Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to restore the Agricultural Workers’ Board.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We currently have no plans to restore the Agricultural Wages Board.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what evidential basis reducing the number of (a) Dartmoor ponies and (b) other livestock will effectively control overgrazing on Dartmoor.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All prospective Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme offers have been assessed for their potential impact against a range of environmental and cultural services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity indicators. These have included qualitative assessments, drawing upon expert opinion and evidence reviews, as well as quantitative assessments, drawing upon published datasets.
Through the new Countryside Stewardship Hier Tier offer we will be providing payment for grazing with both cattle and ponies and making both cattle and ponies eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. We are thereby removing the competition between the two as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We have also made it clear within the new offer that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, in recognition that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances.
We cannot, exclude either cattle or ponies from stocking density calculations. All livestock contribute to the overall grazing pressure exerted on moorland. On some moorland habitats (such as peatland), it is necessary to graze with low stocking densities to support habitat restoration and maintenance. If any livestock are excluded from the stocking density calculation, then over grazing would result. This would prevent us achieving desired improvements in habitat condition.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether new Sustainable Farming Incentives will take into account the potential impacts of grazing moorland on controlling monocultures.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers and land managers to carry out actions that support the sustainable production of food and boost farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and enhancing the environment. Upland farmers play a key role in delivering sustainable food production and our environmental targets.
We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer later this year.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 marine licensing on (a) conservation and (b) nature restoration.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The marine licensing regime plays a key role in the protection and conservation of the marine environment. All individual licence applications are assessed in line with Marine Plans and relevant nature legislation. Marine licensing aims to facilitate the sustainable use of the marine environment so that activities can be permitted whilst minimising any environmental impacts. Specific assessments may be required as part of a licence decision, depending on the activity and location, such as a Habitats Regulations Assessment or Environmental Impact Assessment, to determine whether a plan or proposal could have impacts on the marine environment, including on protected sites and species, and how such impacts will be managed.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 marine licensing on marine nature targets.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine licensing is an important enabler for meeting marine nature targets, including our Environment Improvement Plan targets to ensure that 70% of designated features in MPAs are in favourable condition by 2042 and the remainder in recovering condition, as well as protecting 30% of UK waters by 2030. The marine licensing regime supports the delivery of these targets through assessing the impacts of licensable activities on the environment before determining if a licence will be granted, along with determining how any impacts can be managed and mitigated where activities go ahead.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 tackle the health risks posed by (a) microplastics and (b) plastic-related toxins to (i) people and (ii) ecosystems.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. Defra published this report on 12 May 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments are considering its findings.
The Environment Agency (EA) has identified areas of key research that will assist policymakers in developing targeted, proportionate, and effective interventions to minimise the impacts of microplastics on the environment.
The EA continues to support the water industry and National Highways with microplastics investigations and options appraisal for minimising microplastics releases from infrastructure. Additional collaboration with academia ensures understanding of environmental risk and regulatory development is informed by strong scientific evidence.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to work with international partners to support lower-income countries in meeting Global Plastics Treaty obligations.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the importance of mobilising support for countries most in need to implement the agreement and that this is an essential element for an effective treaty to end plastic pollution.
The Government supports the use of the Global Environment Facility to support the implementation of the treaty – this will avoid further fragmentation of the environmental financial architecture and to allow for synergies with funding for the related challenges of climate and nature.
The UK has supported developing countries to attend the negotiations and regional consultation meetings, including through a £200,000 uplift ahead of INC-5.2, bringing the total of UK support for the treaty process to £2.2 million. The UK is also the largest donor (£20.5 million) to the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), which bring together governments, businesses, and civil society to tackle plastic pollution and increase investment in the circular economy in ODA-eligible countries. Members across GPAP’s networks have committed a total US$2.9 billion to plastic pollution initiatives as of March 2024.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK is taking steps to align its domestic circular economy strategy with the Global Plastics Treaty's likely obligations including (a) packaging reform and (b) waste reduction targets.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has set its plan for providing the direction and certainty for businesses to plan and spearhead the nation’s transition to a truly circular and future-proof economy. The first six priority sectors that the Circular Economy Taskforce will focus on have been confirmed – with chemicals & plastics one of the six.
Global action is critical for our domestic and international ambitions which is why at inc 5.2, we will continue to push for ambitious measures across the whole lifecycle of the treaty. After negotiations conclude we will reflect on what this means for our domestic policy to ensure the UK continues to show leadership domestically and on the international stage.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeframe is for making a decision on increasing the minimum landing size of Fal oysters.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra agreed to the proposal by the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority to increase the minimum landing size of Fal oysters on 21 July 2025. Cornwall IFCA has been informed and further engagement on this issue with relevant stakeholders will take place in the coming weeks.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 merits of a replacement to the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Legislation was introduced in July 2023 that prevents English Producer Organisations submitting new operational programmes and the extension of existing programmes that would end on or after 1 January 2026. This effectively closed the scheme in England.
Our approach to future funding for horticulture will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature, and we are going further to develop a 25-year farming roadmap to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.
Horticulture will also be considered within our new food strategy, to develop a food system that unlocks the food sector’s economic potential, strengthens food security, tackles obesity so we can give our children the best start in life, and protects our planet for future generations.