Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she will introduce secondary legislation under the Environment Act 2021 for due diligence rules for forest-risk commodities.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is actively considering the best regulatory approach to address deforestation in UK supply chains; we will set out this approach in due course.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 (a) farmers and (b) exporters are protected from unfair supermarket practices not covered by the (i) Groceries Code Adjudicator and (ii) Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) is responsible for enforcing regulations developed under the Agriculture Act 2020 'Fair Dealing' powers (section 29). Regulations introduced using these powers promote fair contractual dealing and contribute to a more equitable relationship between producers and purchasers. To date, the powers have been used to create the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 and the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025.
The ASCA can investigate relevant complaints around compliance with these regulations. This is distinct from the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), which regulates the relationship between large retailers and their direct suppliers.
The Government is committed to an evidence-based approach to regulating the supply chain and providing opportunities to assess the effectiveness of the approach.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 21 February 2025 to Question 32775 on Swifts: Conservation, what recent progress has been made in those discussions; and what steps she is taking to help increase uptake.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra policy officials continue to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government colleagues on swift brick policy, alongside wider nature and planning matters.
As part of our work to develop a set of national planning policies for decision making, the Government intends to consult on changes which require swift bricks to be incorporated into new buildings unless there are compelling reasons which preclude their use, or which would make them ineffective. This would strengthen significantly the planning policy expectations already in place, meaning – for example – that we would expect to see at least one swift brick in all new brick-built houses.
As an interim step ahead of the consultation, we have published updated Planning Practice Guidance setting out how swift bricks are expected to be used in new development, and signposting to further guidance including the British Industry Standard, Part 2 of the National Model Design Code, the Future Homes Hub Homes for Nature Guidance, and the RSPB’s Guide to Nestboxes.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support an international agreement that includes targets to reduce plastic production ahead of the next round of Global Plastics Treaty negotiations in August 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to reaching an agreement on a global legally binding treaty to end plastic pollution when negotiations resume in August 2025. At the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on a treaty to end plastic pollution, the UK endorsed a statement calling for all countries to commit to achieving sustainable levels of primary plastic production and for a global target. Ahead of negotiations we are engaging with other countries to push for an effective treaty that addresses the full lifecycle of plastic, including sustainable production and consumption.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 ensure local authorities have (a) clear guidance and (b) funding to meet the March 2026 deadline for collecting (i) food, (ii) drink, (iii) liquid cartons and (iv) other core recyclable materials under Simpler Recycling reforms.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have published guidance to assist local authorities, other waste collectors and workplaces implement the Simpler Recycling requirements on GOV.UK. This includes guidance on:
We welcome stakeholder feedback, and we are working with our networks of local authority and waste collector stakeholders, as well as sector experts the Waste and Resources Action Programme, to identify and develop additional guidance where appropriate.
Regarding funding, Extended Producer Responsibility payments will be provided to local authorities for the costs of collecting and managing household packaging waste through efficient and effective services. This includes the collection of additional packaging materials for recycling such as plastic films and flexibles.
We have provided local authorities in England with £261.66 million in capital and £56.2 million in resource funding for the 2023/24 and 2024/25 financial years for the weekly collection of food waste from households. A second resource funding payment will be provided in the 2025/26 financial year. Ongoing resource funding from 1 April 2026 is subject to an agreement through a further spending review.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to introduce a closed season for hare shooting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only, with the potential for relevant policy to extend and apply to Wales.
While the Government has no immediate plan to introduce a close season for hares in England, the policy remains under consideration as part of the Government’s plans to introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on plans to ban the import of hunting trophies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government committed to banning the import of hunting trophies in its Manifesto. We intend to deliver on this and are currently considering the most effective way to do so.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve sustainable fishing.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Protecting and, where necessary, recovering our fish stocks is a priority for this Government, because fish is food and food security is national security. It is also committed to restoring and protecting nature at sea as well as on land. The Government is making progress delivering Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs) which set out how to maintain or restore fish stocks to sustainable levels. The sixth Defra-led FMP was published on 10 October, with consultations launched on a further five draft FMPs too.
Through fisheries negotiations with our international partners, our objective is to set Total Allowable Catches in line with the best available scientific advice to ensure that stocks are managed over the long term within sustainable limits. We are also introducing other fisheries management reforms domestically, including, for example, the introduction of Remote Electronic Monitoring, and action to reduce incidental bycatch in our fisheries.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 is participating in the fourth session of negotiations on a global plastics treaty in Ottawa that began on 23 April 2024.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Department participated in the fourth session of negotiations on a global plastics treaty in Ottawa. Officials from Defra attended the fourth session of negotiations to develop a global plastics pollution treaty, and I attended the high-level segment hosted by Canada ahead of the start of formal negotiations. The UK’s negotiating mandate covers the relevant policy from across Government departments and we continue to strongly support the active and meaningful participation of stakeholders, including UK businesses, at all stages of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process. As a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, the UK remains committed to securing an ambitious treaty by the end of 2024 that includes measures to address plastic pollution across the full lifecycle of plastic. We continue to work closely with other member states and stakeholders at, and beyond, the fourth session of the INC to advance negotiations and pave the way for a historic agreement.
Asked by: Fabian Hamilton (Labour - Leeds North East)
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 (a) fish and (b) other wildlife from being (i) injured and (ii) killed in the waterways surrounding Hinkley Point C.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Defra relies on its Arms-Length Bodies to advise on the impact of major infrastructure projects such as Hinkley C. Mitigations for potential harms to fish and wildlife are agreed as part of the Development Consent Order process.
In line with this, potential impacts upon fish species and other wildlife in the surrounding waterways were assessed prior to the power station being granted a Development Consent Order and associated Environmental Permits. Mitigations agreed include the management and monitoring of impacts associated with noise, visual and light disturbance to wildlife; entrapment of fish from the cooling water system; and water discharge activity.