Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in light of the Foot and Mouth Outbreak in Cyprus, what restrictions are now in place for the movement of animals, food and agricultural products from Cyprus to the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Following the Government’s announcement on 20 February 2026, commercial import restrictions were applied to high-risk FMD-susceptible commodities, including live animals, germplasm, fresh meat, untreated meat products, untreated milk and dairy, hay and straw, and relevant animal by-products.
Personal imports of cattle, sheep, goat and pig meat, and dairy products from EU countries into Great Britain have been banned since April 2025 to protect livestock health, farmers and UK food security.
These safeguard measures will continue to apply until they are revoked or amended. Further detail is set out on GOV.UK: Official veterinary surgeon (OVS) notes - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in light of the Foot and Mouth Outbreak in Cyprus, what additional biosecurity measures are in place for people travelling to the UK from Cyprus.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra banned personal imports of pig and ruminant meat and dairy products from the EU into England in April 2025. The ban remains in place. Equivalent measures are in place in Wales and Scotland.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what animals, food and agricultural products were moving from Cyprus to the UK a) prior to the UK Government announcement on 20/2/26 of the Foot and Mouth Outbreak and b) after the announcement on 20/2/26.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There have been no imports of live ruminant or porcine animals from Cyprus to Great Britain in the past five years. Recorded trade in this time frame consisted of certain products of animal origin derived from FMD-susceptible species, such as pasteurised cheese and other heat-treated dairy products, which meet the relevant sanitary import requirements.
After the announcement there have continued to be no imports of live ruminant or porcine animals. Imports of products that meet the required heat-treatment standards and are considered safe for trade, such as pasteurised dairy products, remain permitted in line with the applicable import conditions.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 Foot and Mouth in Cyprus on the UK.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra’s preliminary outbreak assessment for foot and mouth disease (FMD) in Cyprus concludes that the risk of introduction of the disease into Great Britain remains low.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 businesses that have withdrawn from the Better Chicken Commitment on the sourcing of chickens that ensures the highest animal welfare standards.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department continues to engage with key stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare. As set out in the animal welfare strategy, the government remains committed to supporting a move away from the use of fast-growing breeds of meat chickens.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 recent withdrawal of companies from the Better Chicken Commitment on the welfare of farmed chickens.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the animal welfare strategy, the Government remains committed to supporting a move away from the use of fast-growing breeds of meat chickens. We welcome the fact that those supermarkets who made Better Chicken Commitment pledges have fulfilled them, but it is disappointing to hear of the decision of various restaurant groups to withdraw their commitments to improve animal welfare in this way.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 help tackle the crime of fly tipping in Epping Forest.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local councils are responsible for tackling fly-tipping in their area and have a range of enforcement powers to help them do so. These include fixed penalty notices of up to £1000 and prosecution action. The Government is taking steps to develop statutory fly-tipping enforcement guidance to support councils to effectively exercise their existing powers. We are also reviewing council powers to seize and crush vehicles of fly-tippers, to identify how we could better help them use this tool.
Defra chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping.
In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course.
The Environment Agency regulates large scale fly-tips that meet the criteria of being over 20 tonnes, consist of hazardous material, or are linked to organised crime. Within the Epping Forest constituency, there are not currently any reports of large-scale fly-tips that meet these criteria. It is worth noting that there are two illegal waste sites where active clearing is currently taking place under the guidance of the Environment Agency.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential merits of providing further funding for its planned National Biosecurity Centre to meet the required level of funding specified in the National Audit Office's Improving the UK’s science capability for managing animal diseases Report in 2022.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra received the funding it requested in the current Spending Review to 2029-30 for the next stage of the National Biosecurity Centre, Weybridge Programme. Programme delivery is on track and in line with Government Project Delivery Functional Standards. Further funding in future Spending Reviews will be requested to secure operational delivery of the new facility by 2034.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 support animal rescue and rehoming centres.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, Defra will launch a consultation on licensing domestic rescue and rehoming organisations. The consultation will include a consideration of the potential impacts on the sector.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what she is taking to help support the enforcement of legislation on the compulsory microchipping of (a) cats and (b) dogs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities and the police have powers to enforce breaches of the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023.
It will be for each local authority and police force to determine on a case-by-case basis whether enforcement action is proportionate.