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

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to work with Chester Zoo on global conservation and species recovery work.

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

The Government recognises the important role Chester Zoo plays in global conservation and species recovery. Chester Zoo has a strong partnership with Defra through the Darwin Initiative, which funds some of the zoo’s international conservation efforts. Since 2007, Chester Zoo has delivered 10 Darwin-funded projects worth £2 million across five countries, focusing on human-wildlife conflict, forest restoration, and community livelihoods. It has also partnered on a Darwin Plus project in Montserrat to help save the critically endangered mountain chicken frog.

In addition, Chester Zoo is an active stakeholder under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) through the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) and undertakes significant work to support the conservation of CITES-listed species.

New rounds of Defra’s challenge funds, including the Darwin Initiative and Darwin Plus, are expected to open in 2026 for applications, and we would welcome applications from Chester Zoo.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what recognition and support they will give to schemes that promote conservation and recovery of threatened native species, including the harvest dormouse, the large heath butterfly and other endangered species.

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

We are committed to delivering our statutory biodiversity targets including supporting the recovery of threatened species such as the harvest dormouse and large heath butterfly. A key delivery programme for threatened species in England is Natural England’s (NE) Species Recovery Programme which, since the early 1990s, has funded targeted action for over 1000 species and prevented the national extinction of at least 35.

From April 2023 to March 2026, the Species Recovery Programme allocated £32.2 million to projects which supported recovery of more than 600 species. In October 2025, NE launched a call for ideas for projects to be funded by the Programme. Shortlisted projects will shortly be invited to apply for funding over the next three years.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of fly tipping to private landlords in each of the past three years.

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

The Government has not made an estimate of the cost of fly-tipping to private landlords for the last three years.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement action to Defra, which the department have published annually since 2012, at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. We expect that this data excludes the majority of private-land incidents. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is currently being processed.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what the balance is between nature recovery and growth in domestic farm production in the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025.

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

The Government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP) 2025 ensures that nature’s recovery is a key priority, fundamental to the Government’s approach to economic growth. This Government is committed to deliver for nature, taking action to meet our Environment Act targets, to restore and protect our natural world.

The EIP explains how nature and the actions we take to protect and restore it can enable, drive and protect economic growth.

The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. The Government is targeting public money where it delivers most value, supporting nature. By investing in nature, we are helping secure the foundations of long-term food security.

The Government is working with farmers, farming and environmental organisations to develop the Farming Roadmap, which will set the course of farming in England for the next 25 years. The aim is to maintain food production, meet our environmental outcomes, and deliver a thriving and profitable farming sector.

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