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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that members of the Food Strategy Advisory Board do not have conflicts of interest.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

FSAB members are appointed in a personal capacity to advise and inform the strategic direction of the Government’s Food Strategy based on their professional experience in the food and drink system. They are not appointed to represent a body, group or part of the sector. FSAB membership is unpaid and not political appointments.

To guide against misuse of privileged information and conflicts of interest, FSAB members are obliged to sign non-disclosure agreements and adhere to the Seven Principles of Public Life. Additionally, per the Terms of Reference they are expected to:

• Observe the highest standards of impartiality, integrity and objectivity in relation to the advice and recommendations they provide.

• Act in accordance with Government policy on openness and comply fully with the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information and any relevant legislation on disclosure of information.

• Not to misuse information gained in the course of their public service for personal gain or for political purpose, nor seek to use the opportunity of public service to promote their and/or their private interests or those of connected persons, firms, businesses or other organisations.

• Not hold any paid or high-profile posts in a political party and not engage in specific political activities on matters directly affecting the work of the FSAB.

• Refer any media enquiries about the FSAB and its work to the Defra Press Office.

At the first meeting a member joins they are invited to give a verbal register of their conflicts of interest, which are recorded in the FSAB minutes.

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 9 July to Question 61881 on Western Sahara: Origin Marking, if she is aware that Tesco sells tomatoes from Western Sahara labelled as produce of Morocco and if she will take action to ensure change.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK maintains high standards on the information provided on food labels and packaging so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principles of our food labelling rules are that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable consumers to make informed decisions.

It is the UK position that where origin information is given for food products made or grown in the Western Sahara, it must give accurate origin information and cannot be labelled as Moroccan.

Food labelling rules are enforced by local authorities. Defra officials will follow up on the matters raised so that the appropriate bodies can investigate further.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to reduce barriers to cross-border travel without physical checks for thoroughbred horses.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders Summit on May 19 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Zone to reduce delays and paperwork at the border. Negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement are underway. While those discussions are ongoing, we cannot provide a running commentary.

Compliance with the existing Border Target Operating Model (BTOM) controls for equines entering the UK from the EU must continue until further notice, because the UK’s biosecurity and public health must continue to be protected.

Please note that there are no plans to remove the border checks that currently apply to equines entering the UK from the Rest of the World (ROW). These checks remain a vital part of our commitment to safeguarding animal health and maintaining biosecurity.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support farmers impacted by flooding in South Shropshire constituency.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is funding Environmental Land Management schemes, which include measures to support farmers with managing flood risks or investing in natural flood management.

The Environment Agency is working in partnership with Shropshire Council, the Severn Rivers Trust and Shropshire Wildlife Trust to deliver natural flood management projects in South Shropshire. Working closely with farmers and landowners, these projects will reduce the impacts of flooding across sub-catchments of the River Teme, benefitting both land and communities.

One such project is the River Corve project, which is now well established. Further projects are progressing in the Ledwyche Brook, Brimfield Brook, and River Onny areas.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support mechanisms are available to farmers whose livestock are condemned following tapeworm infection transmitted from dogs on agricultural land or public rights of way.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Tapeworm infections are not notifiable diseases. No compensation is provided for farmers whose livestock are condemned following tapeworm infection transmitted from dogs on agricultural land or public rights of way. Only a very small number of livestock carcases each year are condemned following tapeworm infection. Most are slaughtered before infection develops.

The Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs was presented to Parliament in December 2017. It makes clear that there is a legal obligation for a handler to clean up after their dog (Welfare of Dogs). Similarly, the statutory guidance within the Countryside Code: Advice for Countryside Visitors, updated 01 April 2021 (Countryside Code) highlights the risk of illness to people and livestock, and sets out that dog handlers must clean up after the dog. It is of paramount importance to break the cycle of transmission by deworming dogs.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to Questions 112298 and 112296, what steps her Department is taking with the British sheep industry to help address workforce availability of sheep shearers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

With a national flock of around 30m sheep, Defra recognises the importance that shearing sheep plays in managing the health and welfare of the UK flock. We acknowledge that industry faces continued challenges each year in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained and highly proficient shearers, particularly when individuals can often only utilise these skills for a few months of the year during the short early summer shearing period.

The department is also aware of the role that shearers and sheep farmers from countries such as Australia and New Zealand have provided in sharing skills and expertise with UK sheep farmers as well as in supporting the health and welfare of the UK flock.

Defra continues to work closely with the industry in addressing the challenges they face and to encourage the continued promotion, take up, and delivery of British Wool’s programme to deliver training for domestic sheep shearers. In each of the last five years (2021-2025) British Wool has invested an average of £134,000 net costs in providing shearing training for between 798 and 898 people at skill levels ranging from beginners through to highly proficient commercial shearers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to help ensure that UK sheep farmers have sufficient access to skilled seasonal shearers for the 2026 shearing season.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

With a national flock of around 30m sheep, Defra recognises the importance that shearing sheep plays in managing the health and welfare of the UK flock. We acknowledge that industry faces continued challenges each year in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained and highly proficient shearers, particularly when individuals can often only utilise these skills for a few months of the year during the short early summer shearing period.

The department is also aware of the role that shearers and sheep farmers from countries such as Australia and New Zealand have provided in sharing skills and expertise with UK sheep farmers as well as in supporting the health and welfare of the UK flock.

Defra continues to work closely with the industry in addressing the challenges they face and to encourage the continued promotion, take up, and delivery of British Wool’s programme to deliver training for domestic sheep shearers. In each of the last five years (2021-2025) British Wool has invested an average of £134,000 net costs in providing shearing training for between 798 and 898 people at skill levels ranging from beginners through to highly proficient commercial shearers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what conversations she has had with the British wool industry about addressing challenges in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained shearers each year.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

With a national flock of around 30m sheep, Defra recognises the importance that shearing sheep plays in managing the health and welfare of the UK flock. We acknowledge that industry faces continued challenges each year in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained and highly proficient shearers, particularly when individuals can often only utilise these skills for a few months of the year during the short early summer shearing period.

The department is also aware of the role that shearers and sheep farmers from countries such as Australia and New Zealand have provided in sharing skills and expertise with UK sheep farmers as well as in supporting the health and welfare of the UK flock.

Defra continues to work closely with the industry in addressing the challenges they face and to encourage the continued promotion, take up, and delivery of British Wool’s programme to deliver training for domestic sheep shearers. In each of the last five years (2021-2025) British Wool has invested an average of £134,000 net costs in providing shearing training for between 798 and 898 people at skill levels ranging from beginners through to highly proficient commercial shearers.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has sought equivalent provisions in the UK-EU SPS Agreement negotiations to the animal welfare carve-out provisions contained in Article 7 of the EU-Switzerland Common Food Safety Area Protocol agreed in 2025.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

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. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where the UK needs to retain our own rules. Negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement are underway and Defra cannot provide an ongoing commentary on these discussions, but the Government is clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department plans to review legislative frameworks governing commons management in protected landscapes.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The department has no plans to review legislative frameworks governing commons management in protected landscapes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has held with the Dartmoor National Park Authority and Natural England regarding governance arrangements for commons management.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Minister Creagh visited Dartmoor National Park in April 2025 to hear about the work of the National Park Authority. Defra also has annual review meetings with each National Park Authority, including Dartmoor, to look at delivery and management of National Park outcomes.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) confirmed and (b) suspected criminal incidents involving Hen Harriers have been recorded in each of the last five years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Criminal offences against hen harriers are currently not ‘notifiable’. This means police forces are not required to record and report figures on this type of crime to the Home Office for statistical and monitoring purposes. Defra therefore holds no official statistics on the number of confirmed criminal (or suspected) incidents involving hen harriers from the last five years. Any decision to make such offences notifiable sits with the Home Office rather than Defra.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of whether existing policy guidance provides Natural England with sufficient powers to prevent cumulative ecological impacts on protected wetlands arising from strategic housing allocations.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra’s Regulatory Landscape Review, led by Dan Corry, was published in April 2025. As part of our work to implement its recommendations, we will soon publish Strategic Policy Statements for Natural England and the Environment Agency. These will set out expectations for their contribution towards our growth mission, particularly around reaching our ambitious homebuilding targets and fast-tracking major infrastructure projects.

The Corry review and the 2025 Post-Implementation Review of the Habitats Regulations both concluded that improvements could be made to the functioning of the Habitats Regulations. We are working with stakeholders to improve guidance on Habitats Regulations Assessments, including clarifying the respective roles of Natural England as a statutory consultee and planning authorities as decision makers on planning applications.

Natural England is a statutory consultee on planning applications and offers advice and guidance to planning authorities, but planning authorities are ultimately responsible for planning decisions, including imposing planning conditions where necessary to make development acceptable. The National Planning Policy Framework reinforces statutory protections, including by setting out how planning conditions should be used.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Department has made of how current planning policy frameworks influence the advisory and regulatory role of Natural England in relation to large housing allocations affecting protected habitats.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra’s Regulatory Landscape Review, led by Dan Corry, was published in April 2025. As part of our work to implement its recommendations, we will soon publish Strategic Policy Statements for Natural England and the Environment Agency. These will set out expectations for their contribution towards our growth mission, particularly around reaching our ambitious homebuilding targets and fast-tracking major infrastructure projects.

The Corry review and the 2025 Post-Implementation Review of the Habitats Regulations both concluded that improvements could be made to the functioning of the Habitats Regulations. We are working with stakeholders to improve guidance on Habitats Regulations Assessments, including clarifying the respective roles of Natural England as a statutory consultee and planning authorities as decision makers on planning applications.

Natural England is a statutory consultee on planning applications and offers advice and guidance to planning authorities, but planning authorities are ultimately responsible for planning decisions, including imposing planning conditions where necessary to make development acceptable. The National Planning Policy Framework reinforces statutory protections, including by setting out how planning conditions should be used.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps with British Wool to help increase the supply of British-trained sheep shearers.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

British Wool is the main provider and promoter of training for sheep shearers in the UK. In each of the last five years (2021-2025) they have invested an average of £134,000 net costs in providing shearing training for between 798 and 898 people at skill levels ranging from beginners through to highly proficient commercial shearers. This includes the training of around 100- 200 young farmers a year who also receive a 50% discount on fees.

Defra works closely with British Wool and the wider sheep industry to encourage the continued delivery and where possible, expansion of the sheep shearing training programme. However, Defra recognise the challenges the industry faces in maintaining the number of required shearers who need to possess a high level of skill but can only utilise these skills for a very short period of the year.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban the sale and supply of peat for horticulture.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government plans to legislate for a ban on the sale of peat and peat containing products when parliamentary time allows. This commitment is embedded within our Carbon Budget planning and, most recently, reflected in the recently published Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP).

The need to work with the Devolved Governments on this matter, to ensure a joined-up approach, was discussed at the Inter Ministerial Group on 5 February 2026.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will place in the Library Defra-held correspondence and assessments supporting the evidential basis that NEER155 underwent rigorous peer review.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The redactions made to Natural England’s response to EIR2026/00223, were applied because the material contained third-party personal data, which is exempt from disclosure under the Environmental Information Regulations. In addition, some material was outside the scope of the requestor’s EIR enquiry and was removed on that basis.

The Department does not consider it necessary to place the requested documents in the Library.

The NEER155 evidence review was carried out by Natural England, the Government’s statutory adviser on nature. As the statutory adviser responsible for the review, the tasks associated with carrying out that review including the peer review element were matters for Natural England. NEER155 built on Natural England’s 2013 review (NEER004) by incorporating 102 new studies on the effects of burning on peatlands. The external peer reviewers for NEER155 were leading peatland experts at major universities and other expert institutions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason two pages were redacted in Natural England’s response to EIR2026/00223 on its report on managed burning.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The redactions made to Natural England’s response to EIR2026/00223, were applied because the material contained third-party personal data, which is exempt from disclosure under the Environmental Information Regulations. In addition, some material was outside the scope of the requestor’s EIR enquiry and was removed on that basis.

The Department does not consider it necessary to place the requested documents in the Library.

The NEER155 evidence review was carried out by Natural England, the Government’s statutory adviser on nature. As the statutory adviser responsible for the review, the tasks associated with carrying out that review including the peer review element were matters for Natural England. NEER155 built on Natural England’s 2013 review (NEER004) by incorporating 102 new studies on the effects of burning on peatlands. The external peer reviewers for NEER155 were leading peatland experts at major universities and other expert institutions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the peer review for the Natural England Evidence Review with reference NEER155.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The redactions made to Natural England’s response to EIR2026/00223, were applied because the material contained third-party personal data, which is exempt from disclosure under the Environmental Information Regulations. In addition, some material was outside the scope of the requestor’s EIR enquiry and was removed on that basis.

The Department does not consider it necessary to place the requested documents in the Library.

The NEER155 evidence review was carried out by Natural England, the Government’s statutory adviser on nature. As the statutory adviser responsible for the review, the tasks associated with carrying out that review including the peer review element were matters for Natural England. NEER155 built on Natural England’s 2013 review (NEER004) by incorporating 102 new studies on the effects of burning on peatlands. The external peer reviewers for NEER155 were leading peatland experts at major universities and other expert institutions.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of food imports are subject to sanitary and phytosanitary checks.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Food is not a category used to record import checks within sanitary and phytosanitary controls as it covers a large range, of varying types, of imports. Imports are subject to controls based upon their composition or commodity type. Products are categorised as high, medium or low risk, with controls appropriately weighted against the risks posed both by the commodity and the country of origin. The current risk levels are identified on GOV.UK Import risk categories for animals, animal products, plants and plant products - GOV.UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of trends in the level of food supply chain resilience in Buckingham and Bletchley constituency.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a resilient food supply chain underpinned by diverse sources, robust domestic production and reliable import routes. Defra works with industry and across Government, including Cabinet Office, to monitor risks to food supply chain resilience that may arise.

This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. At the local level Defra engages with local resilience forums, with support from MHCLG, to build additional resilience to supply chain shocks and emergencies.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to restrict the (a) import and (b) sale of animal products produced using methods that would be illegal in the UK as part of the negotiations on the UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) agreement.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 26 February 2026 to PQ UIN 114509.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward reforms to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 opened on 28 January and is due to close on 25 March.

The Government is committed to responding within 12 weeks of a consultation closing.

Defra are looking at bringing in new legislation, when Parliamentary time allows.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of ending temporary concessionary visas for sheep shearers on sheep welfare.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra recognises the importance that shearing sheep plays in managing the health and welfare of around 30m sheep in the UK flock, and the continued challenges that the industry faces each year in sourcing sufficient numbers of trained shearers.

The department is also aware of the role that shearers and sheep farmers from countries such as Australia and New Zealand have provided in sharing skills and expertise with UK sheep farmers as well as in supporting the health and welfare of the UK flock.

Defra continues to work closely with the industry in addressing these challenges and recognises the good and extensive work undertaken by British Wool each year to provide training for domestic sheep shearers.

Visa concessions are a matter for the Home Office.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to seek exemptions from dynamic alignment on animal welfare in the UK–EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement; and when she next plans to report progress on negotiations to Parliament.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

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. The EU has accepted there will need to be a number of areas where the UK needs to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but the Government has been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards. While those negotiations are ongoing, Defra cannot comment further however parliament will be informed when they are concluded.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what Government body is responsible for landfill sites that have been abandoned.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is the lead Government department for waste policy, including that relating to landfill sites, both former and current. Responsibility for abandoned landfill sites at any given point in time is determined on a case-by-case basis.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s 23 May 2025 consultation response that reducing preventative burns of vegetation may pose a risk to life.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Policy officials and I met with representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council (the NFCC) and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in June 2025, to discuss concerns raised in their consultation response. The officials present were those responsible for the heather and grass burning licensing scheme.

Due to an administrative error no minutes were taken of the meeting.

In developing the amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, the Department considered the NFCC's consultation response as well as all the other responses to the public consultation, evidence on the impacts of vegetation management on peatlands and direct engagement with NFCC and FRS.

The Department continues to work to ensure that licencing arrangements support effective wildfire mitigation and that applications where there is an evidenced need for burning can be processed as quickly as possible. FRS also remain a key consultee for licence applications to reduce the impact of wildfire.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environmental Improvement Plan, published 1 December 2025, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the new PM2.5 target on (a) the number of Clean Air Zones in local authority areas, (b) the charges and scope of existing zones and (c) other measures required to reduce car use by (i) central and (ii) local government.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Clean Air Zones have been introduced to reduce local roadside nitrogen dioxide concentrations from transport. We are committed to reducing air pollution from all sources and using the most effective policy tools to do so.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to improve the safety and availability of public access to waterways for recreation and wellbeing.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure that this access is safe and appropriate. As part of this, Defra has committed in its new Environmental Improvement Plan to create 9 new National River Walks, one in every region of England. The Mersey Valley Way will be the first of those nine new walks.

Public access onto around 3,400 miles of our regulated inland waterways, including several of the larger rivers, is available through the licensing regimes of the navigation authorities that own or manage them. Defra is considering its approach to improving access onto unregulated inland waterways and is committed to working with stakeholders as this develops. The Environment Agency has published advice on how to stay safe while visiting waterways.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to review the designated bathing waters framework.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A review of the Bathing Waters Regulations (2013) was undertaken in 2024-25. Following a consultation on potential reforms to the regulations from November-December 2024, the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025 came into force on 21 November 2025. Defra will continue to keep the implementation of the regulations under review.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Department officials on potential landfill abandonment due to improved environmental standards.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It is a long-standing convention that meetings between ministers and their officials to discuss matters of policy are not separately reported.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what evidence and compliance assessments the Environment Agency relied upon when permitting the continued operation of the Stanlow refinery, including in relation to BAT 52 obligations.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) assessed the Stanlow refinery BAT 52 derogation against known pollutants such as non-methane volatile organic compounds (NMVOC) benzene. The EA confirmed there would be no increase in emission concentrations from the White Oil Docks vent or other site activities as a result of the derogation. [assets.pub...ice.gov.uk]

The operator’s impact assessment followed the EA’s established methodology in ‘Air emissions risk assessment for your environmental permit’, which evaluates potential effects on sensitive human health receptors. The operator submitted dispersion modelling in accordance with this guidance, and the modelling and assessment report is available on the EA Public Register. [consult.en...ncy.gov.uk] The EA concluded that long‑ and short‑term impacts from these known pollutants under BAT 52 are not significant.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the current status is of work to develop or introduce a recreational water status in England.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In our response to the consultation on amending the Bathing Water 2013 Regulations at the end of 2024, the Government noted the support for expanding the definition of a bather to include other recreational water users. Work has begun on an evidence review to consider the environmental and public health implications of any change.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made in its target to deliver half of the food in the public sector from local and sustainable sources.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government remains committed to ensuring that at least half of public sector food is locally sourced or meets higher environmental standards within legal constraints. There is limited existing data about the origin and sustainability of food in the public sector supply chain and the data landscape is complex and fragmented. Defra has therefore begun data collection, which will provide us with detailed insights on the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local and sustainable sources, and what more can be done.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason were no minutes taken at her Department’s meeting with the National Fire Chiefs Council on 26 June 2025.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Policy officials and I met with representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council (the NFCC) and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in June 2025, to discuss concerns raised in their consultation response. The officials present were those responsible for the heather and grass burning licensing scheme.

Due to an administrative error no minutes were taken of the meeting.

In developing the amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, the Department considered the NFCC's consultation response as well as all the other responses to the public consultation, evidence on the impacts of vegetation management on peatlands and direct engagement with NFCC and FRS.

The Department continues to work to ensure that licencing arrangements support effective wildfire mitigation and that applications where there is an evidenced need for burning can be processed as quickly as possible. FRS also remain a key consultee for licence applications to reduce the impact of wildfire.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, who from her Department met with the National Fire Chiefs Council on 26 June 2025.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Policy officials and I met with representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council (the NFCC) and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in June 2025, to discuss concerns raised in their consultation response. The officials present were those responsible for the heather and grass burning licensing scheme.

Due to an administrative error no minutes were taken of the meeting.

In developing the amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, the Department considered the NFCC's consultation response as well as all the other responses to the public consultation, evidence on the impacts of vegetation management on peatlands and direct engagement with NFCC and FRS.

The Department continues to work to ensure that licencing arrangements support effective wildfire mitigation and that applications where there is an evidenced need for burning can be processed as quickly as possible. FRS also remain a key consultee for licence applications to reduce the impact of wildfire.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of leachate on the aquatic environment as a result of landfill abandonment.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We recognise the potential impacts and threats presented from leachates entering into the environment, such as Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), and per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), and the risks of these associated with abandoned landfill sites. Government is assessing options on ensuring that any environmental risks which stem from landfill sites, both current and former, are minimised.

Prior to a landfill becoming abandoned, a conceptual site model and hydrogeological risk assessment must be undertaken to identify any potential risks to the aquatic environment. These risks must be mitigated throughout the operational life of the site.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with (a) supermarkets and (b) other retailers on the potential impact of the closure of the Movement Assistance Scheme on those businesses.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Movement Assistance Scheme (MAS) was always intended to be time limited. It was originally scheduled to close in December 2023. The decision to extend MAS until June 2025 was made public on 10th October 2023 and there was never a suggestion it would extend beyond this date. However, the Department remains committed to ensuring the smooth flow of trade within the UK internal market, as demonstrated by the ongoing support for traders moving goods to Northern Ireland and the work to reach an SPS agreement with the EU.

Last year, retailers and trade representative bodies were reminded that the scheme was closing as planned and large retailers were offered 1:1 meetings.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure the Environment Agency implements corrective works following the construction error in the Maidenhead Bund; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of operational water level management at Cookham Lock on flood risk to residents of South Cookham Rise.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) designed and constructed the North Maidenhead Bund, as part of the Maidenhead Windsor and Eton Flood Alleviation Scheme, to reduce the risk of flooding to communities in Cookham, Maidenhead, Windsor and Eton. No construction errors have been identified by the EA.

Weir gate movements at the Cookham Lock & Weir complex are carried out to optimise the River Thames flow, and level, as the catchment conditions change. Weir gates are gradually opened to manage the increased flow, up to a position where all gates are fully open. At this point, the River Thames behaves as a natural river. The EA is not aware of any evidence that demonstrates its current weir operating regime increases flood risk and is therefore not considering changing how weir gates are operated.

The EA has committed to further meetings with local community representatives to discuss their concerns.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to introduce measures to manage bottom trawl fishing in the 41 English marine protected areas consulted on in 2025; and if she will set out a timeframe for introducing these measures.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire on 13 November 2025, PQ 88509.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of registration anomalies relating to common land; and what steps they are taking to rectify them.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises that there are registration anomalies relating to common land arising from the former Commons Registration Act 1965. These include issues such as incorrectly drawn boundaries, buildings mistakenly included within registered commons, and land recorded that did not meet the legal definition of common land. Schedule 2 of the Commons Act 2006 provides mechanisms to correct such historic registration errors.

To support this process, and as part of the partial implementation of Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006, the Government has provided grant funding to a limited number of local authorities to undertake this work. Funding was initially made available to seven “pioneer” authorities from October 2008 and later extended to two additional authorities in 2014. These authorities—Cumberland Council and North Yorkshire Council—continue to receive funding to carry out their statutory duties under the Act. To date, they have been allocated £494,858 and £326,339 respectively, with funding scheduled to run until March 2027.

There are currently no plans to roll out Part 1 of the Commons Act 2006 more widely across England, but we will keep this under consideration.

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

To ask His Majesty's Government when the communiqué for the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs meeting held on 5 February will be published on gov.uk.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The communiqué was published on 5 March 2026 at Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs communiqués - GOV.UK.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many companies based in the United Kingdom are licensed to sell trophy hunting packages targeting species listed under CITES Appendices I and II.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, which is the most effective approach the Government can take on this matter. The Department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

There is no specific regulation or licensing regime for UK companies selling trophy hunting packages, and Defra does not maintain records of the number of companies offering such services. Where the import of any Appendix I or II species is involved, such activities are governed by existing rules under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what powers exist to regulate the promotion and sale of trophy hunting packages at commercial exhibitions in the United Kingdom.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, which is the most effective approach the Government can take on this matter. The Department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

There is no specific regulation or licensing regime for UK companies selling trophy hunting packages, and Defra does not maintain records of the number of companies offering such services. Where the import of any Appendix I or II species is involved, such activities are governed by existing rules under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to review guidance and regulations on the promotion of hunting trips involving species listed as (a) endangered and (b) critically endangered at exhibitions in the UK.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to banning the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern, which is the most effective approach the Government can take on this matter. The Department continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban. Timeframes for introducing legislation will be provided once the Parliamentary timetable for future sessions is determined.

There are no plans to review guidance or regulations relating to the promotion of hunting trips at exhibitions in the UK. Where the import of any Appendix I or II species is involved, such activities are governed by existing rules under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many sewage works suffered a structural malfunction resulting in sewage discharge in each of the last five years.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency has published data on the number of water company wastewater pollution incidents by source, including from sewage treatment works, over the last five years. Water and Sewerage Pollution Incident Report for 2016-2024.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the potential impact to GDP in the UK from nature and biodiversity loss due to climate change.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra co-funded a 2024 report on Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK, led by the Green Finance Institute working with academic partners. The report found that environmental degradation could lead to a potential reduction in GDP of around 3% and, in certain scenarios, nature-related risks including water shortages and soil reduction could lead to up to a 6% reduction in GDP in the years ahead. In addition, this Government’s recent National security assessment on global ecosystems highlights how global ecosystem degradation and collapse threaten UK national security and prosperity. Nature’s recovery is fundamental to the Government’s approach to economic growth, as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken in response to spills into the Kennet, Pang, and Lambourn chalk streams from Thames Water sewage treatment works between 2021 and 2025.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) has led the Water Industry National Environment Programme, which sets out a wide range of improvement schemes that Thames Water must deliver, including investigations and actions to reduce discharges from storm overflows, with priority given to sensitive sites such as chalk streams.

Groundwater infiltration into the Thames Water sewer system is a leading cause for storm overflow spills in the Kennet, Lambourn and Pang catchments. The EA has required Thames Water to produce Groundwater Impacted System Management Plans to set out how the company plans to reduce groundwater infiltration.

Since April 2025, the EA has completed inspections of sewage treatment works on the Rivers Kennet, Pang and Lambourn as part of its increased programme of inspecting over 800 Thames Water wastewater assets. Any permit breaches identified are assessed on a case-by-case basis for their environmental impact. Confirmed serious permit breaches are investigated and enforced against in line with the EA’s Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of overfishing on costs to the fishing industry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to maintaining or restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry.

This aligns with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with international partners to set annual catch limits for shared stocks, using the best available scientific advice and balancing this with social and economic factors, including the risks of overfishing. If catch limits are exceeded in a quota year, deductions can be applied the following year.

Since 2021, the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs has published a report assessing the outcomes of annual fishing negotiations. The 2025 report can be found at the following link: Economic outcomes of negotiations for UK fishing opportunities 2025 - GOV.UK. As it covers negotiated outcomes rather than actual catches, it does not assess industry costs from exceeding limits.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science report on the number of Total Allowable Catches that follow scientific advice.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has published annual reports from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) setting out the number of Total Allowable Catches of internationally shared stocks that follow scientific advice for UK fishing opportunities since 2020. Defra will continue to track and publish progress of the UK’s approach to sustainable fisheries management.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department incorporates discard estimates into the setting of total allowable catches in the fishing industry.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are set through a process bringing together science, economics, stakeholder input, and discards information. For most TACs, scientific bodies, e.g. the International Committee for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), provide scientific advice on how much fish can be harvested (catch advice) to achieve agreed sustainability objectives. Where data availability allows, ICES assessments of fish stocks incorporate discarding estimates into the catch advice, and where this occurs, the allocated TACs represent all components of the catch, including discards.

Under the Landing Obligation, legal discarding is permitted for specific stocks under defined circumstances. For these, the UK applies deductions from its TACs prior to their allocation, using estimates of discarding levels to account for expected legal discards. Defra is reforming discards management in England, which includes developing an approach to account for total catches, discards as well as landings, against quota.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has issued guidance on the statutory limits that apply to the number of unplanned water supply interruptions permitted in a single locality within a calendar year.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government has doubled compensation payments and introduced a range of new standards to the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS) which requires companies to automatically make a payment to all affected customers if it fails to meet the standards set out in the scheme. An unplanned water supply interruption would be one such example. GSS payments are triggered for each interruption, and further automatic payments incurred for a continued lack of supply.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which sites she plans to designate as high seas marine protected areas.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the Conference of the Parties can establish area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas, in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Once we have ratified the Agreement, as a Party the UK will be able to participate fully in decisions on the establishment of such tools. The UK has been working proactively to support global efforts to consider where future ABMTs under the Agreement may be proposed, including through the publication of Defra-funded research which produced a shortlist of ABMTs that could be considered for development into future proposals.

The UK has a long-standing interest in the Sargasso Sea, with Bermuda – an overseas territory – being the only land territory within it. Together with the Government of Bermuda, we support science-led conservation of the Sargasso Sea, including as signatories to the Hamilton Declaration (2014) which established the Sargasso Sea Commission. We have recently circulated (to BBNJ signatories) a draft Hamilton II Declaration, which acknowledges the global importance of conserving the Sargasso Sea and provides a mechanism to signal political support for developing a collective ABMT proposal under the BBNJ Agreement.

Separate to the BBNJ Agreement, as a Contracting Party to the Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) the UK works collaboratively with the other 15 Contracting Parties to designate marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction in the OSPAR maritime area.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many reports of marine mammal bycatch were made by fishermen in the last three years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Marine mammal bycatch is required to be reported under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to continue to export fisheries products to the United States (US), and to assist conservation efforts in mitigating marine mammal bycatch.

According to the Marine Management Organisation, fishermen made a total of 40 reports of marine mammal bycatch across the last three years from 2023 to 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support she provides to farmers when changes are made to pesticide regulations; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring the availability of approved alternative substances.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

If changes are made to regulations including pesticides we aim to do so transparently, for example through consultation, with those impacted including the farming sector. When a decision is made about an active substance or plant protection product by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) this is done in line with the legislation which ensures that affected individual farmers and businesses are made aware in sufficient time to make changes.

As set out in the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP), we want to ensure that farmers and growers have sufficient access to safe and sustainable tools to deal with pests and diseases. This includes improving access to biopesticides.

The HSE runs the biopesticides scheme to support companies who want to apply for approval of a biopesticide. The scheme includes dedicated HSE biopesticide champions, free pre-submission advice, and capped fees for biopesticide active substance approval.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of retailers withdrawing from the Better Chicken Commitment on her Department's Animal Welfare Strategy.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As set out in the animal welfare strategy, the Government remains committed to supporting a move away from the use of fast-growing breeds of meat chickens. The Government welcomes the fact that those supermarkets who made Better Chicken Commitment pledges have fulfilled them, but it is disappointing to hear of the decision of various restaurant groups to withdraw their commitments to improve animal welfare in this way.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many infraction notices have been issued for illegal discarding in the fishing sector in the last three years.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In England, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has issued a total of 34 infraction notices for illegal discarding or for incorrectly recording discards in logbooks in the years 2023-2026.

Information on infraction notices or inspection activity undertaken by the Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish authorities in the waters for which they are responsible can be obtained directly from the respective devolved Governments.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of the position paper by the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities entitled The challenges around the increasing residential use of waterways.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Navigation authorities are not housing authorities. Defra will consider the matters raised in the Association of Inland Navigation Authorities position paper about the residential use of inland waterways, and will engage with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on the housing-related and other issues that fall within its policy responsibilities.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to help ensure that the labelling of food originating in Western Sahara is not (a) mislabelled and (b) misleading.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government is committed to ensuring that UK consumers are not misled about the origin of the food they purchase. In accordance with assimilated EU Regulation 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers, food labelling must not be misleading, including in relation to the origin or provenance of food.

It is the UK position that where origin information is given for food products made or grown in the Western Sahara, it must give accurate origin information and cannot be labelled as Moroccan.

Produce originating in Western Sahara that has been mislabelled as produce of Morocco would be considered misleading under food labelling regulations.

Defra officials and the Food Standards Agency work closely with Local Authority Trading Standards Officers who enforce food labelling rules in the UK, including addressing labels that may be misleading or non-compliant.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that approved pesticides do not pose a risk to public health.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

A pesticide may only be placed on the market in Great Britain (GB) if the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), GB’s pesticide regulator. This only happens following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.

The GB pesticide Maximum Residue Level (MRL) regime sets high standards of consumer protection to ensure that residues in food do not harm human health. An MRL is the maximum concentration of a pesticide residue in or on food that is legally tolerated. MRLs are always set below the level considered safe for people eating the food.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued to water companies on installing backup systems to prevent pump failures following short-duration electricity outages.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the Security and Emergency Measures Direction (SEMD), water companies are required to maintain a supply of water during emergencies, including short‑duration power outages. The SEMD obliges companies to assess risks and implement appropriate measures, and Defra works with them to monitor compliance and preparedness for short‑term risks.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring boat owners using canals and rivers to generate their own renewable energy power.

Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Consideration of the inland waterways sector is included in the Department for Transport’s Maritime Decarbonisation Strategy (page 29) and accompanying Analytical Annex (page 12), published in 2025.

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to work with industry to end the routine culling of male chicks.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 21 January 2026 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 105878.

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Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, whether he intends to use powers in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill to prohibit the sale of vaping devices designed to operate with refill containers that, when attached, resulting in a total liquid capacity exceeding 2ml.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately branded, promoted, and advertised to children and will provide the Government with new powers to restrict the packaging, device appearance, and display of vapes and other nicotine products to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.

On 8 October 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence which sought evidence on the size and shape of vapes, vape tanks, and the components of vaping products, including pods, puff-count capacity, and nicotine delivery.

We are now reviewing the responses, and these will help inform decisions around our future regulatory approach once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been enacted.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as part of their upcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, will consider evidence across a range of interventions, including but not limited to the regulation of product features to support increased recyclability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies on vaping regulation of vaping devices marketed as delivering tends of thousands of puffs.

Answered by Sharon Hodgson - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will stop vapes and nicotine products from being deliberately branded, promoted, and advertised to children and will provide the Government with new powers to restrict the packaging, device appearance, and display of vapes and other nicotine products to stop the next generation from becoming hooked on nicotine.

On 8 October 2025, we launched a Call for Evidence which sought evidence on the size and shape of vapes, vape tanks, and the components of vaping products, including pods, puff-count capacity, and nicotine delivery.

We are now reviewing the responses, and these will help inform decisions around our future regulatory approach once the Tobacco and Vapes Bill has been enacted.

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, as part of their upcoming Circular Economy Growth Plan, will consider evidence across a range of interventions, including but not limited to the regulation of product features to support increased recyclability.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what antimicrobial resistance surveillance is currently conducted on imported foods at the UK border; and how that surveillance aligns with the UK's One Health approach to antimicrobial resistance.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs monitors antimicrobial resistance (AMR) in zoonotic and commensal bacteria from food samples taken from Third Country Imports to the European Union of fresh meat at Northern Ireland’s Points of Entry. This AMR testing is carried out on beef and/or pork and chicken and/or turkey on alternating years. These inspections are carried out in line with and under European Commission Implementing Decision (EU) 2020/1729 on the monitoring and reporting of AMR in zoonotic and commensal bacteria, which applies in Northern Ireland under the Windsor Framework.

For the rest of the United Kingdom, port health authorities (PHAs) have a statutory obligation to prioritise sampling under official controls which are intended to mitigate known food safety risks. PHAs have their own local sampling plans which will be informed by the UK’s National Monitoring Plan and other intelligence. Currently, it is more practical to sample for AMR screening inland.

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) is currently funding two AMR surveys at retail which includes testing foods imported into the United Kingdom. This includes the raw frozen chicken meat survey and the eggshell membrane food supplements survey, which includes supplements imported into the UK.

The Government takes a ‘One-Health’ approach to controlling AMR through the UK’s 2024 to 2029 National Action Plan. The FSA leads on AMR in food and promoting good hygienic practices across the food chain. Surveillance improves our understanding of AMR by measuring, predicting, and understanding how resistant microorganisms spread from animals and agriculture to humans via the food chain. This allows decisions to be based on robust surveillance, scientific research, and datasets. We monitor AMR bacteria found in foods to understand trends over several years and detect emerging new threats to protect the public and future effectiveness of antibiotics both in healthcare and animal welfare.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will have discussions with UK industrial hemp producers regarding removing current restrictions on its production and use in UK constructions.

Answered by Lord Hanson of Flint - Minister of State (Home Office)

Cannabis is a Class B controlled drug and can only be cultivated under Home Office licence. The Home Office operates two licensing regimes in respect of cannabis cultivation. The standard cannabis cultivation regime permits the use of the controlled parts of the plant (e.g., leaves and flowers) and the cultivation of high-THC varieties indoors. There must be a lawful purpose, such as pharmaceutical production. The industrial hemp regime permits the cultivation of low-THC varieties to use the non-controlled parts of the plant (mature stalk and seeds), but not the controlled parts of the plant (e.g. flowers and leaves). The Government has introduced two reforms to make it easier for farmers to cultivate industrial hemp. In January 2025, the rules on site sensitively were removed. The duration of licences granted from January 2026 has been extended from three years to six years, with no additional fees, to help businesses plan. The Home Office works closely with DEFRA to ensure a balance between proportionate regulation of cannabis cultivation and provision of opportunity for UK businesses around the use of hemp. As part of this work, officials from both departments have met with UK hemp producers.

Question to the Ministry of Defence:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether all the UK's marine protected areas are shown on maritime maps.

Answered by Lord Coaker - Minister of State (Ministry of Defence)

The UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) is responsible for producing the UK’s maritime navigation charts; the Office operates as an arm’s length body of the Ministry of Defence. The UKHO only charts UK’s marine protected areas where they have an influence on marine navigation and safety of life at sea.

However, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) independently undertakes marine offshore surveys, monitors marine species, and maps marine and seabed habitats in its advisory capacity for Marine Protected Areas in UK waters; the JNCC is a non-executive public body administered by DEFRA.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Merron on 16 February (HL14539), whether they will ensure that any new water regulations include a clear requirement for water companies to support, maintain and, where appropriate, expand fluoridation schemes in their areas.

Answered by Baroness Merron - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

The maintenance and expansion of water fluoridation schemes are set out in the Water Industry Act 1991 and associated regulations. These provide the requirements that apply to water companies where my Rt Hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, proposes to enter, vary, or terminate arrangements for fluoridation of water.

There are no current plans to change these requirements through new regulations. However, the White Paper A New Vision for Water published in January 2026 confirms that, as long term reforms to the water industry are delivered, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs will work in partnership with the Department of Health and Social Care to support delivery of 10-Year Health Plan, which includes assessing further expansion of water fluoridation where oral health outcomes are poorest.

Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, whether he will make an assessment of the risks of the use of a) Benthiavalicarb, b) Clofentezine, c) Dimethomorph, d) Dimoxystrobin, e) Flufenacet, f) Ipconazole, g) Mepanipyrim, h) Metribuzin, i) S-metolachlor, and j) Triflusulfuronmethyl, in the context of reports that they pose serious health and environmental risks, including cancer and infertility.

Answered by Stephen Timms - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)

Pesticides are subject to strict regulation in Great Britain (GB) and are only approved on the basis that they will not cause harm to human or animal health, and that there are no unacceptable effects to the GB environment.

If new information comes to light that raises questions over the safety of a pesticide, The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) can and does review active substance approvals under pesticides legislation. HSE is aware of new information which relates to the ten pesticide active substances listed and is working with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, GB governments and, where appropriate, the pesticide producers, to determine what action is most suitable for these substances.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what recent assessment she has made of the potential merits of the implementation of Public Space Protection Orders in specific areas to prevent wildlife from being harmed by catapults.

Answered by Sarah Jones - Minister of State (Home Office)

The Government is clear that catapults should not be used to cause harm to wildlife, people, or property.

There are a wide range of laws in place to punish those who misuse catapults. For example, under the Prevention of Crime Act 1953, if a person carries an offensive weapon in a public place or threatens a person with an offensive weapon, they may face up to 4 years in prison. An offensive weapon is defined as any article made or adapted for use for causing injury to the person or intended by the person having it with him for such use by him or by another person. The definition may include a catapult depending on the circumstances and facts of the case.

Where a catapult is used to harm a person, under the Offences against the Person Act 1861, it could be charged as assault occasioning actual bodily harm which carries a maximum penalty of 5 years’ imprisonment, However, depending on the gravity of the attack and the seriousness of the injury caused by the catapult, the offence of wounding or causing grievous bodily harm with intent could be committed, which carries a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.

The Anti-Social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 provides the police, local authorities, and other local agencies with a range of flexible tools and powers that they can use to respond quickly and effectively to anti-social behaviour, including where appropriate, the misuse of catapults. This includes Public Spaces Protection Orders (PSPOs) which councils can issue to stop people committing anti-social behaviour in a public space.

The Home Office has not made an assessment on the potential merits of using PSPOs to prevent catapult use against wildlife. The powers in the 2014 Act are deliberately flexible in nature, and it is for local agencies to determine whether their use is appropriate in the specific circumstances of each individual case.

We do, however, recognise that the misuse of catapults is causing great concern to some local communities and the Home Office and Defra are working to find solutions to this problem with an aim of increasing protection to our wildlife from crimes involving these weapons.

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps his department is taking to require Food Business Operators to provide written information on allergens for non-pre-packed food at the point of ordering, in line with the Food Standards Agency guidance of 5 March 2025.

Answered by Stephen Kinnock - Minister of State (Department of Health and Social Care)

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) published best practice guidance on 5 March 2025 to help food businesses provide written allergen information at the point of ordering. This includes information on menus, printed materials or digital platforms, supported where appropriate by a verbal conversation. The guidance is intended to support clearer, more consistent communication of allergen information to consumers.

At present, this guidance is non‑statutory, and no mandatory requirement for written allergen information has been introduced. The FSA is however, monitoring how the guidance is being adopted by food businesses and providing the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with regular updates.

A robust evaluation has begun this year which will assess uptake and effectiveness. This evidence will help determine whether further measures, including legislation to require written allergen information at the point of ordering, are needed once the guidance has had time to embed.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of ending temporary concessionary visas for sheep shearers on the total labour supply of sheep shearers for the farming sector.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Immigration Rules concessionary arrangements are temporary and subject to regular Ministerial review. The sheep shearing concession had been operating for 14 years and closed after the 2025 shearing season as it reasonable to expect that over this period a long-term sustainable solution had been found to fill this workforce gap. To provide plenty of time to plan and transition to new arrangements DEFRA and the sector was informed last year that the concession would not be renewed again.

In addition, those in the UK on visas which allow general work rights, such as dependants or Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, are free to take up work as a sheep shearer subject to the relevant visa restrictions.

Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of changes to visas for overseas shearers, particularly from New Zealand and Australia, on (a) animal welfare and (b) the local economy in South Suffolk constituency.

Answered by Mike Tapp - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Home Office)

Immigration Rules concessionary arrangements are temporary and subject to regular Ministerial review. The sheep shearing concession had been operating for 14 years and closed after the 2025 shearing season as it is reasonable to expect that over this period a long-term sustainable solution had been found to fill this workforce gap. To provide plenty of time to plan and transition to new arrangements DEFRA and the sector were informed last year that the concession would not be renewed again.

In addition, those in the UK on visas which allow general work rights, such as dependants or Youth Mobility Scheme visa holders, are free to take up work as a sheep shearer subject to the relevant visa restrictions.

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