Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
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 introduce farming payments to help support animal welfare outcomes.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since 2023, farmers in England have been able to access funding through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway to improve livestock health and welfare while supporting farm productivity and sustainability. This support covers annual veterinary reviews, disease testing, and capital grants, including the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (which provides animal welfare grants) and the Laying Hen Housing for Health and Welfare Grant. To date, we have funded more than 10,000 vet visits. Full details of available support are published on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Terry Jermy (Labour - South West Norfolk)
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 introduce the activity regulations for the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of future bans on the advertising and offering for sale, in England and Northern Ireland, of low-welfare animal activities abroad.
We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to stop the advertising of low-welfare animal activities abroad and will be setting out next steps in due course.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 support the development of sustainable aquaculture.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to supporting sustainable, industry‑led growth of the aquaculture sector through a range of measures.
These include publishing new guidance on seaweed aquaculture regulation this year and offering clarity for businesses and regulators. The Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, working with Seafish and industry partners, is centralising aquaculture data for England and Wales to improve transparency and evidence‑based decision making. The Environment Agency continues to regulate wastewater discharges to safeguard waters used for commercial shellfish production.
While many aquaculture issues are devolved, the Government will champion sustainably produced aquaculture products from across the UK internationally. A thriving sector requires a strong trading framework, and the government is committed to building relationships with key trading partners.
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 he is taking steps to encourage public bodies to prioritise the purchase of produce from (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has set a clear ambition for half of all food purchased across the public sector to be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards within legal constraints. The Government is undertaking work to ensure we can deliver on this ambition, including to improve our understanding of what food the public sector currently buys and where it comes from. The Government has already published a new national procurement policy statement which sets expectations for Government contracts to favour products certified to higher environmental standards. The Government believes that high-quality British producers, including those based in South Holland and the Deepings constituency and Lincolnshire, will be well-placed to meet these standards.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 ger counterparts in Northern Ireland in relation to the second outbreak of blue tongue in Portaferry.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK.
Following the first confirmed bluetongue cases in Northern Ireland, Defra is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) to review policy regarding movement of bluetongue susceptible animals between Northern Ireland and Great Britain. This has included a case conference, and a CVO stocktake attended by the chief veterinary officers and policy leads from Defra, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
Asked by: Gregory Stafford (Conservative - Farnham and Bordon)
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 27th May to Baroness Hayman’s letter, when her Department expects to introduce legislation to enact a ban on trail hunting, and whether a timeline has been agreed for this work.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and we will consult on how to deliver a ban in the new year. Legislation will be introduced when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 increasing the speed of the roll out of the Environmental Land Management Scheme.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes remain at the centre of our offer for farmers and nature, putting us on the path to a more resilient and sustainable farming sector.
The Department now has more than half of farmers in an ELM scheme, including over 44,500 Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements. It is our ambition to reopen SFI in the first half of 2026. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier opened for applications in September 2025 through a controlled rollout. Two pioneering Landscape Recovery projects have now started long-term delivery on the ground.
We are on track to spend the committed £1.8bn, the largest figure ever, on ELM schemes in 2025/26.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions has she held with UK a) wholesale suppliers b) distributors and c) the farming community on supporting UK agricultural and horticultural supply chains.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has many discussions with a range of stakeholders. The Government’s commitment to farming and food security is steadfast, which is why we've allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.
Defra regularly engages with a farmers, manufacturers, wholesalers, retailers and distributors through a range of forums to discuss issues affecting the food supply chain.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
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 consider a legally binding target to increase the proportion of food that is UK-grown and eaten in Britain.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have no plans for a legally binding food production target. In 2024 we were 65% self-sufficient for all food; 77% for food we can produce here – a balance that has been stable for many years. As we develop plans to support delivery of the food strategy outcomes, we are focussed on securing resilient domestic production that supports good growth and enhances domestic food security.
Asked by: Matt Vickers (Conservative - Stockton West)
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 the Department has made of potential food security risks arising from supply chain disruption.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has a resilient food supply chain that is well equipped to deal with situations that have the potential to cause disruption. Defra works closely with industry and across Government to identify and monitor food security risks.
In compliance with the Agriculture Act 2020, the United Kingdom Food Security Report (UKFSR) is presented to Parliament at least once every three years, most recently in 2024. This examines past, current, and future trends relevant to food security and presents a full and impartial analysis of UK food security. In the intervening years, the UK Food Security Digest (UKFSD) is published containing a selection of summary statistics on issues relevant to a range of aspects of food security, drawn from national and international sources. This year’s report was published on 11 December 2025.