Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 adequacy of the resilience of domestic food production capacity to major geopolitical disruptions.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is a core national priority. UK self-sufficiency has remained broadly stable for several decades. In 2024, the UK was 65% self-sufficient for all food; 77% for food that can be produced here. In most scenarios, strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes ensure food supply is maintained and can withstand disruptive events, including geopolitical disruptions.
Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise, this includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 adequacy of the Government Resilience Framework in reducing food security risks.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is a core national priority. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise, this includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to food supply risks.
The previous Government published the UK Resilience Framework in 2022.
This government has been clear that resilience is a shared responsibility across the whole of society and published its Resilience Action Plan to enhance preparedness and response risks, including those that may affect food supply chains.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 implications for her polices of trends in levels of tree canopy cover in Lancashire since July 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to increasing England’s tree canopy and woodland cover to at least 16.5% by 2050, supported by an interim target to increase cover by 0.33% by December 2030 from a 2022 baseline of 14.9%.
Progress towards this target is monitored through official Forestry Statistics on tree canopy and woodland cover. A fully calibrated assessment of change in this indicator since 2022 is not yet available. However, partial data indicates that an estimated 85 hectares of new woodland in Lancashire were planted between 1 July 2024 and 31 March 2025. In addition, around 30,700 individual trees were planted outside woodland, which over time are expected to contribute approximately 120 hectares of canopy and woodland cover.
These trends indicate continued progress in increasing tree canopy and woodland cover and support delivery of the Government’s long-term targets. The Forestry Commission is also developing more spatially targeted approaches, including regional advisory targets, to provide greater clarity on how national objectives will be achieved at a local level.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 administrative impact of export health certificates on UK food producers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra keeps export health certificate (EHC) processes under review and supports UK food exporters through the EHC Online digital service, GOV.UK guidance and an export support service.
Defra officials have begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreement to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and removing barriers to trade for British producers and retailers.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what timetable has been set for the completion of the review of the Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is undertaking a review of its statutory Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management (FCERM) Strategy for England.
The EA is engaging with key stakeholders on the review of the FCERM Strategy and will continue to do so over the coming months.
Further details about the timeline for the FCERM Strategy review can be found on the EA’s engagement platform.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 farmers affected by recent extreme high temperatures.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service has developed evidence on adaptation options which improve resilience of the agri-food sector, including cost and ease of implementation. Adaptation options include those which could be implemented in response to increasing heat risk to UK farms such as using deep rooting and heat tolerant forage varieties.
The Government needs long-term, nature-based solutions to manage risks of extreme wet and dry weather. To support rural communities and farmers, the Government is funding actions to improve the environment, mitigate flood risk, and boost resilience, through Environmental Land Management schemes.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 ensure companies that have previously committed waste export offences remain subject to enhanced monitoring and compliance checks.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) ensures that companies with a history of waste export offences remain subject to enhanced monitoring and compliance checks. This is done through an intelligence‑led, risk‑based approach to compliance and enforcement. Previous offences and overall compliance history are central to determining the level of scrutiny applied, meaning operators with past breaches will receive closer oversight.
The EA assesses the seriousness of each offence by considering factors such as the level of environmental harm or risk, the culpability of the operator, and any financial gain or involvement in organised crime. The EA considers wider public interest, including the need to deter future offending. This comprehensive assessment is then used to prioritise higher‑risk operators, specific waste types, and export destinations for targeted compliance activity.
As a result, companies with a poor track record are subject to more frequent and robust regulatory interventions, while compliant businesses can operate without unnecessary regulatory burden.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria will be used to assess bids from eligible organisations seeking to become the delivery partner for the third new national forest.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A competition for the third new national forest was launched on 26 May 2026. The competition will test the financial and environmental merits of potential delivery partners, assess organisational capability and expertise, and ability to deliver a landscape-scale woodland creation programme. The full criteria and application process can be found in Annex A of the Third New National Forest: North and Midlands – Commercial Guidance here.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards will be put in place to ensure that the creation of the third national forest does not adversely affect agricultural land use and food production in the selected region.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The winning bidder for the third national forest will work with the National Forest Company to ensure that woodland creation does not adversely affect agricultural land use and food production.
Woodland creation will meet the UK Forestry Standard. The new forest will also use the principles set out in the Land Use Framework published on 18 March 2026.
All tree planting that will take place will be with the permission and assent of landowners, with whom information will be shared on regular and ongoing basis.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which National Parks, National Landscapes and Broads will be eligible to receive funding under the Wildlife-Rich Habitat Fund; and what criteria will determine eligibility.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All of England’s National Parks, National Landscapes and the Broads are eligible. Funding is allocated through Protected Landscape bodies, with projects reviewed locally against criteria including delivery of wildlife‑rich habitat creation and alignment with management plans and Local Nature Recovery Strategies.