Asked by: Alison Bennett (Liberal Democrat - Mid Sussex)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the government plans to further regulate use by local authorities of glyphosate herbicides.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is not planning on further regulating glyphosate use by local authorities.
There is a legal requirement to minimise the use of pesticides along roads and in areas used by the public. It is for each Local Authority to decide the best way of delivering effective and cost-effective weed control in its operations without harming people or the environment.
The UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) sets out how we intend to increase the uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) across all sectors, including in amenity. Defra funded the recent publication of Parks for London’s Integrated Weed Management guide, which has been made open access. IPM lies at the heart of the government’s approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides.
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.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of privately-owned Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites have received public subsidies to restore them into good ecological condition in the last 2 years.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme supports the restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS).
In 2023 there was around 1,100 ha that received subsidies for the restoration of Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites (PAWS) under the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme which increased to around 1,900 ha of land in 2024. It is not possible to differentiate between publicly and privately owned land within this figure.
To Note: The payment window for existing CSHT agreements opens on the 01 December and receive annual payments. Applicants with a New CSHT agreement will receive quarterly payments.
Asked by: Baroness Coffey (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 performance of ministers in fulfilling their duties under section 20 of the Environment Act 2021 regarding statements on bills containing new environmental law, and what consideration they have given to creating mechanisms to challenge incorrect or misleading statements.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In making a statement under the Environment Act 2021 Section 20, as with all other statements ministers make to either House, ministers are bound by the Ministerial Code which requires them to provide accurate and truthful information to Parliament.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
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 auto-clearance of goods on the enforcement of biosecurity controls.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Border checks undertaken by competent authorities are an important element of the system designed to manage biosecurity risks.
The SPS controls at the border on EU goods implemented under the Border Target Operating Model provide assurance that the underlying systems of controls are working as intended. This includes import conditions, certification signed by veterinarian and plant authorities in exporting countries, risk assessments, border checks, and other intelligence led controls.
Auto-clearance applies to goods that fall into lower-risk categories established under the BTOM’s risk-based approach, ensuring that its impact on the enforcement of biosecurity controls is minimal while supporting the flow of goods.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to tighten regulations on the transport and storage of nurdles in line with the EU, and what other measures they will take to reduce the environmental and human health threats of nurdles.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government currently has no plans to align nurdle transport and storage regulations with those of the EU.
The Government has supported industry-led initiatives such as Operation Clean Sweep, to promote good practice in pellet loss prevention.
As a Contracting Party to the OSPAR Convention, the UK has led work under the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter, resulting in an OSPAR Recommendation on minimum standards for pellet loss certification schemes. The UK also supported development of a British Standards Institution Publicly Available Specification, published in July 2021, which sets out measures for businesses to reduce pellet loss and complies with the OSPAR Recommendation.
Pellet loss is a global issue, and the UK has called for specific provisions in the new international treaty on plastic pollution to address pellet loss throughout the supply chain. Additionally, the UK is working at the International Maritime Organization to introduce mandatory measures for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers.
Asked by: Charlie Dewhirst (Conservative - Bridlington and The Wolds)
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 list the non-governmental organisations and associations that the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Nature has met, since her appointment to the Department.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders. Since coming into office my meetings have been declared here: Defra: ministerial overseas travel, and meetings - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Richard Holden (Conservative - Basildon and Billericay)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what enforcement powers are available when local authorities fail to meet minimum animal welfare standards.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In cases of local authorities’ failure to meet animal welfare standards, Defra retains the necessary powers and scope to intervene under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Asked by: Sarah Edwards (Labour - Tamworth)
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 establishing an independent regulator or ombudsman to support pet-owning households not currently covered by an existing regulatory or complaints framework.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has not completed an assessment of the potential merits of establishing an independent regulator or ombudsman to support pet owners. The Competition and Markets Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Its Provisional Decision Report was published on 15 October and is open for consultation until 12 November. Defra will consider any remedies from the final report when it is published in Spring 2026.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
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 re-instating the pause on the building of new waste incinerators.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Determining the need and location for waste management infrastructure is a matter for the relevant planning authority. To support decision making the Government has made it clear we only back new Energy from Waste projects if they meet strict local and environmental conditions. Projects are expected to demonstrate a clearly defined domestic residual waste treatment capacity need to facilitate the diversion of residual waste away from landfill, or enable the replacement of older, less-efficient facilities. Additionally, new facilities will have to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy.
We are considering how best to reflect the approach in this statement in the new set of national policies for development management which we have committed to producing, and in updates to National Policy Statements.
The Government encourages those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities.
Asked by: Vikki Slade (Liberal Democrat - Mid Dorset and North Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the incinerator capacity for waste destined for landfill in Dorset.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government publishes annual statistics related to waste collected by local authorities: Local authority collected waste management - annual results - GOV.UK.
In 2023-24 Dorset Council reported sending 936 tonnes of collected waste to landfill and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council reported sending 18,724 tonnes of collected waste to landfill.
However, this does not include waste processed by private waste management companies.
Our Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note shows that at the end of 2024, the Southwest of England had around 1.63 million tonnes of operational and under construction energy from waste capacity whilst total residual municipal waste arisings were reported as 2.27 million tonnes. Residual waste infrastructure capacity note - GOV.UK.