Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to put in place a mechanism that would allow common land to be entered into Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements for 2026.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the important role that common land and its commoners play in delivering environmental outcomes across these important and iconic landscapes. The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is currently assessing how applications on common land can access Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier and is actively exploring both on and off system options, testing feasibility. Once this assessment is complete, the RPA will engage external stakeholders to discuss their planned approach, including any implications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on developing a cross-government strategy to help tackle rural poverty.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra Ministers regularly engage with other Government departments on a range of issues impacting rural communities.
In April 2025, Defra established a Rural Taskforce to better understand how government can support rural businesses and communities, tackle rural disadvantage, and unlock the potential of the rural economy. The Taskforce brought together Government departments and external partners to consider the potential opportunities and challenges in rural areas for delivering growth and supporting sustainable rural communities.
The Rural Taskforce delivered recommendations on how Government can deliver on its ambition for thriving, inclusive and sustainable rural communities by 2030. This will feed into a report which Defra intends to publish in the coming months.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
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 review the designated bathing waters framework.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A review of the Bathing Waters Regulations (2013) was undertaken in 2024-25. Following a consultation on potential reforms to the regulations from November-December 2024, the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025 came into force on 21 November 2025. Defra will continue to keep the implementation of the regulations under review.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the current status is of work to develop or introduce a recreational water status in England.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In our response to the consultation on amending the Bathing Water 2013 Regulations at the end of 2024, the Government noted the support for expanding the definition of a bather to include other recreational water users. Work has begun on an evidence review to consider the environmental and public health implications of any change.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
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 considering piloting a recreational water status.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In our response to the consultation on amending the Bathing Water 2013 Regulations at the end of 2024, the Government noted the support for expanding the definition of a bather to include other recreational water users. Work has begun on an evidence review to consider the environmental and public health implications of any change.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent data the Government holds on the number of horses seized in connection with illegal export or smuggling in the last three years; and what steps are being taken to prevent horse smuggling.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is an offence to export horses from Great Britain for slaughter under the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024. Through The Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Enforcement Regulations 2024, we have provided the Animal and Plant Health Agency and local authorities with the powers necessary to act against any non-compliance. We are working closely with industry to explore further measures to strengthen implementation of the ban for horses.
Since the ban came into force in July 2024, we have intercepted one consignment of 20 horses at Dover suspected of being exported for the slaughter market. Regulatory action was taken against the transporter involved and the abandoned horses rehomed by a charity.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department is considering a mandatory digital equine identification system.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and to improving equine identification and traceability. The Department has no current plans to implement mandatory digital identification, but Defra officials remain in close contact with industry to look at potential improvements.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to provide (a) guidance and (b) support to farmers on water efficiency measures to help protect future food supply.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra works closely with the Environment Agency on water resourcing and smart farming.
The Environment Agency’s recently published National Framework for Water Resources sets out how water efficiency is being promoted in collaboration with farmers and growers. Smart farming makes use of technology to help to make better use of water when it is available and better protect the environment when it is not. By using technology to understand where and when water is needed, to ensure every drop can be made to count.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with farming representatives on the potential impact of water security on domestic food supply.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency’s recently published National Framework for Water Resources sets out the pressures on each of the water using sectors, including the food industry. It sets out how we are engaging with the sector and promotes actions to support the sector as it adapts to growing pressure on water resources. This includes establishing collaborative Water Abstractor Groups, helping to identify options to improve water supply resilience and the promotion of smart farming.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
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 impact of Environment Agency regulation on farm reservoirs, and what steps her Department is taking to ensure that on-farm water storage can be developed (a) effectively and (b) safely to support food production.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The National Framework for Water Resources sets out the potential scale of action to secure sustainable levels of abstraction.
Many abstraction licences reservoirs are sustainable because they include conditions to protect the water environment. If not, the Environment Agency works collaboratively with abstractors to identify solutions, potentially removing the need for changes to abstraction licences, aiming to work with licence holders to allow adaptative measures to be implemented first where legally possible.
Reservoir safety regulation concerns ensuring reservoirs, their dams and embankments are safe. Government will consult on proposals to reform reservoir safety regulation, including tailoring requirements closer to the level of hazard.
Government supports farmers and growers with a Defra-funded programme of Local Resource Option studies to help them identify, screen and rank options to improve water supply resilience.