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 he is taking to ensure that the food strategy complies with the Animal Welfare (Sentience) Act 2022.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The food strategy will articulate outcomes required to deliver food system change, and all outcomes will comply with the law.
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, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of precision breeding on market concentration in the agricultural sector.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 will reduce barriers to entry for businesses, evening the playing field between SMEs and large multinationals in the agricultural sector.
Internationally, countries that have chosen to regulate precision bred products differently from Genetically Modified Organisms have seen a ‘democratisation’ of the technology, leading to a greater proportion of applications being submitted by SMEs and local businesses.
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
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 his Department has made of the potential contribution of precision bred (a) crops and (b) foods to the economy (i) in each of the next seven years and (ii) from 2032.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department has taken an evidence-based approach, underpinned by expert scientific advice and published data, to estimate the impacts of implementing the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
This includes the Department’s De Minimis Assessment of the impacts of The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Regulations 2025, which covers a 10-year period. The De Minimis Assessment has been compiled by Defra economists and reviewed by the Defra Chief Economist.
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
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, whether he plans to review the membership of the Chair of Cranswick plc on the Food Strategy Advisory Board.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has no current plans to review membership of the Food Strategy Advisory Board. Members are senior leaders who represent important elements within the food system and the diversity of the sector, appointed for their individual experience and standing. Members do not represent their business interests.
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 much and what proportion of funding for (a) agricultural genetic modification research and development and (b) precision breeding techniques has been allocated to (i) non-UK companies and (ii) UK companies in each of the last 10 years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Innovate UK invested £0.15 million (2023) and £1.2 million (2024) into UK companies undertaking research using precision breeding techniques in crops and farmed animals. Innovate UK has not funded any agricultural genetic modification research and development over the last 10 years, nor has it funded any non-UK based companies.
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 22 April 2025 to Question 44673 on Horticulture: Peat, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the time taken to ban sales of horticulture peat on relevant (a) businesses and (b) supply chains.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have not undertaken a separate assessment, but will publish the GMM stats 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, when he plans to publish the Growing Media Monitor peat use figures for 2023.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have not undertaken a separate assessment, but will publish the GMM stats 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, whether he has established criteria to assess progress on climate adaptation.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra actively monitors progress against the actions in the third National Adaptation Programme (NAP3) through regular internal monitoring across government. The department is developing a Monitoring, Evaluation and Learning (MEL) framework to support the implementation of NAP3. Progress on adaptation is also assessed externally: by the end of April, the Climate Change Committee will publish its next biennial report on progress in adapting to climate change.
In addition, Defra working with other Government departments including the Cabinet Office and HM Treasury, use the cross-government director level Climate Resilience Steering Board to ensure that climate adaptation is embedded into policy- and decision-making across government. The Board oversees strategic, cross-cutting climate adaptation and resilience issues to increase UK resilience to climate change
My department is exploring how to set out stronger objectives to drive action to increase our preparedness for the impacts of climate change up to and beyond the next National Adaptation Programme in 2028.
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 degree of global temperature increase his Department's climate adaptation plans are intended for.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is the lead department for domestic adaptation to climate change, and as such it is responsible for coordinating requirements set out in the UK Climate Change Act 2008. Defra is the owning department for about half of the 61 risks and opportunities identified in the third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3) and works closely with the departments who own the remaining risks.
The assessment of risks and opportunities in CCRA3 was based on global warming scenarios of 2ºC and 4ºC. The Government’s climate adaptation plans, as set out in the third National Adaptation Programme, follow the advice of the Climate Change Committee to plan for 2ºC. The Government remains flexible and responsive in our its approach, assessing for different scenarios.
The department is exploring how to set out stronger objectives to drive action to increase our preparedness for the impacts of climate change up to and beyond the next National Adaptation Programme in 2028.
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 he has made of the potential impact of a global temperature increase that is more than 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels on Government-owned infrastructure.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The third Climate Change Risk Assessment considered the impacts of climate change in the context of 2ºC and 4ºC global warming scenarios across the economy, including Government-owned infrastructure. Defra continues to work with other government departments, including Cabinet Office, to assess the potential impacts of global temperature increases on Government-owned infrastructure and to take action to improve its resilience.