Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 implications for her policies of reports that veterinary practices in Northern Ireland are experiencing difficulties obtaining diagnostic equipment and replacement components.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has not received reports of any issues with the supply of diagnostic equipment or replacement components to veterinary practices in Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 representatives of the veterinary pharmaceutical industry on ensuring the continued supply of veterinary medicines to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There has been minimal disruption to supply of veterinary medicines as a result of the end of the Grace Period.
Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) officials regularly engage with representatives of the pharmaceutical industry to identify and resolve any issues and facilitate long term medicines supply to Northern Ireland.
Officials continue to monitor the situation closely via the Supply Co-ordination forum Defra set up earlier this year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 secure a long-term agreement on veterinary medicines for Northern Ireland following the implementation of the Windsor Framework.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following transition to the full implementation of veterinary medicines arrangements in Northern Ireland from 1 January this year, Northern Ireland's farming sector and veterinary practitioners have largely maintained access to the same products as in the rest of the UK, with some regional variation as there has always been. In a very small number of cases, we have used schemes, such as the Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme, to resolve issues. We continue to monitor this, including through engagement with industry and, as on all Windsor Framework matters, the EU.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 the Windsor Framework on the availability of veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There has been minimal disruption to the supply of veterinary medicines following the end of the Grace Period.
Northern Ireland’s farmers, pet owners and veterinary practitioners have largely maintained access to the same products as before.
Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) officials continue to monitor the situation closely via the Supply Co-ordination forum set up earlier this year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures are in place to monitor (a) food fraud and (b) mislabelling in (i) retail and (ii) wholesale markets.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) National Food Crime Unit monitors UK food fraud through intelligence-led analysis, which supports the shaping of targeted food fraud investigations.
Defra officials and the FSA work closely with local authority food teams who enforce food labelling rules across England, Wales and Northern Ireland, to address labels that may be misleading or non-compliant.
Where there is a public health risk, the FSA issues alerts and product recalls to protect the public. Trading Standards and Environmental Health officers undertake inspections and sampling at both retail and wholesale premises and have powers to take enforcement action where necessary.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had discussions with intentional partners on the effectiveness of animal welfare inspections in abattoirs.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government works in international fora, such as the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) to champion the importance of high standards of animal welfare and promote best practice, including on welfare at slaughter.
The Government also works collaboratively with international partners bilaterally to promote high welfare standards, including at slaughter; explore opportunities for sharing approaches that have worked well; and collaborate on mutually held challenges.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 with intentional partners to (a) support sustainable fisheries and (b) protect marine biodiversity.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On sustainable fisheries, Defra is actively engaged throughout the UN system working with a range of countries to promote sustainable management and improved international governance of fisheries. We are also a member of five Regional Fisheries Management Organisations, where we again work with other members to deliver sustainable outcomes. In addition, Defra undertakes a range of direct engagement with the EU, Norway, and other Coastal States in the Northeast Atlantic, which includes a series of annual negotiations focused on determining sustainable fishing opportunities. We are also working closely with partners at the World Trade Organisation to deliver UN Sustainable Development Goal 14.6, which aims to prohibit those fisheries subsidies that contribute to overcapacity and overfishing.
On protecting the marine biodiversity, Defra is actively engaged in global action to tackle the shared challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution, through global and regional intergovernmental agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. Defra and FCDO drive progress on international ocean governance by working in partnership with other countries, especially small island developing states (SIDS). UK Official Development Assistance supports action for people and nature through the Blue Planet Fund. We also work through a range of partnerships to deliver on shared objectives including the global target to effectively conserve and manage 30% of land and 30% of ocean by 2030; and to build momentum towards a sustainable ocean economy.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures she is taking with international partners to enforce international legislation protecting endangered wildlife species.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The UK works closely with international partners to support the protection of endangered wildlife species at home and abroad through global agreements and cooperation mechanisms. We are an active Party to key multilateral environmental agreements, including the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and Ramsar.
Through these frameworks, the UK supports effective implementation, works with partners to strengthen compliance, and contributes to collective action to address key threats, including habitat loss and illegal wildlife trade. We also support these efforts through international biodiversity funding programmes, such as the Darwin Initiative and the Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund, which support protected areas and action to tackle illegal wildlife trade, including strengthening enforcement and legal frameworks.
Domestically, we implement these commitments through robust legislation and enforcement, including collaboration with international enforcement networks.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 climate change on UK crop yields.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Defra-funded Food, Farming & Natural Environment Climate Service develops evidence on climate adaptation to strengthen the resilience of the agri-food sector. Defra’s crop genetic improvement platform also funds crop breeding R&D to identify genetic traits to improve UK crop resilience in the context of a changing climate.
The National Adaptation Programme sets out government actions to help adapt to the impacts of climate change in England, including in the food and farming sector. 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: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the welfare of farmed animals in England.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In December 2025, Defra published The Animal Welfare Strategy for England, a comprehensive package of reforms designed to enhance the lives of millions of animals, including farmed animals. The Government continues to make progress towards delivering the commitments set out in the strategy.