Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 document entitled The UK's Modern Industrial Strategy, published on 23 June 2025, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential impact of agri-tech on economic growth in rural areas.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers and officials from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) worked closely with the Department for Business and Trade (DBT) to develop the UK’s Modern Industrial Strategy, such as on the inclusion of agri-tech to support growth of the agri-tech sector and its impact in rural areas. Ministers and officials within Defra will continue to liaise on implementation of commitments within the plan, and more broadly on agri-tech. Agri-tech sector growth will help to diversify rural economies, reduce regional inequalities and support food security. Agri-tech businesses are located across the country and growth will also enable new high skilled jobs to be created in rural areas.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 his Department has made of the potential impact of extreme heat and drought on harvest forecasts for summer 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not forecast harvest yields. However, the UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group monitors, alongside other issues, the impact of heat and drought on agricultural markets across the UK, while continuing to develop our understanding and analysis of the longer term impacts of extreme weather and climate change on farming.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers in Wiltshire to (a) retain soil moisture and (b) protect (i) crops and (ii) livestock from high temperatures.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is aware of current concerns around ongoing dry conditions, including in Wiltshire, and continues to closely monitor the situation.
Defra has provided support through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI), where many farmers are carrying out actions that support soil management including cover cropping, companion cropping, and planting herbal leys which can help protect the soil surface and help improve soil structure and resilience to drought. We are now considering options for a reformed SFI scheme.
Defra’s Farming Equipment and Technology Fund provides grants for commercial livestock farmers towards the cost of a list of items that deliver improvements in animal health and welfare. The latest round launched in May 2025 with a budget of £16.7m and includes kit intended to specifically target heat stress such as cooling systems and fans.
The Environment Agency has produced an updated irrigation prospects report for summer 2025 to inform the agriculture sector of the current water resources situation, to help farmers plan their water needs for summer and improve their water resilience in the longer term.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to allocate additional resources to help rural and farming communities adapt to increased drought risk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) has produced an updated irrigation prospects report for summer 2025. The report provides options to support irrigators now and in the longer term.
The updated irrigation prospects across England for the summer season is ‘moderate’. If the dry weather continues, irrigation supplies are at risk, especially where farm reservoirs have been depleted over the spring. Reduced irrigation may impact on crops.
Options to support irrigators this summer include following good irrigation practice, signing up to managing water abstraction and impoundment licences online, and discussing short-term options with the EA for improving access to water (e.g. water rights trading).
One way to increase longer-term water supply resilience is to apply for a local water resources options screening study – for which applications are now open. The EA also encourage the sector to establish Water Abstractor Groups to work together to plan for their future water needs.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 his Department has made of the effectiveness of Extended Producer Responsibility schemes in incentivising circular product design.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) schemes are internationally recognised as effective tools for promoting more sustainable product design. As part of the development of packaging EPR (pEPR) scheme, we have engaged with industry stakeholders to better understand how it can incentivise circular design principles. The introduction of modulation from year two of pEPR will benefit the most recyclable materials by providing a fee discount. In contrast, less recyclable alternatives will incur an increased fee. Producers can respond to these fee-based incentives and make their packaging easier to reuse or recycle, further, they can adapt design so that less packaging is used. A full assessment, beyond the impact assessment, has not yet been made.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 his Department has made of the potential economic merits of implementing circular economy models in the UK.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has committed to transitioning to a circular economy to improve lives up and down the country, grow our economy, and protect our environment for generations to come. Recent economic modelling of illustrative measures suggests we could grow GDP in England by 0.8% over 15 years, deliver green jobs, promote efficient and productive use of resources, minimise negative environmental impacts and accelerate to Net Zero.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to promote the transition to a circular economy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy and has convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help develop the first ever Circular Economy Strategy for England, for which we plan to publish for consultation in the coming autumn.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
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 support the commercialisation of circular economy innovations in UK supply chains.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises that commercialising circular economy innovations in UK supply chains is critical to driving genuine circular change and economic growth. In taking a whole-economy approach, the Circular Economy Taskforce will consider how the Government can support innovation, particularly at scale, as it develops the Circular Economy Strategy for England.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the £2.65 billion allocated under the Government’s flood defence investment programme is being directed to flood mitigation schemes in Wiltshire.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We’re investing a record £2.65 billion in 2024/25 and 2025/26 to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The full list of over 700 schemes to benefit from fresh funding this year was announced on 31 March and can be found here.
Asked by: Sarah Gibson (Liberal Democrat - Chippenham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of flooding incidents reported in Wiltshire (a) since 2020 and (b) each of the previous five-year periods.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since 2010, the Wiltshire Council area has experienced multiple flood incidents that have required the response of the Environment Agency and other Flood Risk Authorities. This included widespread flooding during 2023/24, resulting in two-thirds of towns and parishes in the county being flooded and over 450 properties flooded. Flooding was also particularly acute during 2012-2014, with heavy rain and ten storms experienced between October 2013 and February 2014.
Projects such as Salisbury River Park, that helps to better protect 350 properties from flooding, and property flood resilience measures that were installed in areas such as Dauntsey in 2015, help to create more flood resilient communities.