Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support Natural England in their responsibilities in wildfire prevention, including in agreeing land management plans.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) is the lead Government department for wildfire. Defra works closely with MHCLG and supports Natural England (NE) to deliver its responsibilities.
This includes the recently published Environmental Improvement Plan commitment that by 2030 NE will conduct research on increasing the natural resilience of habitats to wildfires, such as through re-wetting or restoring hydrological function, including case studies of success. An initial scoping review will be reported on in the annual progress report in 2027. This will develop our understanding of actions we can take to naturally reduce the risk of wildfires.
Alongside this, Defra supports NE in:
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 16 October 2025 to Question 77864 on Non-native Species: Weed Control, if she will make it her policy to offer funding to homeowners for the (a) treatment and (b) removal of Japanese knotweed, in the context of (i) obligations under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and (ii) the environmental impact of this species.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9, and subject to Section 14, of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 which makes it an offence to plant or otherwise cause this species to grow in the wild. There is no explicit obligation upon landowners to manage this species on their property. However, they must prevent it spreading off their property.
Defra is not currently considering offering funding for homeowners for the treatment and removal of Japanese knotweed. Guidance remains available for homeowners who do wish to manage Japanese knotweed on their property: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 her Department's consultation entitled Fairer food labelling, which closed on 7 May 2024, whether she plans to bring forward legislative proposals to mandate method-of-production welfare labelling for (a) pork, (b) chicken and (c) eggs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 legislative proposals to improve transparency in method-of-production welfare labelling for (a) pork, (b) chicken and (c) eggs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for York Central, Rachael Maskell, on 8 October 2025, PQ UIN 76016.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to support (a) businesses and (b) individuals in removing (i) Japanese knotweed and (ii) other invasive plant species.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the impacts caused by invasive non-native plant species (INNPs), including Japanese knotweed. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.
In England, the Government has developed guidance on treating and disposing of Japanese knotweed, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK. Guidance is also available on treating and disposing other INNPs, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop invasive non-native plants from spreading - GOV.UK.
In partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, Defra is funding the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of living organisms as a cost and time-effective way of managing INNPs. This research has identified the psyllid (Aphalari itadori) as a biocontrol agent for tackling Japanese knotweed. Further information can be found on CABI’s website: Japanese knotweed - CABI.org.
Defra is providing funding for land managers to control and manage INNPs through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further information can be found on GOV.UK: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 protect hares; and what assessment she has made of the potential merits of the introduction of a closed season for hare hunting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government recognises the need to protect hares and the importance of tackling rural crimes such as hare coursing. Hare coursing and wider poaching activity is a UK wildlife crime priority, and a national police-led group is in place to help tackle this illegal activity. Defra is providing £424,000 in 2024-2025 for the National Wildlife Crime Unit, which helps prevent and detect crime against hares by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, and directly assisting law enforcers in their investigations.
Where a close season for hares is concerned, the Government considers the need for this measure is justified by animal welfare as well as biodiversity and species conservation. In short, a close season should reduce the number of adult hares being shot in the breeding season, which runs from February to October, meaning fewer leverets are left motherless and vulnerable to starvation and predation. A close season is consistent with Natural England's advice on wildlife management that controlling species in their peak breeding season should be avoided unless genuinely essential. Defra Ministers support the ambition to introduce a close season for hares in England and are considering how this can be brought forward.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 catapults on wildlife; and what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to ensure that wildlife is not (a) maimed and (b) killed by catapults.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government takes crimes against wildlife seriously and is aware of the ongoing misuse of catapults against wildlife.
The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 protects all wild birds and some wild animals in England and Wales. While the Act does not specifically include catapults in the list of weapons that a person must not use to kill wildlife, it is still illegal under this Act to deliberately attempt to kill, injure, or harm protected species. There are a range of other offences found in further legislation to protect animals from cruelty such as the Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 and the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Significant sanctions are available to judges to hand down to those convicted of crimes under these Acts.
The Government is of the view there is already sufficient legislation in place which protects wild animals from targeted use of catapults. Defra therefore has no current plans to take further legislative steps to ensure that wildlife is not (a) maimed and (b) killed by catapults though my officials are holding discussions with Home Office on this issue in an effort to tackle these horrific crimes.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 assessment of the potential impact of (a) wider reform one and (b) other proposed changes to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013 on the ecology of bathing waters; and what steps she is taking to help (i) support anglers, (ii) protect aquatic habitats and (iii) encourage payments by water companies for environmental improvements.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Bathing waters are a vital public amenity. This Government is committed to improving the quality of our coastal waters, rivers and lakes for the benefit of the environment and everyone who uses it.
We have begun policy development and research to determine how best to implement both the wider reforms detailed in the Government’s consultation response published in March 2025. As part of the policy development, we are currently scoping appropriate studies to take into account any potential environmental, societal and access impacts of these reforms. We are keen to work closely with stakeholders as we develop our policy, including groups who represent anglers and other water users.
Additionally, PR24 WINEP will be the most ambitious programme yet, with a total expenditure commitment of £22 billion secured under the scheme to fund ‘targeted interventions’ which will lead to improvements in water infrastructure to secure habitats, biodiversity and water quality, including bathing waters.
Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
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 merits of using biodigesters to convert waste materials into organic fertilisers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s Simpler Recycling reforms require the collection of food waste in England from all workplaces from 31st March 2025, all households by 31st March 2026 and all micro-firms (with fewer than 10 staff) by 31st March 2027. These reforms will increase the quality of materials collected for recycling and make the separate collection of food waste mandatory, ensuring that food waste can be treated through composting and anaerobic digestion (AD) – producing biogas (at AD) and significant greenhouse gas savings rather than sending food waste to landfill. Anaerobic digestion plays an important role in creating a circular economy by displacing fossil-fuel based fertilisers with digestate, an organic fertiliser and by-product of the AD process.
In February 2025, Defra and WRAP published the Recycling Infrastructure Capacity Analysis. This provided a forecast of investment opportunities, including the potential to invest in 1.375Mt/pa of anaerobic digestion capacity in England from 2035.
The Green Gas Support Scheme (GGSS) run by the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero (DESNZ) provides tariff-support for biomethane produced via anaerobic digestion and injected into the gas grid. The scheme requires 50% of biomethane (by energy content) to be produced from wastes and residues, which is expected to support treatment of increased tonnage of food waste. In February 2024 DESNZ issued a call for evidence (CfE) to assess the barriers to growth in the sector and the options available to address them. DESNZ is considering the responses received and are developing policy options on a future framework that supports growth in the sector while managing environmental risks effectively.
Furthermore, as Defra develops the Circular Economy Strategy for England, and the agrifood roadmap therein, we are considering the evidence for interventions right across the economy. That includes exploring the circularity impacts of a wide range of levers, such as how to manage biowaste and the sustainable use of digestate. The Strategy will be published for consultation in the coming autumn.