Lord Hart of Tenby

This Government is committed to protecting our rural communities, as well as tackling crimes that predominantly affect these communities, such as machinery theft. Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecutors work closely with local police officers and officers from the National Wildlife Crime Unit to tackle all types of rural crime.

The CPS provides legal guidance on Rural crime, which is available to all its prosecutors, to assist them in dealing with these cases. They also provide specialist training to ensure that its prosecutors have the expert knowledge needed to prosecute these crimes.

The CPS does not hold any central record of prosecutions for crimes recorded in either rural or urban areas. In the most recent twelve months (ending March 2025) the CPS completed prosecutions in respect of 449,573 defendants and to identify which of these prosecutions relate to criminal activity in rural or urban locations would require a manual review of each case and this would be at a disproportionate cost.

The National Police Chiefs’ Council Wildlife and Rural Crime Strategy 2025 - 2028 provides a framework through which policing, and its partners, can work together to provide a dedicated and tailored support for rural communities and those who live and work within them. This strategy is a key step in our mission to deliver safer streets applies to all communities, urban and rural, across the country

The refining sector is a vital part of the UK’s economy, and the Government is determined to work with industry to ensure UK refineries remain internationally competitive. That is why this Government has announced an urgent review of the methodology for the Energy Intensive Industries Compensation Scheme, helping to assess future coverage for the sector.

We have also invested in carbon capture, usage and storage projects and implemented the Sustainable Aviation Fuel Mandate, enabling the refining sector to maximise the opportunities created by the clean energy transition.

My Honourable Friend Minister Shanks met the refinery sector in June to discuss these issues and will continue to engage with the industry to address long-standing issues.

The Government does not hold information on how many Greenland white-fronted geese have been shot accidentally in England in the open season for European white-fronted geese in the last ten years. The published Conservation Brief for the Agreement on the Conservation of African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds (AEWA) International Single Species Action Plan for the Conservation of the Greenland White-fronted Goose makes clear that “accidental take remains a risk in England where European whitefronts remain a quarry species.”

Natural England (NE) provided an evidence dossier for the European white-fronted goose as part of a recent government consultation. While the dossier notes Grindon Lough as a site where Greenland white-fronted geese overwinter, Grindon Lough is not an SSSI and neither NE nor the Government holds information on how many European white-fronted geese have been shot at this location in the open season in the last ten years.

Natural England provided an evidence dossier for the European white-fronted goose as part of a recent Government consultation which proposes removing this species from Schedule 2.1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 in England. The dossier concludes that such a removal would act as an additional safeguard for protecting (from accidental shooting) individuals of the population of globally endangered Greenland white-fronted goose occurring in England. UK Government Ministers agreed with this assessment.

The Government has not made an assessment of the impact of shooting pressure on the European white-fronted goose in England and Wales on the overall population of the European white-fronted goose in Europe. Natural England provided an evidence dossier for the European white-fronted goose as part of a recent government consultation which proposes removing this species from Schedule 2.1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. It states that the European white-fronted goose shooting take in England and Wales numbers less than 100 each year, based on research estimates.

The dossier also notes that numbers in Europe ‘appear to be stable’. Latest estimates suggest that the European population of European white-fronted goose totals 1–1.4 million individuals, whereas the British population totals 1,500 individuals. This offers some context to the relatively small proportion of the European population at risk of shooting pressure in England.

The Government has recently launched a consultation on amending Schedule 2.1 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Though the thrust of the consultation is proposing to remove certain species from Schedule 2.1, or to extend the close seasons of others, the consultation proposes adding woodpigeon to Schedule 2.1 as it applies in England, Scotland and Wales. The consultation asks consultees if any other species should be added to Schedule 2.1 in England, Scotland or Wales, and for evidence or reasoning to support any such suggestions. If suggestions for brent goose being added to Schedule 2.1 are supported with compelling evidence or reasoning, the UK government will consider such a measure for England.

All approved abattoirs are subject to the same regulatory framework for food safety and animal welfare controls which are set in assimilated European Union law and are currently prescriptive, and divergence could restrict British access to EU and other markets. Previous discussions with the meat industry on a two-tier system for large and small producers concluded that the risk of damaging relationships with international partners, who insist on the application of these regulations as the basis for trade, was too high.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) applies available flexibilities to small abattoir operators where possible, including reduced Official Veterinarian attendance at certain small abattoirs. The FSA has worked with the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs on extending these regulatory flexibilities, however, these discussions are now part of wider negotiations on the sanitary and phytosanitary agreement.

The FSA review of its charging system has identified the importance of the small abattoir sector, and the FSA Board gave direction for the discount system to be focused on this sector.

We have always been committed to implementing the Equipment Theft (Prevention) Act 2023 and fully support its aims to tackle the theft and resale of All Terrain Vehicles (ATVs).

The Act gives power for immobilisers to be fit as standard, but significant concerns were raised about the impact on existing Type Approval regulations, which are in place to ensure the safety of new vehicles before sale.

We absolutely cannot compromise vehicle safety and as a result, we will not be including the fitting of immobilisers to new ATVs at this time.

However, we will be introducing secondary legislation in relation to the property marking and the registration of all new ATVs onto a property marking database. Removable GPS units which are particularly vulnerable to theft will also be included within these provisions. This will assist police in identifying the rightful owner if they are recovered and also makes stolen vehicles and equipment harder to sell on, which has a deterrent effect.

The National Police Service will take on the range of operational functions that currently sit with lead forces, coordinated through the NPCC. The Government will work closely with the NPCC on the transition of these functions.