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 - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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 - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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.
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 potential impact of ending payments from the SAM3: herbal leys scheme on farmers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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.
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 on the effectiveness of the Veterinary Medicines Directorate since it removed the ability to submit reports online.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The provision of a Web reporting route for suspected adverse event cases to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is not mandatory and, therefore, its suspension does not affect the VMD’s approach to assessment.
Reporting of adverse events continues directly through the adverse.events@vmd.gov.uk mailbox for non-authorised veterinary medicinal products or for authorised products should the reporter be unable to report directly to the Marketing Authorisation Holder.
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 consider reforming the monitoring system for PM10 emissions from quarries; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of doing so on public health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Particulate matter emissions from quarries are regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016, including through emission limits and monitoring requirements on total particulate matter. We will keep standards for PM10 emissions from quarries under review to ensure emissions controls and monitoring requirements are up-to-date.
Monitoring stations measure PM10 levels in various locations across the UK. Information and data are available through the webpage UKAIR. All locations are currently assessed as being below the PM10 limit value set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010, based on monitoring and modelling.
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 recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of the approved monitoring scheme for PM10 admissions from quarries.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Particulate matter emissions from quarries are regulated under the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016, including through emission limits and monitoring requirements on total particulate matter. We will keep standards for PM10 emissions from quarries under review to ensure emissions controls and monitoring requirements are up-to-date.
Monitoring stations measure PM10 levels in various locations across the UK. Information and data are available through the webpage UKAIR. All locations are currently assessed as being below the PM10 limit value set out in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010, based on monitoring and modelling.
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 protect British (a) farmers and (b) produce from the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in (i) Hungary and (ii) Slovakia.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has stepped up measures to protect the UK from Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) following recent outbreaks in Central Europe and Germany. This includes a ban on imports of live animals and certain animal products to Great Britain from Hungary, Slovakia and Austria. We have also imposed an equivalent ban from the region of Germany that experienced an FMD outbreak in January.
From 12 April 2025 we have also extended restrictions on personal imports. Travellers are no longer permitted to bring meat or dairy products from cattle, sheep, goats, or pigs into Great Britain from any EU country for personal use.
Together Government, travellers, animal keepers and the livestock industry must do everything we can to keep FMD out and protect animal health and welfare. We urge livestock keepers to be extra vigilant and report any suspicion of FMD or other notifiable disease immediately.
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of a (a) voluntary and (b) compulsory scheme to require drive through fast food outlets to print car registration details on purchased food packaging.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We do not think it would be appropriate to require take-away food vendors to implement a vehicle registration number printing and tracing system for packaging due to the potential costs involved, which may outweigh any benefits. Data protection concerns have been raised. However, we strongly support voluntary initiatives to reduce littering.
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 his Department issues guidance on the management of large wild deer populations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Native deer are an important part of our natural heritage and their activities can benefit some habitats. However, excessive foraging, bark stripping and trampling can have negative impacts on woodlands. Defra therefore provides a range of support for managing deer impacts.
The Forestry Commission and Natural England contribute to the production and updating of online guidance on all aspects of managing deer impacts. This is done in partnership with stakeholders, through the Deer Initiative Partnership. Guidance is available via its website.
Guidance is additionally available via a team of Deer Officers within the Forestry Commission, who also oversee applications for Countryside Stewardship grants to help with deer impacts management (including by lethal control), at all scales, from local to landscape scale.
Natural England publishes guidance on gov.uk on when to apply for a licence to kill or take deer in the close season or at night.