Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of the Agriculture and the water environment: 2026 report, published by the Environment Agency on 30 June, which identified antimicrobial resistance in materials spread on agricultural land, what plans they have to monitor antimicrobial-resistant bacteria and genes in the agricultural water environment; and whether antimicrobial resistance will be considered in the development of new national standards for agricultural water pollution.

This Government takes agricultural water pollution seriously. The department are bringing agricultural regulations together into a single, clear and robust set of requirements to help reduce water pollution. The detail of these reforms is still being developed.

Defra recently consulted on the best way to regulate the use of sewage sludge on farms. The consultation sought views on options to make the regulatory framework more agile as new evidence emerges about contaminant risks.

The department continue to develop the evidence base on contaminants in sludge by bringing stakeholders together to identify evidence gaps and shape future research priorities. Defra also are supporting the work of the water industry-funded Chemicals Investigation Programme to explore new treatment technologies to remove contaminants from sludge.