Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take, if any, to introduce private finance to farming and nature recovery budgets.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra published the Land Use Framework in March this year. The Framework set out the steps Government will take to increase private demand for the environmental services that farmers and land managers provide and ensure that public payments can be combined with private payments as recommended by the Corry Review.
The Landscape Recovery (LR) scheme pilot phase will help Defra understand how much private finance projects are able to secure from private nature markets and what areas of projects that funding supports. Defra will apply that learning across LR and other schemes where appropriate.
Defra will publish the Farming Roadmap later this year. It will set out the role of private finance alongside public funding in supporting farms to profitably meet environmental outcomes and increase long term productivity.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the agreement noted in the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Communiqué, published on 5 February, to use a joined-up approach to take forward legislation to ban the use of peat in horticulture, whether that joint legislation would include Northern Ireland; and what plans they have to prioritise the introduction of legislation to end peat sales.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs. As part of this, the Government has pledged to legislate for a ban on the sale of peat and peat-containing products when Parliamentary time allows. This commitment is reflected in the Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP).
Peat protection policy in Northern Ireland is a devolved matter. Defra Ministers have responded recently, agreeing to representations from Devolved Governments to work collaboratively and adopt a UK-wide approach.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how the farming roadmap will support farmers to adapt to climate impacts whole maintaining resilient domestic food production.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is working with farmers, farming and environmental organisations to develop the Farming Roadmap, which will set the direction for farming in England to 2050. The Government’s aim is to maintain food production, meet our environmental outcomes, and deliver a thriving and profitable farming sector.
The Roadmap will set out how farming will need to evolve in response to changing markets, technologies, and environmental pressures, including how Government will support that transition. It will present an honest picture of the current realities in farming and outline how the sector can adapt and evolve to meet future needs.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to introduce a system to audit water companies in England and Wales.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Water companies are already subject to statutory audit requirements and regulatory assurance. Large water undertakers are required to publish Annual Performance Reports each year, in line with Ofwat’s Regulatory Accounting Guidance. These must be independently audited and are reviewed by Ofwat as a licence requirement.
The Government is also strengthening existing oversight arrangements. Through the Water (Special Measures) Act, Ofwat has been given powers to reinforce governance requirements and is working to align its governance principles more closely with the UK Corporate Governance Code, including in relation to audit and assurance.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take to maintain collection of plant biosecurity risk data when routine border controls are removed as part of the future UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing trade barriers for British producers and retailers. While those negotiations are ongoing, the Government cannot comment further on the SPS agreement, but it will mean the UK will work jointly with the EU on threats to the UK’s biosecurity.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
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 measures requiring checks of large, mature tree imports as part of the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary agreement on preventing the introduction of novel pests or pathogens.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing trade barriers for British producers and retailers. While those negotiations are ongoing, the government cannot comment further on the SPS agreement, but it will mean the UK will work jointly with the EU on threats to the UK’s biosecurity.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce a set of core standards for agri-food imports to ensure both fair competition for farmers and quality for consumers.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare.
As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, the Government will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards. Defra recognises concerns about methods of production which are not permitted in the UK.
While production methods vary in line with different climates, diseases and other contextual reasons, the Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, we will be prepared to use the full range of powers at our disposal to protect our most sensitive sectors.
This reflects the Government’s commitment to uphold our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards, areas in which the UK is a world leader.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the communiqué for the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs meeting held on 5 February will be published on gov.uk.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The communiqué was published on 5 March 2026 at Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs communiqués - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - 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 15 September (HL10372), what estimate they have made of the (1) initial, and (2) ongoing, costs of complying with the phase three food labelling requirements under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government considered the practical and cost impacts of Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme Phase Three labelling requirements through detailed conversations with industry. However, based on previous experience showing the difficulty of accurately estimating labelling costs due to variability in business practices, we did not seek to quantify Phase Three cost estimates prior to it commencing. The data in the Impact Assessment on the costs of GB-Wide ‘Not for EU’ labelling published alongside the Marking of Retail Goods Regulations provides some context, however.
Businesses have already successfully carried out Phase Three, and we continue to monitor the market and work closely with industry across the United Kingdom to implement the Windsor Framework.
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - 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 15 September (HL10371), what estimate they have made of the (1) initial, and (2) ongoing, costs of complying with the phase three food labelling requirements under the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government considered the practical and cost impacts of Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme Phase Three labelling requirements through detailed conversations with industry. However, based on previous experience showing the difficulty of accurately estimating labelling costs due to variability in business practices, we did not seek to quantify Phase Three cost estimates prior to it commencing. The data in the Impact Assessment on the costs of GB-Wide ‘Not for EU’ labelling published alongside the Marking of Retail Goods Regulations provides some context, however.
Businesses have already successfully carried out Phase Three, and we continue to monitor the market and work closely with industry across the United Kingdom to implement the Windsor Framework.