Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has spent money on promotion through social media influencers since July 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No money has been spent by Defra on social media influencers since July 2024.
Asked by: Edward Morello (Liberal Democrat - West Dorset)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to amend the regulation of genome-edited crops.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has been undertaking a programme of regulatory reform for precision breeding.
The Precision Breeding Act 2023 sets out a more proportionate and science-based regulatory framework for precision breeding that encourages innovation and enables products to be brought to market more easily. The secondary legislation needed to implement The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England was passed into law on 13 May 2025.
Asked by: Tanmanjeet Singh Dhesi (Labour - Slough)
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 he has been made of the potential impact of commercial greyhound racing on animal welfare.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The welfare of greyhounds in England is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. The Act allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal’s welfare needs. This includes where greyhounds are raced or kept at trainers’ kennels. Specific welfare standards at all greyhound racing tracks in England are also required by the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010, including having a vet present while dogs are running (with all greyhounds inspected by the vet before being allowed to run).
In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body, the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB), enforces welfare standards at GBGB affiliated tracks, as well as at GBGB licensed trainers’ kennels. Independent, external oversight of GBGB’s regulatory work at tracks and trainers’ kennels is provided by the UK’s National Accreditation Body, the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
The GBGB has also undertaken a number of welfare reforms, including publishing a long term, national welfare strategy – ‘A Good Life for Every Greyhound’. The Government is monitoring GBGB’s progress in delivering the strategy and should further measures be required the Government will consider options which are targeted, effective, and proportionate.
Asked by: Stephen Gethins (Scottish National Party - Arbroath and Broughty Ferry)
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 the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement on the future use of Border Control Posts.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Work is ongoing to confirm what the future requirements for activities at the border will look like under an SPS Agreement, including what will happen to operations at Border Control Posts (BCPs). The Government recognises that there are questions that will need to be looked at as part of implementation and remains committed to working openly and closely with the Devolved Governments, Port Health Authorities, Local Authorities and port operators to ensure the transition to these new arrangements is as clear and seamless as possible, noting that the precise detail and timing of this process – including legislative arrangements – are naturally subject to the course of the detailed negotiations.
Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 consultation on poultry catching and handling, which ended on 2 May 2025, what steps he is taking to ensure that the research project to study the impact of various catching methods and different housing systems will reflect the practices of (a) the Netherlands, (b) Brazil and (c) other countries where upright catching is mandatory.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Poultry catching summary of responses was published in June, and includes a summary of views on the research and how robust data could best be generated. As set out in the Government response to the public consultation, we have commissioned research that will focus on addressing gaps in the scientific evidence on the impact of upright and two-legged catching within a commercial GB setting.
The research has started at SRUC and the University of Bristol and will take account of published peer-reviewed research, which may include information from other countries where relevant.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has for the future use of properties utilised as Northern Ireland Points of Entry.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Northern Ireland Points of Entry are critical for food security and biosecurity. These facilities will continue to be used to fulfil this critical function. The future use of these facilities once the UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement is in place will depend on the final shape of that agreement, however the Government is clear that its priority is to reduce barriers to trade and red tape.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
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 effectiveness of regulations on dog breeding; and what steps she is taking to tackle illegal puppy farming.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra undertook a post-implementation review of The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, which was published in December 2024. The Government is considering the findings, as well, as the recommendations in the EFRA select committee’s report into pet welfare and abuse and the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on canine breeding.
As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Jenny Riddell-Carpenter (Labour - Suffolk Coastal)
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 bring forward legislative proposals to (a) improve the welfare of farmed animals and (b) restrict the use of cages.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.
Asked by: Andrew Snowden (Conservative - Fylde)
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 8 September 25 to Question 73558 on Veterans: World War II, if her Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of commemorating the contribution of British famers to national security (a) through their service in the Home Guard and (b) supervision of prisoners of war during the Second World War.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have no current plans to create initiatives in respect of commemorating the role of British farmers in maintaining national security during the Second World War.
In May, Defra relaunched the Women’s Land Army and Timber Corps Scheme, a civilian veteran service medal scheme recognising those women volunteers who took on roles traditionally done by the men away at war by cultivating crops used to help feed the nation.
Asked by: James Naish (Labour - Rushcliffe)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the future of agri-environmental farming schemes.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the recent spending review, we committed to carrying on the transition towards paying to deliver public goods for the environment, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery between 2026 and 2029. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million).
There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.