Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department remains committed to (a) the application of the precautionary principle in environmental decision-making and (b) maintaining existing statutory protections for protected and priority species in full.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Environment Act 2021 Ministers of the Crown must have due regard to the Environmental Principles Policy Statement when making policy. The statement sets out how to interpret and apply five environmental principles - integration, prevention, rectification at source, polluter pays, and the precautionary principle. This is in addition to any application of the precautionary principle required by specific measures or regulatory regimes, for example, in Article 1 of the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations (EC 1907/2006).
Defra remains committed to maintaining protections for protected and priority species. We will not weaken the UK’s continued support for, and implementation of, our international commitments such as the Bern Convention.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to require local planning authorities to publish biodiversity net gain data and monitoring outcomes for developments in their area.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Act 2021 established a strengthened biodiversity duty, which requires local planning authorities to publish a biodiversity report at least every 5 years, setting out how they have complied with the duty. As part of this report, local planning authorities are required to include actions they have taken under biodiversity net gain obligations, and information from the biodiversity gain plans they have approved. The first reports must be published by 1 January 2026.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to review the current exemptions from the biodiversity net gain requirement, including the use of the de minimis category.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently consulted on options to improve the implementation of biodiversity net gain for minor, medium and brownfield development. This included potential changes to the BNG de minimis exemption. A Government response to the consultation will be published in due course.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many countryside stewardship agreements are due to conclude without replacement in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the next year.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are aware of the concerns raised by farmers and stakeholders regarding farmers whose current agreements expire at the end of the year and are considering how we can support the continued delivery of environmental outcomes through environmental land management schemes.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 report by the National Audit Office entitled Resilience to Animal Diseases, published on 4 June 2025, whether his Department has made an assessment of the adequacy of the existing (a) contingency plans and (b) preparedness for a bluetongue virus outbreak.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government has published the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England which provides an overarching framework for response to all exotic disease and defines the roles, responsibilities, and command structures employed. The Plan is updated annually; the 2025 version is undergoing extensive due diligence before it is laid with parliament this autumn.
Defra’s published Bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) Control Framework for England sets out our approach to disease control, aiming to limit the spread of BTV infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures. The Framework aims to balance the burdens of controls against the benefits of eradication of bluetongue, whilst minimising the cost of any outbreak both to government and farmers. Defra will keep the approach to bluetongue control under review in 2025 and is grateful for the continued engagement of Devolved Governments and industry stakeholders.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 effectiveness of the Common Market Organisation Regulation for sugar in ensuring British Sugar negotiates sugar beet contracts with the grower’s mandated representative NFU Sugar.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government recognises the importance of sugar beet farmers who are vital to UK sugar production. Also, that sugar beet itself, used in crop rotations, is beneficial to soil and crop health and allows arable farms a season of “rest” from cereal production.
We are committed to promoting fairness across the food supply chain. That includes seeing a price agreed for sugar beet that benefits both growers and processors, in the context of the global market. There is a well-established process in place to agree the sugar beet price; designed to be independent between both parties. An Inter Professional Agreement is agreed each year between both parties and sets out the process for negotiating and agreeing price, terms and conditions for the upcoming crop year, as well as any dispute resolution process.
This process has been effective over many years, and we are committed to this process.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 help ensure that British Sugar agrees the (a) price and (b) terms of future sugar beet contracts with NFU Sugar as per the terms of the Common Market Organisation Regulation.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government recognises the importance of sugar beet farmers who are vital to UK sugar production. Also, that sugar beet itself, used in crop rotations, is beneficial to soil and crop health and allows arable farms a season of “rest” from cereal production.
We are committed to promoting fairness across the food supply chain. That includes seeing a price agreed for sugar beet that benefits both growers and processors, in the context of the global market. There is a well-established process in place to agree the sugar beet price; designed to be independent between both parties. An Inter Professional Agreement is agreed each year between both parties and sets out the process for negotiating and agreeing price, terms and conditions for the upcoming crop year, as well as any dispute resolution process.
This process has been effective over many years, and we are committed to this process.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding the eligibility criteria of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund to include all poultry.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Grants for Animal Health and Welfare items remain focused on the most commonly farmed species: pigs, dairy cows, beef cattle, laying chickens, broiler chickens and sheep. No new assessment was conducted on expanding eligibility to additional species for this round of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF). Productivity and slurry items offered as part of FETF remain available to all eligible poultry keepers.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the next deer management strategy will be published.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise new and existing woodlands are under pressure from increasing damage caused by over-foraging of young trees and woodland flora by wild deer. We are considering how to go further to reduce these impacts and will provide an update in due course. Defra provides a range of grant support to individuals and for projects, to help landowners and managers tackle deer impacts. We have also invested in relevant research and provide guidance and in-person advice, including via dedicated Deer Officers within the Forestry Commission.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to prevent the Rural Payments Agency's planned cancellation of payments under the SAM3: herbal leys scheme .
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) have identified that a number of customers have included actions within their Sustainable Farming Incentive agreement that may not be allowed under the scheme rules and as clearly set out in the customer guidance. These cases have been identified through eligibility checks carried out and the RPA are working through these.
The RPA is conscious of the impact delay to payments may have and are contacting affected customers as required to resolve this and ensure any payments due can be made as soon as possible.