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, when she plans to bring forward a ban on the use of snare traps.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation and this included a commitment to bring an end to the use of snare traps in England. This was recently reaffirmed in the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy, published in December 2025. Defra is considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps 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, what her Department's red lines are for negotiations on a UK–EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement; and what assessment she has made of the the potential merits of retaining the ability to restrict the import and sale of animal products produced using methods that would be illegal in the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is currently negotiating a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and regulatory barriers for British producers and retailers.
The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but the Government has been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.
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 she will bring forward policies to ensure all Marine Protected Areas are returned to Good Ecological Status by 2030.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Good Ecological Status is an objective under the Water Framework Directive Regulations and applies specifically to inland, estuarine, and coastal waters up to 1 nautical mile from the coast and so covers only a small part of the entire MPA network. The Government has set out its new vision for water through a White Paper published on 20 January 2026. The White Paper sets out once in a generation reforms that will transform the water system for good, with a renewed focus on securing a fair deal for customers, investors, and the environment, to rebuild trust and secure a water system that works for everyone. It sets out how we will deliver on our promise to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas – not just for today, but for generations to come. In the meantime, we continue to work towards our obligation to secure continuous improvement for the water environment.
With respect to the wider MPA network in English waters, the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025 sets out a programme of actions to support delivery of the statutory MPA target under the Environment Act. This includes implementing any necessary fisheries bylaws, non‑statutory fisheries measures and management measures for other damaging activities.
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 she will make an estimate of the amount of capital funding needed to ensure the provision of effective water services in each area of England in each year until 2030.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of Price Review 24, Ofwat, the independent water regulator, has made a thorough estimate of the amount of capital funding water companies will need to deliver services for the current spending period, to 2029. This assessment includes funding for routine costs and for ongoing improvements required to meet new statutory obligations and environmental standards.
Ofwat provides the requested estimate, including a company-by-company breakdown on its website: Final determinations in the 2024 price review - Ofwat.
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 his Department is taking to tackle the contamination of rivers with insecticides applied as flea and tick treatments to dogs and cats.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises concerns about the environmental impacts of spot‑on parasiticide treatments for companion animals. Research funded by the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) has improved understanding of how key active substances enter the environment, but further evidence is needed to address gaps relating to contamination pathways, behavioural influences and effective monitoring. To strengthen the evidence base, the VMD has launched a national survey to gather information on pet owners’ behaviours, while exposure modelling is also being explored to inform potential future regulatory decisions. In addition, the VMD will undertake a regulatory review of the AVM‑GSL (‘general sales list’) status of companion animal parasiticide products containing fipronil and imidacloprid, with details expected in early 2026. These actions aim to protect animal health while reducing environmental harm.
On 14 August 2025, the cross‑government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Group held its first stakeholder workshop, focusing on educational guidance for pet owners. This guidance is being refined for launch in spring 2026, alongside further measures to promote responsible use.
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, how many game farms are operational in England and Wales; and how many of them are registered with the Poultry Register.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is no official definition of a game farm in the UK, and the England and Wales Kept Bird Register only details keepers of bird species that might be released for shooting. The following data was extracted from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s database:
| ENGLAND | WALES | ||
Flock Size | Premises* | Birds | Premises* | Birds |
0-49** | 1,430 | 9,632 | 107 | 854 |
50-999 | 1,795 | 765,701 | 86 | 36,960 |
1,000-9,999 | 1,879 | 5,671,620 | 77 | 259,840 |
10,000-99,999 | 665 | 18,074,681 | 54 | 1,704,480 |
100,000 | 70 | 15,628,895 | 2 | 240,750 |
TOTAL | 5,839 | 40,150,529 | 326 | 2,242,884 |
* Indicates the presence of at least one flock of pheasants, partridges or ducks reared for shooting were kept. It will also include ornamental species and keepers that buy in and rear birds.
** Flocks where no usual stock number has also been recorded.
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, how many outbreaks of Avian Influenza occurred on game farms in 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There were no outbreaks of High Pathogenicity Avian Influenza (HPAI) on game farms in England during 2024.
There were 17 outbreaks of HPAI in England during 2024 but none of them were on game farms.
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 information her Department holds on the number of a) pheasants and b) partridges that were released for recreational shooting in (i) 2023, (ii) 2024 and (iii) 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The release of pheasant and red legged partridge on or within 500 metres of a European site must be authorised under licence. It is a requirement of such licences to report releases made under their authorisation. Our records show that the following numbers of birds were reported released during the relevant years.
| Pheasant | Red-legged partridge |
2023 | 221,283 reported | 180,868 reported |
2024 | 361,053 reported | 209,030 reported |
2025 | 108,231 reported so far | 46,705 reported so far |
Releases undertaken beyond 500 metres of a European site, do not need to be reported and my Department therefore does not hold the information requested.
The number of birds being released has been increasing, and it is currently estimated that between 39 and 57 million pheasants and 8.1 and 13 million partridges are released in the UK, with 85% of these in England. It is thought that releases on or within 500 metres of a European site in England, represent less than 1% of total release activity in the UK.
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, in light of the presence of Avian Influenza, whether she is going to permit the release of pheasants and partridges into the countryside for recreational shooting in 2026.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This will principally depend on the level of risk from Avian Influenza to commercial poultry flocks and to our internationally important bird populations at Special Protection Areas. It is not possible to say at this point in time what the level of disease risk will be during the 2026 release season and therefore what level of release will be permitted.
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 assessment she has made of the potential impact of section 147ZA of the Highways Act 1980 on the rights of disabled people to access the outdoors.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is supportive of the provision within section 147ZA of the 1980 Act that enables an authority to work with landowners and relevant parties to replace or improve existing structures so that they can be used more easily by individuals that may experience mobility challenges. There is currently no national assessment available of the impacts of this provision. However, we will continue to improve access to green and blue spaces, ensuring that it is safe and appropriate for all users, through our various initiatives.