Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 protect Dartmoor ponies in the context of the publication of stocking densities for Countryside Stewardship schemes.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of Dartmoor’s pony populations.
Grazing rates within the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier have been developed in line with evidence that moderate to low grazing can benefit biodiversity, soil carbon and natural flood management. These schemes offer a range of stocking densities, reflecting differing moorland habitats and conditions.
Ponies are supported through these schemes for their role in conservation grazing and, in this case, for their value to biodiversity as a native breed unique to Dartmoor. However, as with all livestock, they are included in stocking density calculations as they contribute to overall grazing pressure.
Defra will continue to monitor impacts on pony populations and consider mitigations where necessary to support their long‑term sustainability.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 impact of grazing density calculations on Dartmoor pony populations.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has assessed the impact of including ponies in grazing density calculations under Countryside Stewardship schemes and considers that this supports the sustainability of Dartmoor pony populations.
Inclusion ensures ponies are recognised within scheme payments, including Native Breed support for Dartmoor Hill Ponies, and reflects evidence of their ecological value in controlling dominant vegetation and supporting biodiversity.
Defra will continue to monitor impacts on Dartmoor pony populations and consider mitigations where necessary to ensure their long‑term sustainability.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 animal welfare practices in slaughterhouses.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The legislation sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals when slaughtered and official veterinarians of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are present in all approved slaughterhouses to monitor and enforce welfare requirements. When the FSA identifies breaches, they are fully investigated, and proportionate action is taken to protect animal welfare. It carries out a rigorous programme of annual audits in approved slaughterhouses.
Post-implementation reviews of the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015, the most recent of which was published earlier this year, have confirmed that the legislation has met its objectives of improving welfare and providing assurance that slaughterhouses operate to high welfare standards.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 provide guidance on the collection of plastic plant pots by local authorities under the plastic waste stream, in accordance with Schedule 1, Part 4 of the Separation of Waste (England) Regulations.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Part 4 of Schedule 1 to The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 provides a list of plastics which are included in the recyclable plastic waste stream. This includes PE, PET and PP pots which are larger than 40x40mm and do not contain any pigment which prevents them from being near-infrared detectable (e.g. carbon black pigment) within the plastic recyclable waste stream.
Guidance has already been published to assist local authorities and other waste collectors and workplaces in implementing these requirements.
Defra engages regularly with local authority networks and will raise this matter with them, so they can communicate directly with their members about the legal requirement to collect this material.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 recycling rates of farm plastic.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition, and agrifood has been selected as one of the six priority areas that presents a significant opportunity for circular interventions to drive innovation, investment, and productivity.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 support farmers to recycle farm plastic.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy. The Government has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition, and agrifood has been selected as one of the six priority areas that presents a significant opportunity for circular interventions to drive innovation, investment, and productivity.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential merits inclusion of ponies in grazing densities under Countryside Stewardship schemes.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Including ponies in grazing density calculations ensures the total grazing pressure on a site is accurately assessed and aligned with sustainable levels for habitat recovery. This prevents the risk of underestimating grazing impacts, which could otherwise lead to overgrazing and damage to sensitive habitats. Including ponies also improves fairness and transparency, as all grazing animals are accounted for in stocking records. From an ecological perspective, ponies contribute significantly to vegetation management, so excluding them would distort management decisions.
Within Countryside Stewardship, ponies are recognised similarly to cattle and land grazed by them can attract agri‑environment payments, providing an incentive to maintain their presence. The scheme also treats resident ponies as a permanent feature, meaning they are exempt from stock removal requirements. Overall, this approach supports habitat recovery, helps maintain favourable condition on protected sites, and contributes to meeting wider environmental targets.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 ensure local authority recycling schemes accept non-black plant pots.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Part 4 of Schedule 1 to The Separation of Waste (England) Regulations 2024 provides a list of plastics which are included in the recyclable plastic waste stream. This includes PE, PET and PP pots which are larger than 40x40mm and do not contain any pigment which prevents them from being near-infrared detectable (e.g. carbon black pigment) within the plastic recyclable waste stream.
Defra engages regularly with local authority networks and will raise this matter with them, so they can communicate directly with their members about the legal requirement to collect this material.
We know that some local authorities will need longer to roll out changes beyond 31 March 2026 due to circumstances beyond their control, such as delivery timescales for collection vehicles and containers. In such circumstances, we expect local authorities to be taking all necessary steps within their control to progress and to keep their residents informed on timeframes for service changes. We continue to work with local authority waste networks and the wider industry, providing targeted support to help address the outstanding issues.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
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 ensure that all cases of suspected wildlife crimes against birds are fully investigated, in the context of the prevalence of highly pathogenic avian influenza.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra wants to see as many cases as possible of suspected wildlife crimes against birds fully investigated. The department supports the National Wildlife Crime Unit which helps prevent and detect wildlife crime and directly assists law enforcers in their investigations
Highly pathogenic avian influenza findings in wild birds can bring challenges where the carcase tests positive but where the bird has died in suspicious circumstances. In some cases, further post-mortem examination may not be possible due to the need to handle carcases at high containment facilities to protect public health and prevent spread of the virus.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) Diseases of Wildlife Scheme (DoWS) works closely with the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme (WIIS) which makes enquiries, where possible, into death or illness of wildlife that may have resulted from pesticide and rodenticide poisoning (including cases with suspected wildlife crime). When dead wild birds are submitted to APHA through the wild bird surveillance scheme and poisoning is suspected, where avian influenza has been negated, the case is subsequently investigated by DoWS in collaboration with WIIS, the police and other agencies as appropriate. In all other instances, further investigation is pursued where it is possible to handle carcases or samples at appropriate biocontainment levels.
Asked by: Caroline Voaden (Liberal Democrat - South Devon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure the timely completion of payments for Countryside Stewardship agreements.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) understands the importance of cashflow for farmers and rural businesses. For the 2025 scheme year they have once again paid a higher proportion of Countryside Stewardship payments earlier in the payment window.
The RPA has taken steps to improve the flow of payments for the schemes they deliver, and the Countryside Stewardship scheme continues to be administered with payment frequency and timeliness in mind.