by: Josh Babarinde (Liberal Democrat - Eastbourne)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data she holds on (a) which animals are currently affected by the current legal noise level of fireworks and (b) how are they affected.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department does not hold data on which animals are affected by the current legal noise level of fireworks or how they are affected.
However, the Government is continuing to engage with animal welfare stakeholders, businesses, consumer groups and charities on the impacts of fireworks, to inform any future action.
On 20 January, Baroness Hayman of Ullock, the Minister responsible for animal welfare, met with the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Business and Trade, Minister Kate Dearden (Halifax) who is responsible for Employment Rights and Consumer Protection, to discuss lowering the decibel level of fireworks.