Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

While we have never had an outbreak of African swine fever (ASF) in the UK, the overall risk of an incursion of ASF is currently assessed to be medium (the event occurs regularly) and we continue to prepare for a possible outbreak. Defra’s approach to ASF is set out in the Disease control strategy for African and Classical Swine Fever in Great Britain (copy attached) and considers the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice, including the role of feral pigs and wild boar.

Preventing an outbreak of ASF in the UK is one of Defra’s key biosecurity priorities. Current policy reflects our experience of responding to past outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control. To ensure this approach is reflected in our control and mitigation strategies, Defra are undertaking a review of both the England Wildlife Health Strategy, which provides a policy framework within which Defra is able to develop and make policy decisions in relation to wildlife disease management supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England, and the feral wild boar action plan in relation to exotic disease control.

Defra works closely with Forestry England to actively monitor and control the population of feral wild boar in the Forest of Dean and prevent the establishment of populations in other areas managed by Forestry England. Annual assessments of the size and structure of the Forest of Dean wild boar population and progress to control the population are available on the Forestry England website. Outside of these areas primary responsibility for wild boar management lies with local communities and individual landowners. Defra work closely with stakeholder organisations to ensure communities, local authorities and landowners have access to guidance and information where needed to control populations and mitigate the impact of feral wild boar in their areas. Advice and further information on licensing and legislation relating wildlife management is available on GOV.UK (copy attached).

Defra encourages all pig keepers and members of the public to be vigilant and help protect our pig sector and wildlife from the threat of ASF. Found dead feral wild boar in England should be reported to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (see attachment), and sightings of live wild boar can be made through the Mammal Societies Mammal Tracker app or directly through the National Biodiversity Network.

Tackling biodiversity and climate change together is important both nationally and internationally. This government is demonstrating international leadership in this space. We have recently appointed Ruth Davis OBE as Special Representative for Nature; she will champion our ambition to put climate and nature at the heart of our foreign policy.

On the 30th of July, we announced a rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). We are working with civil society, business and local government to review and revise the EIP to develop an ambitious programme to better protect the environment, create a zero-waste economy, save nature, reach net zero and adapt to climate change.

We are committed to concluding the review by the end of the year. A statement of key findings will be published in early 2025, to be followed by publication of a revised EIP.

The Government is committed to protecting human health and the environment. Pesticides pose risks if not used properly anywhere in the world.

Requirements for the export of hazardous chemicals are agreed at the international level under the Rotterdam Convention, recognising the environmental and human impacts of such exports.

The export of certain hazardous chemicals is regulated through the GB Prior Informed Consent (PIC) Regulation, implementing the Convention. For certain pesticides, the UK goes beyond international requirements, whereby the explicit consent of the importing country is required under GB PIC before export can take place. This enables the importing country to make informed decisions about the import of those chemicals and how to handle them safely.

The Government does not have any such plan. For all pesticides, including neonicotinoids, there are legal requirements to store the product securely, use it according to its authorisation (which will include conditions considered appropriate to protect people and the environment) and dispose safely of any surplus.

Recent emergency authorisations for Cruiser SB as a seed treatment on sugar beet seed have carried very specific conditions. These include a requirement to dispose of unused stock by the end of the emergency authorisation period at the beginning of June. There should not, therefore, be any current stocks of the product.

Furthermore, we would not expect there to have been any significant surplus. Cruiser SB is applied in centralised facilities as a treatment to pre-ordered seed. The quantity required is therefore known in advance and there is no reason for additional stocks to have been acquired.

A key commitment of the AMR National Action Plan is to work alongside the veterinary profession to ensure they are supported to prescribe antibiotics responsibly and support animal health and welfare. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate lead on this work and have funded online training for both farm animal and companion animal vets through the RCVS Knowledge VetTeamAMR (attached: VetTeamAMR – RCVS knowledge) initiative. This provides important advice on how to manage different diseases and conditions where antibiotics are most commonly used, as well as modules on diagnostics, behaviour change, and infection control. The Veterinary Medicines Regulations were revised in 2024 and include provisions which increase the scrutiny on antibiotic prescribing. We have published guidance (attached: Veterinary Medicines Guidance) to help vets comply with the AMR elements of the VMRs and ensure responsible use of antibiotics under the cascade. We also work alongside the veterinary profession through antibiotic stewardship groups to encourage and support the development and dissemination of guidelines to vets (attached: Guidelines and guidance on the responsible use of veterinary medicines). Examples include the recently updated BSAVA/SAMSoc guidance for dogs and cats, the PROTECT ME guidelines for horses, the Pig Veterinary Society prescribing principles and guidance for dairy vets on reducing antibiotic milk residues.

Preventing an outbreak of African swine fever in the UK remains one of Defra’s key biosecurity priorities. UK safeguard measures are in place prohibiting live pigs, wild boar, or pork products from affected European Union (EU) areas from entering Great Britain. Enforcement is carried out by Border Force and Port Health Authority officers at seaports and airports.

Under the enhanced safeguard measures introduced in September, travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork products into Great Britain unless they are produced and packaged to the EU’s commercial standards and weigh no more than two kilograms.

Defra and its agencies continuously review the spread of African swine fever and are ready to introduce further biosecurity restrictions should these be deemed necessary in response to new scientific and risk data. Risk assessments can be found on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/animal-diseases-international-monitoring.

We have no current plans to reconsider the status of wild boar.

The Government supports species reintroductions where they are economically feasible and there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment. All reintroductions in England are expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conservation Translocations. Conservation translocations are the deliberate movement and release of plants, animals or fungi into the wild for conservation purposes. This includes reintroductions, which are one type of conservation translocation.

The UK Government is committed to the effective implementation of its international obligations under the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters.

The submission of the UK’s final Progress Report has been delayed to allow the new Government time to consider the recommendations in decision VII/8s, endorsed at the 2021 Meeting of the Parties.

We look forward to responding in due course.

On 30 August, the Government announced the start of work on a comprehensive new strategy for England, to drive down bovine tuberculosis (TB) rates to save cattle and farmers' livelihoods and end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. This will be under-taken in co-design with farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists, ensuring the new strategy marks a significant step-change in approach to tackling this devastating disease.

The published policy guidance as introduced by the previous Government requires Natural England to set a minimum and maximum number of badgers to be removed for bovine TB disease control purposes. These numbers are published annually on GOV.UK and can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-authorisation-for-badger-control-in-2024.

On 30 August, the Government announced the start of work on a comprehensive new strategy for England, to drive down bovine tuberculosis (TB) rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. This will be undertaken in co-design with farmers, vets, scientists and conservationists, ensuring the new strategy marks a significant step-change in approach to tackling this devastating disease. By beating the disease we will end any need to cull badgers.

Existing cull processes, set up under the previous administration, will be honoured to ensure clarity for farmers involved in these culls whilst new measures can be rolled out through work on the new strategy. No new intensive or supplementary badger control licences will be issued, with all existing licences issued under these policies ending by January 2026. Any application for a licence received in respect of a TB hotspot in the Low Risk Area, would be processed by Natural England, as the delegated licensing authority, in accordance with the published policy guidance for this licence type, as introduced by the previous government in 2018.

The Government does not have any plans to revise the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act, 2023. Currently, there are no associated implementing regulations, but my department will lay before parliament the secondary legislation required to unlock the benefits of the Precision Breeding Act as soon as parliamentary time allows.

Lawyers advised throughout the development of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023. This included how the act related to the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. As stated in the Legal background section of the explanatory notes to the Act, “The UK Government considers that the Cartagena Protocol does not apply to organisms produced using modern biotechnologies if those organisms could have occurred naturally or been produced by traditional methods.” If Precision Bred plants were traded, they would have to comply with the labelling requirements of the importing country.

All gene-edited seed must be authorised under GMO legislation before it can be marketed. We have not authorised these plants for marketing purposes and as such, the plant breeder cannot apply for National Listing.

We have no plans to introduce biosecurity measures for all research trials involving gene-edited plants. These plants only contain genetic sequence that could arise through traditional breeding. However, unlike equivalent trials for traditionally bred plants, Defra asks for confirmation that the person with overall responsibility for them will put in place appropriate measures, as necessary, to minimise the possibility of material from the plants entering the human food or animal feed systems.

These plants only contain genetic sequence that could arise through traditional breeding. However, unlike equivalent trials for traditionally bred plants, Defra asks for confirmation that the person with overall responsibility for them will put in place appropriate measures, as necessary, to minimise the possibility of material from the plants entering the human food or animal feed systems.

The Government has published Planning Practice Guidance, which details what applicants seeking planning permission for battery energy storage systems can do to ensure they consider any potential risks. By law, planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Each application is judged on its own individual merit and the weight given to these considerations is a matter for the local planning authority as the decision taker in the first instance. Planning Practice Guidance encourages battery storage developers and local planning authorities to engage with Local Fire and Rescue Services (FRSs) before submitting and determining planning application, so that issues of the siting and location of Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS) are dealt with before the application is made.

Spatial planning will play an important role in the delivery of the Government’s growth and clean energy missions. The Land Use Framework will work hand-in-hand with the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan, which will support a more actively planned approach to energy infrastructure across England, Scotland and Wales, identifying appropriate areas for power generation and storage infrastructure including batteries.

Waste is a devolved policy, and the devolved administrations have their own arrangements for household and business recycling and waste collections. There are currently no plans for blister packs to be included in the list of materials to be collected at kerbside through Simpler Recycling reforms.

Modulation of pEPR fees, which will be introduced in from year 2 of the scheme, will be used to disincentivise packaging formats that are not readily recyclable.

While we recognise the importance of sanitary and phytosanitary checks on certain imports, this Government is also committed to reducing unnecessary barriers to trade and cutting red tape by striking a fair balance between business and biosecurity.

As such we are reviewing the current border controls brought into place on 30 April under the previous Government.

Information about the common user charge can be found on here. We will publish further information in due course on the charge.

Monitoring and enforcing the border controls introduced under the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) is undertaken collaboratively between bodies including Defra, the Animal and Plant Health Agency, Border Force and HMRC.

Our checks are intelligence-led and based on biosecurity risk: It would be inappropriate for us to set out operational details such as the exact inspection details from 30 April.

Checking details, such as time taken to review consignments, could be used by bad actors looking for exploitable elements of the border to facilitate illegal imports

Furthermore, this information is also commercially sensitive. HMG does not wish to impact trader choice of route as details of checks completed may advantage/disadvantage other ports as traders may BCP shop to find what appears on paper to be the “fastest route”.

The impact of the Border Target Operating Model to cut flower trade is expected to be minimal.

A limited group of European Union (EU) cut flowers (such as chrysanthemum and carnations and orchids), are medium risk goods; all other EU cut flowers are low risk and will not be subject to border checks.

EU Medium risk cut flowers have been subject to prenotification since 1 January 2022 and EU Medium risk cut flowers have required a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) since 31 January 2024, and inspections at the border since 30 April 2024.

EU Plants for planting are already classified as high-risk goods, and subject to inspection at place of destination. There is no change regarding the need for inspections, just a change of location of these inspections to Border Control Posts or Control Points.

HFC-23 emissions in the UK are reported annually in the National Greenhouse Gas Emissions Inventory submitted to the UNFCCC and have been assessed to be insignificant (~0.0MtCO₂e) for all reported years since 2010. Since 2012, HFC-23 emissions have represented less than 0.1% of the UK’s territorial HFC emissions.

As a donor country to the Montreal Protocol’s Multilateral Fund, the UK provides financial support for developing countries to comply with their Kigali Amendment obligations, including those regarding HFC-23.