Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
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 fish-eating birds on inland fish populations; how predation by fish-eating birds is considered alongside other factors affecting the health and abundance of fish populations in rivers; and whether she plans to review licensing and management arrangements relating to population control for fish-eating birds.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra, the Environment Agency and Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science assessed the range of pressures affecting English Atlantic salmon stocks in 2025. This considered predation by fish-eating birds, seals and other fish alongside wider pressures such as climate change, water quality and habitat degradation. We are now prioritising actions relating to water quantity and habitats which should make fish stocks more resilient against predation.
Under current legislation and Defra policy, Natural England issue licences to take action where cormorant predation is impacting fisheries, balanced with the latest information on cormorant populations to ensure that action is sustainable. Licensed control of cormorants continues to be appraised and revised by Natural England so it is proportionate and meets fishery protection needs.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
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 prevent Scottish biodegradable municipal waste from being shipped to (a) English border constituencies and (b) other English constituencies, in the context of the Scottish Government's forthcoming ban on disposing of such waste in Scottish landfill sites.
Answered by Mary Creagh
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the Rt. Hon. Member for Aldridge-Brownhills, Wendy Morton, on 11 July 2025, PQ UIN 65784.
Asked by: Julie Minns (Labour - Carlisle)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which properties received Farming Recovery payments in Carlisle and North Cumbria constituency in each of the last five years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Rural Payments Agency can confirm that no payments were made to properties under the Farming Recovery payments in Carlisle and North Cumbria constituency in each of the last five years.