Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Defra is working with the Home Office, Border Force, the Food Standards Agency, the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Dover Port Health Authority (PHA) to improve the interception of illegal products of animal origin entering England via the port of Dover. Enforcement measures implemented at Dover since September 2024 have included seizure and destruction, and these are implemented by Border Force and Dover PHA. To enable this operational activity by Dover PHA, Defra has provided over £14.4m provided since October 2022.

To rebuild trust It is vital that customers have assurance that their complaints will be resolved. That is why we will establish an independent, impartial, and accredited Water Ombudsman to ensure customer complaints and disputes are taken seriously and are resolved.

Alongside this, the Government is looking at strengthening the consumer advocacy function to provide a stronger voice for customers.

There have been no recent discussions with stakeholders on this issue.

The Secretary of State has discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including packaging Extended Producer Responsibility’s impact on businesses. We are aware of industry concerns about producers being charged disposal fees for packaging that is disposed of through commercial waste streams, and we continue to work with stakeholders to find an approach that balances those concerns with the operational integrity of the scheme.

Glass drinks containers across the UK, including in Wales, are subject to packaging Extended Producer Responsibility data reporting, disposal fees and recycling obligations. The temporary exemption from disposal fees before the Deposit Return Scheme goes live in 2027 applies to steel, aluminium, and PET plastic drinks containers.

The Nature Security Assessment is a cross-government strategic analysis that brings together scientific evidence, policy analysis and national security expertise to inform long-term resilience and security planning. In response to the risks it identifies, the UK is already taking action to strengthen food, water, public health and supply chain resilience, including through major investment in nature at home and abroad. The UK is meeting the International Climate Finance (ICF) 3 spending target of at least £11.6 billion over 2021 to 2026, supporting nature protection and sustainable agriculture globally. Domestically, the UK has a resilient food system and is investing £11.8 billion this Parliament to support sustainable farming, alongside action to strengthen critical supply chains through the Critical Imports and Supply Chains Strategy. These measures sit alongside wider domestic action to restore and protect nature, including record levels of tree planting, peatland restoration, improved water quality and stronger protection for the marine environment.

The Animal Welfare strategy published in December 2025 sets out Government priorities until 2030. The Government currently has no plans to ban greyhound racing.

On 20 January, the Government published the Nature Security Assessment which examined the potential impacts that may arise from global biodiversity loss and ecosystem degradation. The assessment reinforces the importance of protecting nature as a foundation of the UK’s security, prosperity and resilience. In response, the Government is already taking action to address the risks identified, including significant investment in nature and forests at home and overseas. This includes meeting the International Climate Finance (ICF) 3 spending target of at least £11.6 billion over the period 2021 to 2026.

The Government recognises that food security is national security and is investing £11.8 billion this Parliament to support sustainable domestic farming, alongside action to strengthen supply chain resilience. These measures sit alongside wider domestic action to restore nature, including record levels of tree planting, peatland restoration, improved water quality and stronger protection of the marine environment, forming part of the UK’s broader approach to reducing the security risks associated with biodiversity loss.

The Government is working with industry to keep support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. We will look at ways to drive more consistency across the schemes and increase awareness of the support consumers can access.

Water Companies offer a range of support schemes for customers struggling to afford their bills, including: social tariffs, WaterSure, debt support schemes, financial hardship funds, flexible payment plans and payment breaks. The Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers across the country are supported.

Ancient and veteran trees are our most important trees and considered irreplaceable habitats. They are protected through planning policy, and local authorities can grant additional protections to individual high-value trees through Tree Preservation Orders. Defra is continuing to focus on improving how these protections are implemented, to ensure these trees are safeguarded in practice as well as in policy, while also considering what further measures could be included in a new Trees Action Plan.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. Negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement are underway. While those discussions are ongoing, we cannot provide a running commentary, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.

The Environment Agency’s Report an environmental problem service enables members of the public to report environmental issues in a more modern and accessible way.

The service can be used for people to report water pollution, smells from waste facilities, industrial sites or farms, illegal fishing, and blocked rivers. The Environment Agency continues to improve the service by adding more types of environmental problems that can be reported online.

This year, the Environment Agency plans to enable reporting on environmental problems such as:

• those from Environment Agency regulated sites, for example noise or dust problems
• problems related to illegal waste
• flooding

The Environment Agency also plans to investigate how they can improve data sharing. This would enhance situational awareness and make reporting easier for the public. The Environment Agency would welcome collaboration with authorities interested in discussing how this could work.

The Government is strongly committed to improving the implementation of Sustainable Drainage Systems (SuDS).

In December 2024 we made changes to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to support increased delivery of SuDS. The NPPF now requires all development to utilise SuDS where they could have drainage impacts. These systems should be appropriate to the nature and scale of the proposed development.

We consulted on a revised version of the NPPF, with new policies on local plans and national decision making, including flood risk and SuDS, and are now in the process of considering next steps.

Better delivery of SuDS may be achieved by continuing to improve the current planning policy-based approach and looking at ways of improving the approach to adoption and maintenance, rather than commencing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.

The UK imports a small proportion of its annual supply of eggs to meet domestic demand. The Government consistently considers the impact of imports from all countries on the UK domestic egg sector. The Government will continue to take account of UK imports as part of our continued monitoring of the egg production chain. Along with the continued monitoring of egg quality of both domestic and imported eggs against the Egg Marketing Standards by our Egg Marketing Inspectors in the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

The Government recognises that bovine TB causes great distress to the farming community and how important it is for farmers experiencing a TB breakdown in their herd to be supported through what are exceptionally stressful times. Defra provides grant funding to the Farming Community Network (FCN) which offers confidential, non-judgemental support and advice on a whole range of topics, around health, wellbeing and finance. Further details on the FCN can be found online at: www.fcn.org.uk including information about their confidential, national helpline.

The TB Advisory Service (www.tbas.org.uk) is a Defra funded initiative that provides free, bespoke advice to keepers of cattle and farmed non-bovine animals in England on measures that can be taken to reduce the risk and impact of bovine TB. TBAS provides this advice and delivers this support through on-farm advice visits, one-to-one advisory sessions and a telephone helpline.

Defra regularly engages with industry on trade issues. This Government recognises concerns about methods of production which are not permitted in the UK. As set out in the UK’s Trade Strategy, the Government will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards.

The Government will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage and any impact that may have. Where necessary, this Government will be prepared to use the full range of powers at the Government’s disposal to protect the UK’s most sensitive sectors including permanent quotas, exclusions, and safeguards.

The UK imported below 1% of its fertilisers directly from the Gulf region in 2025. However, some of the UK’s trade partners import fertilisers from the Middle East, either for onward shipment to the UK or for production inputs, creating indirect dependencies. The Strait of Hormuz is also critical for fertiliser supply chains which depend on products such as natural gas, urea, ammonia, and sulphur exported from Gulf countries.

In 2026 Defra is making up to 30 licence authorisations available for commercial rod and line fishing for bluefin tuna, double the number in 2025. The fishery is accessed through an application process run by the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and is open to applicants with eligible vessels registered in any part of the UK. The application process will be open between 8 April and 30 April 2026. The vessel criteria have been chosen to create opportunities for sustainable inshore fishing across the UK.

For bluefin tuna catch and release recreational fisheries (CRRFs), in 2026 Defra is making up to 230 permits available across all UK CRRFs with around 150 of those in English waters. Each Fisheries Administration has the power to open a CRRF in their waters. In England, the MMO will regulate the fishery and ran an application process between 24 March and 13 April 2026.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to Steve Witherden on 31 March 2026, PQ UIN 122919.

I have not had discussions with my EU counterparts on regulatory convergence regarding EV battery traceability, performance and carbon footprint reporting requirements.

Working alongside the Devolved Governments, we are reviewing the UK's producer responsibility legislation for batteries. As part of this review, we are considering aligning with the requirements of the EU Batteries Regulation which includes provisions on traceability, performance and carbon footprint. My officials held a series of workshops with industry earlier this year to explore this further.

The EU Batteries Regulation already applies directly in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

Following support at public consultation, the Environment Act 2021 introduced new requirements for all local authorities in England to make arrangements for a core set of materials to be collected for recycling from all households: paper and card; plastic; glass; metal; food waste and garden waste. In 2021 we consulted on the detail of this policy, including implementation dates and materials in scope of collection.

Blister packs are difficult to recycle owing to the mix of different materials they are made from and, as such, tend not to be collected through kerbside recycling services. Take-back recycling schemes, such as the Terracycle scheme, can accept more complex packaging materials at dedicated recycling facilities.

Where blister packs are separately collected by producers through takeback schemes and then recycled at the producer’s cost, producers would not need to pay packaging Extended Producer Responsibility fees on the tonnage recycled.

We laid the ‘Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse’ in Parliament on 25 February 2026 and it became statutory guidance on the 6 April 2026. It outlines the standards expected of local councils and other duty bodies (e.g. National Highways) with regards to their duty to keep their land clear of litter and refuse. The guidance can be found on: Code of practice on litter and refuse - GOV.UK.

The Government has committed to restoring plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) back to semi-natural woodland habitat. There are approximately 365,000 hectares (ha) of ancient woodland in England of which approximately 150,000 ha are under plantation. Forestry England has committed to restoring all 42,814 ha of their PAWS to ancient, semi-natural woodland. Restoration work has been carried out on over 20,000 ha of PAWS in the last ten years with over 16,000 ha now having a canopy that is predominantly native.

Defra has improved the support for PAWS restoration on private land through the Higher Tier of the Countryside Stewardship scheme. This includes additional payments for restoration. In its first three years, the Countryside Stewardship grant ‘Manage and restore plantations on ancient woodland sites’ has been taken up across 2,100 hectares of PAWS. The Government is also supporting the establishment of new woodlands both for nature recovery and to produce timber.

Defra does not currently collect this data. Current statutory reporting requirements for waste batteries do not distinguish between reuse and recycling, or between different types of industrial battery, which includes electric vehicle batteries. It is against the law to dispose of waste industrial batteries in a landfill or by incineration.

Taking into account the expected increases in end-of-life electric vehicle batteries over the coming years and to support optimal end-of-life outcomes for waste electric vehicle batteries, Defra is currently engaging with industry and other stakeholders to inform a review of the UK batteries regulations.

The UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) is an independent body and appoint their own board.

The UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO)’s board structure includes representation from a small producer.

In addition, as part of the UK DMO’s Conditions of Appointment, the DMO’s Advisory Group must include representation of small scheme producers. The DMO Board must seek the views of the Advisory Group before adopting any decision relating to matters on which the UK DMO is required to consult under the Regulations and must take those views into account in its decision making.

Defra has not formally made this estimate, however as part of the department’s ongoing review of the UK batteries regulations we are considering waste electric vehicle battery arisings and the capacity that will be required to process them.

Under current regulations, take back, treatment and recycling of waste industrial batteries, which includes electric vehicle batteries, are statutory requirements under the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations (2009). Producers of industrial batteries are required to take back waste batteries and must then ensure they are delivered to and accepted by an approved battery treatment operator or an approved battery exporter, for treatment and recycling either in or outside the United Kingdom. Producers must, by law, finance this treatment.

Businesses are taking steps to capture the economic opportunity in recycling electric vehicle batteries, and the Department of Business and Trade’s DRIVE35 funding programme recently awarded £18.5m grant funding to Altilium in Plymouth, who expect to be able to process 24,000 electric vehicle batteries per year.

We are continuing to work with stakeholders on the treatment of dual-use packaging and packaging that is unlikely to enter the household waste stream. There is no date set for consultation or legislation at this stage for any additional criteria for exemption from packaging Extended Producer Responsibility disposal fee obligations. Any future changes would need to be workable, enforceable, and protect the operational integrity of the scheme across all business models.

The Government has no intention to nationalise the water industry, and therefore has no current plans to asses the financial or non-financial costs to the public between the privatised model and public ownership of the water industry.

The Independent Water Commission found no strong evidence between ownership model and performance. We are moving forward with fixing our water system, creating a powerful new water regulator to hold companies to account and prevent the abuses of the past.

The National Planning Policy Framework safeguards the best and most versatile land, which is the land most valuable for food production.

Where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality.

The Government does not have a legal duty to clear illegally dumped waste and is not funded to do so. The Government has not undertaken an assessment of the impact of landfill tax rates on levels of fly-tipping, neither has it made a comparative assessment of revenue generated from the landfill tax against the cost to the public purse of clearing illegally dumped waste.

Chalk streams are an incredible source of national pride. As one of Britain’s most nature- rich habitats, they support some of our rarest wildlife.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) are notified by Natural England (NE) under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, where land is judged to be of special interest for its wildlife or geology. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is notified as part of that process

Decisions on whether to notify additional stretches of chalk stream as SSSIs are made by NE, based on its expert judgement of the best available scientific evidence, and in line with published SSSI selection guidelines.

Special Areas of Conservation (SACs) are designated under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. The Secretary of State must designate sites on the basis of relevant scientific information and by applying the prescribed selection criteria, as published by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee.

At present, eight chalk streams have additional protection through SSSI and/or SAC designation; any further designations would proceed only where the scientific evidence shows the selection criteria are met.

The Environment Agency (EA) regulates permitted landfill sites on a full cost‑recovery basis. The costs of regulation are met by the landfill operators, primarily through annual subsistence charges which are paid by permit holders. These charges cover routine inspections and audits, assessment of monitoring and reporting requirements and ensuring that sites are properly closed and remediated at the end of their operational life.

Where the EA is required to undertake additional or non‑standard regulatory activity, landfill operators are required to pay supplementary charges to cover the full cost of that work.

As a result, the regulation of permitted landfill sites should not impose an ongoing cost on the public purse. Any additional costs would arise only in exceptional circumstances, such as enforcement action where cost recovery is not possible and intervening in cases where a site has been abandoned and the permit disclaimed. The EA does not currently hold figures for these additional costs.

The Government’s initial analysis of Extended Producer Responsibility for wastewater concluded that whilst a regime could be an effective means of raising revenue, there remained data gaps around pollutants of concern (including points of origin and pathways into the environment) that would require further investigation to develop. The Government is focused on taking immediate action to tackle the causes of pollution head on. For example, in November 2025, the Government legislated to ban the supply and sale of wet wipes containing plastic in England. Furthermore, over the next five years over £10bn is being spent on storm overflows investment in England, improving over 2,500 storm overflows to reduce spills. Nearly £5bn is also being invested in upgrades at wastewater treatment works to remove phosphorus.

As recommended by the Independent Water Commission, the Government is considering reforms to the Urban Waste Water Treatment Regulations 1994 which would allow wastewater treatment standards to be strengthened. Reforms, coupled with shifting the focus towards ‘pre-pipe’ solutions, such as rainwater management and tackling sewer misuse, will help drive the improvements we want to see in wastewater management and consequently, in environmental protection.

We are monitoring ‘European preference’ and ‘Made in Europe’ clauses included in legislation and strategies. We are working across government departments and with key industry stakeholders to understand potential impacts.

Yes. The UK Government has raised Directive (EU) 2019/904 (the Single Use Plastics Directive) and associated implementing decisions with the EU Commission.

On water metering, individual water companies are responsible for deciding how best to manage water demand, including their approach to metering. Customers charged on an unmeasured basis are typically charged by reference to the rateable value of the property. Where a meter cannot be installed, customers are instead offered an assessed charge based on one of the following: the number of bedrooms, the type of property, the number of people living in a property or the company’s average metered bill. Additional information about unmeasured charging can be found on the Ofwat website.

On 20 January, the Government published the Nature Security Assessment, which found that severe degradation or collapse of critical global ecosystems would be highly likely to result in impacts such as water insecurity and reduced crop yields. These findings inform cross-government resilience and national security planning, helping the UK anticipate and manage systemic risks arising from climate and nature loss. The UK Food Security Report 2024 similarly sets out that, while UK production and trade remain stable, climate change, nature loss and water pressures pose increasing risks to long-term food system resilience. These assessments sit alongside the Government’s five-yearly Climate Change Risk Assessment, most recently published in 2022, which considered risks to both the food and energy sectors. Maintaining secure and resilient food and energy systems is a core Government priority, supported by the UK National Adaptation Programme, which provides the framework for identifying and addressing climate change impacts across critical sectors.

Civil servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality.

In 2024 and 2025, a total of nine civil servants were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

The department has not paid for followers on its social media platforms.

There are 331 full-time employees directly involved in waste crime. This number includes officers in the Area and National operational teams who respond to illegal waste sites, prevent and disrupt waste crime at sites in England, prevent illegal exports of waste to other countries, conduct criminal investigations and combat fraud and money laundering related to waste regimes.

The Environment Agency does not designate a waste crime officer to individual sites. Instead, teams work together to respond to reports of illegal waste sites.

The Environment Agency (EA) has provided the attached dataset which shows the number of illegal wastes sites by Local Authority Area as of 7 October 2025, from the total of 517 sites active at that time.

The EA does not hold a view on what would make a site large scale because it assesses risk posed by sites. There are 151 sites that it considers to be higher risk sites.

The number of illegal waste sites will change as sites are stopped and new sites are found.

The EA is unable to report on anything in relation to sites not officially recorded.

The UK does not have national food stockpiles or current plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with potential disruption. This high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes.

Defra published the second edition of the UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) in December 2024. The UKFSR sets out an analysis of statistics relating to food security, serving as an evidence base to inform Government policy and public understanding. It tracks trends in domestic production, import reliance, inflation, and supply chain. The next UKFSR will be published in 2027.

The annual UK Food Security Digest is published in the years between the UK Food Security Report, with the first one released in December 2025. It covers a selected range of priority indicators that are of high interest and/or highly variable.

The UK does not have national food stockpiles or current plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with potential disruption. This high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes.

Defra published the second edition of the UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) in December 2024. The UKFSR sets out an analysis of statistics relating to food security, serving as an evidence base to inform Government policy and public understanding. It tracks trends in domestic production, import reliance, inflation, and supply chain. The next UKFSR will be published in 2027.

The annual UK Food Security Digest is published in the years between the UK Food Security Report, with the first one released in December 2025. It covers a selected range of priority indicators that are of high interest and/or highly variable.