Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 ensure that public sector food procurement meets the proposed requirement for 50% of food spend to meet higher environmental and welfare standards.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has already published a new national procurement policy statement which sets expectations for government contracts to favour products certified to high environmental standards that British producers are well-placed to meet.
Data collection on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local sustainable sources is currently underway. We expect the work to be completed by Summer 2027.
Defra is considering the policy options available to deliver further on its ambitions for public sector food, including potentially updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 introducing clearer country-of-origin and method-of-production food labelling to support higher animal welfare standards since the Government response to the Fairer Food Labelling consultation.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Government’s animal welfare strategy, and the Farming Roadmap published in June 2026, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how and where their food was produced.
To support this, we will continue working with relevant stakeholders, including the farming and food industry, scientists and NGOs to explore how improved animal welfare food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency, support farmers and promote better animal welfare. We will set out next steps in due course.
We will also continue to review origin labelling, using the outcomes of the Fairer Food Labelling consultation as supporting evidence for future labelling policy.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which public bodies will be required to comply with the revised Government Buying Standards for food and catering services.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is considering the policy options available to deliver further on its ambitions for public sector food, including potentially updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Defra has not yet made any decisions on the content, scope, application or implementation of any future changes.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 she has made on updating Government Buying Standards relating to food procurement.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is considering the policy options available to deliver further on its ambitions for public sector food, including potentially updating the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services.
Defra has not yet made any decisions on the content, scope, application or implementation of any future changes.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 bring forward regulations under the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.
Answered by Stephen Morgan - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of future bans on the advertising and offering for sale, in England and Northern Ireland, of low-welfare animal activities taking place abroad.
As set out in the animal welfare strategy published in December 2025, Defra is continuing to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to stop the advertising of low-welfare animal activities abroad and will set out next steps in due course.
In the meantime, the department encourages all parties who interact with tourists to consider how they can use those opportunities to raise awareness of low-welfare animal activities and promote responsible tourism choices.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy will include proposals to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility for the textiles sector.
Answered by Mary Creagh
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy.
I cannot pre-empt the publication of the Growth Plan by speaking to specific measures on the roadmaps, however we have considered system-wide opportunities and end-to-end value chains, including for textiles.
The ambitions and transition that will be set out in the Growth Plan represent a systemic change, informed by extensive engagement with industry leaders, trade associations, and a breadth of key stakeholder interests across sectors. It is fundamental to ensure that our ambition to realise this circular transition reflects the needs and insights of all involved, set in the context of the Government's priorities as set out in the Plan for Change.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 are being taken to support stable governance for private investment in nature markets.
Answered by Mary Creagh
The Government is committed to scaling stable, high integrity markets to mobilise investment in nature recovery and sustainable farming. As detailed in the Summary of Responses to the consultation on Voluntary Carbon and Nature Market integrity, simple and proportionate guardrails, supported by and co-created with business, are critical in ensuring these markets develop with integrity.
We are actively exploring opportunities to streamline and strengthen nature market governance, building on the work of the UK Nature Investment Standards, sponsored by Defra and led by the British Standards Institution. The standards provide clear, consistent, consensus-based criteria for high integrity nature markets, with two new market standards for the supply of biodiversity and nutrient reduction benefits launched in March. The Government also signalled that suppliers should self-assess against the standards for a minimum period of two years while the market matures, during which time we will take steps to move towards accredited, independent certification.
These are critical steps in transitioning to a high-integrity governance framework for UK nature markets, alongside which we are also considering options for proportionate market oversight and coordination. This includes exploration of a potential business-led market oversight pilot, following the recommendations from Dan Corry's independent review of environmental regulation last year.
Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments to ensure, as far as possible, a consistent framework for nature markets for use across the UK, including in the South East of England.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 support the scaling up of innovative, low-cost technologies, including fungal filtration, to reduce pollutants such as E. coli, phosphorus and nitrogen in rivers and agricultural runoff.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Funding for Environmental Land Management Schemes will increase by 150% from £800 million in 23/24 to £2 billion by 28/29 and we are working actively to target this to help address water pollution, protect nature, and support thriving biodiversity across our landscapes. Innovation and systems change - for example, providing £63 million worth of grants in 2025 -2026 to spark innovation and develop solutions through the Farming Innovation Programme.
Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) is designed to address the specific needs of each farm, offering local expert advice, training, and grant support that benefit water quality, such as fencing to prevent livestock from entering watercourses, and improving drainage systems to manage runoff more effectively.
Defra will soon launch a free-to-use, nutrient management planning tool for Great Britain (NMPT-GB) for farmers and advisers over this winter. The tool will help them to plan and manage nutrient use on their land.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Circular Economy Growth Plan will be published.
Answered by Mary Creagh
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy.
We intend to publish the Circular Economy Growth Plan soon. The Plan will set out how the Government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy. Meanwhile we continue to push forward new policy and delivery to deliver on the Government’s circular economy ambitions.
Asked by: Kerry McCarthy (Labour - Bristol 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 ensure that expertise in sustainability, agroecology, and nature friendly farming is incorporated into the development of the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government is committed to ensuring that the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan integrates expertise in sustainability, agroecology and nature friendly farming. This expertise will shape the plan’s approach to productivity, innovation and nature friendly farming, including the transition away from peat. Delivering this transition will require the appropriate primary legislative and supporting mechanisms to be in place to provide a clear and enforceable basis.
The establishment of the new Farming and Food Partnership Board and its oversight of sector growth plans is a key part of that process. Following its first meeting, the Board has invited the Horticulture Expert Growers Group to work with the Fruit & Veg Coalition and the Environmental Horticulture Group and immediately begin work on the first Sector Growth Plan for the horticultural sector. This will ensure that the expertise and insights of the horticultural industry are fully considered by the Board.