Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of animal welfare abuse have been recorded on intensive livestock farms in (a) England and (b) Norfolk in each of the last five years.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carries out regulatory duties and monitors compliance with animal welfare legislation through proactive and reactive inspections.
The outcome of all animal welfare inspections is recorded on APHA systems according to a scoring system, where A and B scores indicate compliance, and C and D scores indicate non-compliance. The D score indicates specifically that the non-compliance identified resulted in unnecessary suffering.
This data is not in the public domain.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people with disabilities were employed in his Department on 2 September 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Information on the number of people declaring a disability by each Government department are published annually as part of Civil Service Statistics 2025, an accredited official statistics publication. Latest published data are as at 31 March 2025 and can be found at Table 29 of the statistical tables at the following web address:
https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/civil-service-statistics-2025
Information for 31 March 2026 is due for publication in July 2026.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
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 14 February 2025 to Question 28814 on Lead: Paint, if he will make it his policy to issue updated guidance.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environmental Protection (Controls on Injurious Substances) Regulations 1992 banned the use of lead paint, except for certain specialist uses. Concerns over the presence of lead paint should be referred to a certified lead-based paint risk assessor, who can assist you in following the necessary steps, guidelines including safety protocols. The Government is not currently planning to release further guidance on lead paint.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
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 help tackle environmental harm in (a) South West Norfolk constituency and (b) Norfolk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) regulates businesses in energy, agriculture, and waste, and is the environmental regulator for water companies. It prosecutes polluters, protects against flood risk and coastal erosion, and is a Category 1 Responder under the Civil Contingencies Act 2004, working with local responders during flood incidents. In Norfolk, the EA advises on planning applications and supports Local Planning Authorities in developing Local Plans, ensuring flood risk, climate change, and water environment issues are addressed. It partners with other organisations including Local Authorities and the Police to tackle environmental waste crime using an intelligence-led enforcement approach. The EA investigates poor water quality sites and implements pollution reduction actions. Regulation of water companies has increased significantly, with over 700 inspections of Anglian Water wastewater assets completed last year - more than the previous four years combined, with plans to double inspections again this year.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
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 14 February 2025 to Question 28814 on Lead: Paint, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle toxic lead paint in (a) homes and (b) public buildings.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environmental Protection (Controls on Injurious Substances) Regulations 1992 banned the use of lead paint, except for certain specialist uses. Concerns over the presence of lead paint in private domiciles should be referred to a certified lead-based paint risk assessor, who can assist you in following the necessary steps, guidelines including safety protocols. Regarding public buildings, the HSE is responsible for regulating health and safety risks associated with paints and coatings, including those used in construction and refurbishment.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many vehicles were seized for waste crime offences in (a) South West Norfolk constituency and (b) Norfolk in each of the last five years.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping incidents and enforcement actions, such as vehicle seizures, to Defra, which are published annually at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/fly-tipping-in-england. This data isn't available at a constituency level and excludes the majority of private-land incidents.
The Environment Agency also has the power to seize vehicles suspected of being used in waste crime. The Environment Agency has not seized a vehicle in Norfolk or the South West Norfolk constituency since 2020.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the financial impact of waste crime on (a) England, (b) Norfolk and (c) South West Norfolk constituency in the last five years.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is estimated that waste crime costs the English economy about £1 billion per year and that 20% of waste in England, or 38 million tonnes per year is handled illegally. We do not have a further breakdown of these figures at county or constituency level.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
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 help tackle waste crime.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to tackling waste crime. We are preparing significant reforms and have increased the Environment Agency’s (EA) funding to continue to increase the pressure on illegal waste operators.
We will reform the waste carriers, brokers and dealers regime and the waste permit exemptions regime. This will make it harder for rogue operators to find work in the sector and easier for regulators to take action against criminals. In addition, our planned digital waste tracking reforms will make it harder than ever to mis-identify waste or dispose of it inappropriately.
We have increased the EA’s total budget for 2025-26, including the amount available to tackle waste crime. This will enable EA to increase its frontline criminal enforcement resource in the Joint Unit for Waste Crime and area environmental crime teams by 43FTE. This will be targeted at activities identified as waste crime priorities using enforcement activity data and criminal intelligence. These include tackling organised crime groups, increasing enforcement activity around specific areas of concern such as landfill sites, closing down illegal waste sites more quickly, using intelligence more effectively, and delivering successful major criminal investigations.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing an animal welfare expert to the Food Strategy board.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Members of the Food Strategy Advisory Board were selected as senior leaders who have a broad range of experience across the food system and reflect the diversity of the sector. Membership has been finalised. We are not looking to expand it at this time.
The Board represents just one aspect of our engagement with stakeholders across the food supply system. The food strategy will articulate the outcomes required to deliver food system change.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of industrial livestock farming on the UK's capacity to reach its net zero targets.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
As part of the cross-Whitehall Carbon Budget Delivery Plan 2023 (CBDP), Defra published 25 on-farm decarbonisation measures to reduce agricultural emissions and meet our Carbon Budget 4 to 6 commitments, including measures aimed at supporting livestock emissions reduction.
To support ongoing delivery and identify further opportunities for emissions reduction, Defra is actively exploring ways to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, including through scientific research into livestock management, feed, and breeding.
Looking ahead, the Government will set Carbon Budget 7 by June 2026, in line with statutory requirements. This will outline the next phase of the UK’s net zero pathway, including future policies to further decarbonise agriculture.