Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
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 on UK agricultural innovation and environmental protection of the closure of the Silsoe Spray Applications Unit.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the role that Silsoe Spray Applications Unit (SSAU) has played in supporting precision agriculture and innovation to the UK’s agri-food sector. Whilst the closure of SSAU reduces capability in the UK, alternative facilities with comparable infrastructure are available internationally to the UK pesticides sector.
The Government’s Modern Industrial Strategy commits over £200 million to the Farming Innovation Programme (FIP) up to 2030, with over £180m so far awarded to projects to support Agri-Technology research and innovation. The current round of the FIP Accelerating Development of Practices and Technologies (ADOPT) fund is currently open and closes 3rd June 2026 with further rounds opening from 4th June.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential (a) economic and (b) employment impact of Natural England’s current approach to licensing gamebird releases in Special Protected Areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A post-implementation review was conducted in 2024. It recommended that the Order should remain in force. This is until Defra can conclude that unregulated gamebird release does not have a significant effect on the conservation objectives of a European site. Alternatively, it would remain in force until viable options for monitoring and regulating gamebird release are identified.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
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 plans to take to assess the potential (a) employment, (b) tourism, (c) wider supply chains and (d) other (i) economic and (ii) conservation losses for rural economies of any proposed licensing conditions for recreational gamebird shooting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials will begin with evidence gathering and any proposed changes will be subject to public consultation. Defra is committed to working with the sector and other stakeholder groups as this work progresses.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for (a) evidence gathering and (b) consultation around licensing for gamebird release; and what steps the Department plans to take ensure that the process is reflective of views across the (i) shooting and (ii) conservation sectors.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials will begin with evidence gathering and any proposed changes will be subject to public consultation. Defra is committed to working with the sector and other stakeholder groups as this work progresses.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department had with (a) rural groups and (b) the shooting sector ahead of announcing her intention to explore licensing for gamebird shoots in England.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials will begin with evidence gathering and any proposed changes will be subject to public consultation. Defra is committed to working with the sector and other stakeholder groups as this work progresses.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what lessons Natural England has drawn from the performance of its nutrient mitigation scheme when designing its Environmental Delivery Plans and its future management of the nature restoration fund.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England's Nutrient Mitigation Scheme (NMS) demonstrates the value of a strategic, catchment-level approach over site-by-site mitigation. Environmental Delivery Plans (EDPs) will build on this approach with Natural England’s NRF and NMS teams working collaboratively to consider best practices including the value of working with local stakeholders to identify and deliver solutions that have the greatest impact and secure value for money. The Government has committed to returning to Parliament once the first nutrient EDPs are made to provide a statement on initial learnings. EDPs covering other environmental issues will only be made after Parliament has considered that statement.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much public funding was allocated to Natural England for its nutrient mitigation scheme in 2022.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2022/23 the (then) Government allocated £30 million over three years to Natural England for the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. Natural England used this to prepare, facilitate and administer a scheme in accordance with the Secretary of State Direction (see here) to address development pressures in catchments where the scheme could deliver the most impact.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps Natural England is taking to recover the costs of its nutrient mitigation scheme against its commitment that the scheme would be cost neutral to the public purse; and if he will publish the most recent figures for the scheme's total costs and income to date.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The pricing of nutrient credits is set in line with Managing Public Money to achieve full cost recovery. Natural England publishes financial statements in line with statutory requirements in its annual report and accounts. The annual report and accounts for the year-ending 31 March 2025 will be published once they have been certified by the Comptroller & Auditor General.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the minutes of the Natural England Board Meeting of 30 July, in which the Chief Executive noted that nutrient mitigation risks remain significant, what the nature of those risks is; whether they are financial or environmental; and if he will publish any documents held by Natural England that clarify the nature of those risks.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The nutrient mitigation risk being referred to by our Chief Executive as referenced in the Board minutes of 30 July 2025, concerns the inherent uncertainties in predicting future mitigation demand from development and the costs of securing appropriate mitigation from third party suppliers within the financial modelling for the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme. Natural England has continued to work with central government to ensure we have the right skills and capacity to undertake financial modelling work of this kind.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much her Department has spent on flood defence investment in each year since 2021; what proportion of that annual spending was allocated to (a) Environment Agency capital schemes and (b) Environment Agency grant in aid schemes delivered by (i) local authorities and (ii) other risk management authorities; and how many properties were better protected in each of those years.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On March 17th, Minister Hardy announced that this Government is investing £1.4 billion into flood risk management in England in 2026/27. Flood defence investment allocations for schemes benefitting are published on gov.uk here: Programme of flood and coastal erosion risk management (FCERM) schemes - GOV.UK .
Flood and coastal erosion risk management report.