Asked by: Lord Truscott (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to create strategic food stockpiles.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK does not have national food stockpiles or plans to create these. The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is equipped to deal with any 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 work closely with the Cabinet Office and other departments ensuring food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing preparations, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish proposals for Stage 4 fisheries management measures for marine protected areas.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Stage 4 Marine Protected Areas are sites designated to protect highly mobile species such as seabirds and harbour porpoise. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has been talking to stakeholders about options for managing the impacts of fishing on these sites. The MMO is now analysing all the feedback it has received, including through an earlier call for evidence, and will decide on what management measures it thinks is needed to protect these species.
Asked by: Jess Brown-Fuller (Liberal Democrat - Chichester)
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 level of representation of the horticultural industry on the Farming and Food Partnership Board.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The first meeting of the Board took place on 25 March 2026 with an initial membership of 7 industry leads and experts. Together, this initial group provided coverage and expertise across farming and food production, distribution, processing and manufacturing, and the domestic and international markets. This group considered the need for additional members ahead of the next Board meeting.
The first meeting agreed the Board’s work should be supported by additional task and finish sub-groups, as well as sector led groups developing Sector Growth Plans.
Following the first meeting, the Board has invited the Horticulture Expert Growers Group to work with the Fruit & Veg Coalition and the Environmental Horticulture Group and immediately begin work on the first Sector Growth Plan for the horticultural sector. This will ensure that the expertise and insights of the horticultural industry are fully considered by the Board.
Asked by: Barry Gardiner (Labour - Brent West)
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 undertaken an analysis to assess whether using Regulated Capital Value to measure water company values provides the most accurate measure of their value since July 2024.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 24 March 2026 to PQ UIN 120291.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
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 Animal Welfare Strategy for England, whether her Department plans to support voluntary efforts to move away from the use of fast-growing meat chicken breeds.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 16 March 2026 to the hon. Member for Stockport, PQ UIN 118907.
Asked by: Alex Mayer (Labour - Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard)
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 Animal Welfare Strategy for England, when the guidance on the welfare of decapods at time of killing will be published; and whether killing methods beyond live boiling are to be included in the Strategy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government will publish guidance on which methods of killing decapods are compatible with the existing legal requirements on animal welfare at time of killing. This guidance is under development.
Asked by: Cat Eccles (Labour - Stourbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what action the Government is taking to address harmful cat breeding practices, including the breeding of wildcat hybrids.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Stourbridge on 24 March 2026 PQ UIN 121217.
Asked by: Lord Blencathra (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they intend to take to ensure that additional funding provided to the Environment Agency will support enforcement action on waste crime that is sufficient to act as a deterrent.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has published its new Waste Crime Action Plan which is the toughest ever crackdown on illegal waste. In conjunction with this the Environment Agency (EA) has set out its ten-point plan to tackle waste crime. The additional funding being provided will support EA’s delivery of these measures, which together comprise a comprehensive Government response to the scourge of waste crime.
More information can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-crime-action-plan/waste-crime-action-plan and https://engageenvironmentagency.uk.engagementhq.com/waste-crime-stand-with-us-to-end-waste-crime. Copies are attached to this answer.
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the benefits of international dark sky reserves.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has some of the best, earliest, and largest number of designated Dark Skies Areas in Europe. This includes Exmoor National Park, which was the first designated Dark Sky Reserve in Europe; and Northumberland, which has been awarded the Dark Sky Gold Tier, indicating natural, non-polluted or near-natural night skies. A survey into the designation of the Northumberland International Dark Sky Park, for example, reported a positive impact on the local economy. There have been no recent assessments of the benefits by Defra.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Environment Agency has finished its investigation into Healthcare Environmental Services regarding disposal of waste in relation to the NHS.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The matter is under an advanced stage of review by the Environment Agency (EA). This is a complex case requiring the consideration of matters arising across jurisdictions and parallel legal proceedings. It is not appropriate to comment further until the EA’s review of the matter has been concluded.