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, pursuant to the Answer of 21 September 2026 to Question HL3262 on Fisheries Import Controls, whether her department intends for the new IUU Imports Service to be a digitised system.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Yes. The Government intends for the new IUU Imports Service to be a digital service. The service is being developed to provide a digital route for the submission and processing of documentation required under the UK’s illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing controls. Further details on the design and implementation of the service will be provided in due course.
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, if her department will expand the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway to provide financial support for farmers to transition away from the routine castration and tail docking of lambs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 July 2026 to the Hon. Member for North East Somerset and Hanham.
We will continue to work in partnership with farmers, vets and industry to progress and develop the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, focusing public funding where it can have the greatest positive impact.
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, if her department will publish the results of the consultation on proposed changes to castration and tail docking methods which closed on 9 March 2026.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 July 2026 to the Hon. Member for North East Somerset and Hanham.
We will continue to work in partnership with farmers, vets and industry to progress and develop the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, focusing public funding where it can have the greatest positive impact.
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 tree management advice is being offered to help vulnerable veteran trees and new saplings to survive prolonged drought and extreme heat conditions on public land.
Answered by Jenny Riddell-Carpenter - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Government guidance supports public and private land managers to protect trees from drought and extreme heat, recognising that appropriate management varies according to tree age and species, soil and local site conditions. Relevant Forestry Commission and Forest Research guidance includes guidance on extreme weather, guidance for local authorities and a UK Forestry Standard Practice Guide. And sits alongside wider support provided by Defra grants.
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 her Department is taking to enforce Catchment Nutrient Budgets.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to tackling nutrient pollution and improving the health of our rivers.
The Government is considering how catchment-level approaches could support more effective nutrient management, as part of a programme of work to reform the agricultural water regulations, which includes exploring measures to improve on-farm nutrient management.
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 her Department is taking to manage a devolved Water Recovery Fund that invests in local resilience through nature-based solutions.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently supporting both the Water Restoration Fund (WRF), worth over £10m over 2025-28, and the Water Environment Improvement Fund (WEIF), worth £20m over the SR period (2025-29), supporting local interventions from water quality assessments and development of catchment plans to river re-naturalisation, floodplain reconnection and other nature-based interventions.
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 her Department has taken to set regional river restoration targets.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government currently delivers regional river restoration through River Basin Management Plans. In the Water White Paper, the Government committed to explore setting new ambitious overarching targets for the water environment, to incentivise effective action from all stakeholders to clean up the nation’s waters.
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 her Department is taking to enforce stricter laws for the slaughter of farmed fish.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 10 September to PQ 26814.
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 her Department's timetable is on making a decision on whether to introduce a ban on the importation of foie gras.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and is committed to delivering the most ambitious animal welfare programme in a generation, as set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy.
It has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. Production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years as it is not compatible with our animal welfare legislation.
This Government remains committed to maintaining and enhancing animal welfare standards and recognises the strength of public feeling on this issue.
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, with reference to the commitment in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England to introduce humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish, when the Government plans to launch its consultation; whether the consultation will cover recommendations 96, 98 to 101, 106 and 107 of the Animal Welfare Committee’s updated opinion on farmed fish at the time of killing; and by what date she expects legislation to be in force.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As laid out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, and following the Animal Welfare Committee’s report on the topic, we will consult on introducing humane slaughter requirements for farmed fish into legislation. Further details will be set out in due course.