Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) he and (b) a Minister from his Department plans to attend the next round of negotiations on the UN Global Plastics Treaty in Geneva.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The second part of the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop an international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution is scheduled to take place from 5 to 14 August 2025 in Geneva, Switzerland.
As with previous negotiating committee sessions, the UK will have a strong negotiating presence to push for the agreement of an ambitious and effective Treaty covering the full plastics life cycle. No decisions have been taken on Ministerial attendance.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will strengthen legal protections for farmed fish.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for North Herefordshire, Ellie Chowns, on 6 March 2025, PQ 34489.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 integrate his planned updates to the (a) Environmental Improvement Plan and (b) Carbon Budget Delivery Plan.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Nature and climate action must be taken together and will underpin the delivery of this Government’s missions, from clean energy to economic growth.
Our revised Environmental Improvement Plan will set out the vital role of nature in mitigating and adapting to climate change, such as through tree planting and management and peatland restoration, recognising that tackling climate change in turn supports nature’s recovery.
The Government will publish an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all the sectors in due course. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver Carbon Budgets 4-6 on the pathway to net zero.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 17 March to Question 36816 on Sustainable Farming Incentive: Educational Visits, whether the proposed standalone capital item for educational access will be included in the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The proposed stand-alone capital item for educational access is a separate offer from the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). To be eligible for the education access payments applicants must have an SFI or other agri-environment or woodland agreement. We expect to publish more information about the reformed SFI offer in summer 2025.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 he has taken to implement the chalk stream recovery pack.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Cleaning up our waters, including iconic sites such as chalk streams is a top government priority. That is why on 23 October 2024, the Secretary of State announced the launch of an independent commission to fundamentally transform how our water system works.
Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams, namely over abstraction, phosphorous pollution, and physical modifications of habitats.
Alongside this, we are continuing to direct investment to projects that will improve chalk streams. In 2024/2025, there are over 45 chalk stream projects receiving funding from the Government's Water Environment Improvement Fund, each leveraging private investment.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of microplastics on food production.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) continues to monitor and assess emerging data regarding microplastics in food. The Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products, and the Environment (COT), an independent scientific committee that provides advice to the FSA and other Government departments, is currently considering the issue of microplastics. The COT has previously concluded that the available data was insufficient for a complete assessment. The FSA has advised that, based on current information, they consider it is unlikely that the presence of these particles in food or drink would cause harm to consumers. However, this will be kept under review as new evidence becomes available.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with local authorities on steps to help tackle fly-tipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I have not had any recent discussions with local authorities on steps to help tackle fly-tipping but my officials work with local authorities through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group to promote and disseminate good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools for local authorities are available from their webpage which is available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.
Local authorities have enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping, including fixed penalty notices of up to £1000, vehicle seizure and prosecution action which can lead to a significant fine or even imprisonment. We are seeking powers in the Crime and Policing Bill to provide statutory enforcement guidance to help councils make full and proper use of these.
We have also committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour and will provide further details on this commitment in due course.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 reduce sewage discharges into the river Severn.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas.
That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act. The Act will drive meaningful improvements in the performance and culture of the water industry as a first important step in enabling wider, transformative change across the water sector.
The Environment Agency (EA) has strengthened its regulation of the water industry by expanding its specialised workforce, increasing compliance checks, and using new data and intelligence tools. The strengthening of the regulatory system has seen a significant increase in the inspections at Severn Trent sewage assets, from 707 in 2024/25 to 1,742 in 2025/26.
All storm overflows are now monitored to ensure that sites are compliant with their permits. For high spilling sites, Severn Trent Water must produce a spill reduction plan as required by the Environment Act 2021. Where the EA identifies non-compliance, it will not hesitate in taking enforcement action.
For Price Review 24, which runs from 2025-2030, Severn Trent Water will be investing £1.7 billion to reduce the use of storm overflows. This investment will reduce storm overflow spills by 26% over the five-year period, a reduction down to an average of 14 spills per overflow.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
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 release of wild beavers in the River Frome.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
The Government recently confirmed its position on the wild release of beavers in an announcement on 28 February. A licence is needed to release any beavers into the wild. Applications will be considered against comprehensive wild release criteria. These criteria have been designed to ensure only high-benefit, low-risk projects are licenced, and that beavers are reintroduced at a measured pace in a well-managed way.
We want to make sure that support is available to help beavers and people live alongside each other. Our 5-step beaver management approach ensures effective management of beavers and supports people to live alongside them.
Building on the approach that we have already developed for wild release and management, we will collaboratively develop a management plan for the long-term reintroduction and recovery of beaver populations in England.
Asked by: Simon Opher (Labour - Stroud)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to include (a) educational access payments within the Sustainable Farming Incentive and (b) extend those payments to (i) social prescribing programmes and (ii) other adult educational visits.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are developing educational access as a new 3-year capital item, which we expect to be available later in 2025. This will be a stand-alone capital item, though applicants must have an agri-environment or woodland agreement with management actions. Whilst there aren’t any specific links to social prescribing, we are extending the range of groups that are eligible for payable visits. The current criteria for educational access in CS is school age children and care farming groups only, but in the new educational access capital item, more diverse groups of people can visit, benefitting from an educational experience on farms and woodlands across England.