Asked by: Ruth Jones (Labour - Newport West and Islwyn)
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 launch the consultation on restricting perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in consumer articles.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government published a PFAS Plan on 3 February 2026. This sets out the Government’s approach towards PFAS in consumer articles.
Asked by: Josh Newbury (Labour - Cannock Chase)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of funding under the (a) Landscape Recovery and (b) Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme has been received by farms smaller than 200 acres.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Landscape Recovery (LR) scheme does not directly award funding to participant land managers. Rather, the scheme awards funding to Projects, when in their development phase, and to a Single Legal Entity when they are in their implementation phase. This funding is then disbursed as per their project plans. The two pilot rounds of LR has seen in excess of 1400 land managers participating in LR projects with a range of holding sizes, with some choosing to enter whole farms into the project and others entering only part of their holdings. It should be noted that due to the dynamic nature of development proposals, this participation figure is subject to change.
The Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) scheme pays farmers and land managers to manage land in a way that: protects, restores, or enhances the environment and mitigates the effects of climate change.
The table below shows the total value claimed under the CSHT scheme and the percentage paid to farm businesses which were 200 Acre and under.
CSHT Claim Year | Total Value Paid to Farm Businesses with a CSHT Claim | % of the Total Fund Paid to Farm Businesses who are 200 acres and under |
2021 | £68,340,619 | 9% |
2022 | £100,077,442 | 9% |
2023 | £125,409,391 | 8% |
2024 | £226,289,959 | 7% |
2025 | £174,616,734 | 8% |
** This includes woodland management and woodland creation plans and is based on land recorded as linked in the Rural Payments Portal.
To Note -The New improved CSHT opened in September 2025 and is being rolled out by invitation only - no annual payments will be due until the payment window opens in December 2026.
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, what steps she is taking to empower local community initiatives, farms, and schools to implement practical food and nature education; and how her Department is measuring their impact.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The food strategy recognises the key role that regional and local food systems can play in supporting delivery of the growth, health, sustainability, and food security/ resilience outcomes. Defra wants to create an environment that champions UK food cultures and celebrates British food. Connecting local communities can be a key vehicle for achieving this outcome and for harnessing a stronger food culture. As we develop the food strategy, we will be considering how we can better support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our outcomes. The Government will consider the approach to monitoring and evaluation as we develop the outcomes and delivery mechanisms.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
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 if taking steps to help promote fish as part of a healthy diet.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Fish is a healthy and nutritious source of protein that can play an important role in achieving a balanced diet. The NHS Eatwell Guide recommends eating at least two portions of fish per week, with one of those portions portion being oily fish.
The Government’s Food Strategy outlines goals for healthier and more affordable food that will help us move towards a ‘good food cycle’. This includes an improved food environment that supports healthier, more environmentally sustainable food sales accessible to all.
Asked by: Julia Buckley (Labour - Shrewsbury)
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 the EU’s bans on certain pesticides and fungicides taking effect and the UK’s planned alignment in June 2027 on British farmers.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has agreed with the EU to establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) area, by way of an SPS Agreement. Plant protection products like pesticides and fungicides are in scope of that Agreement. Defra’s assessment of the potential impact is ongoing and considers a range of scenarios. The department understands the complexity of alignment in some areas, including for plant protection products. The Government is working closely with affected sectors, including farming, to incorporate their on-the-ground knowledge and analysis in planning for implementation.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 adequacy of data on the impact of flooding on social housing tenants.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In January 2025 the Environment Agency commissioned an independent review of Property Flood Resilience (PFR). The review identified gaps and opportunities to grow the PFR market, resulting in a new action plan for all relevant parties to take forward.
The National Housing Federation (NHF) representing 600 housing associations who provide nearly 2.7 million homes formed part of the review’s Leadership Group.
The review found that there is growing awareness among housing associations of the increasing flood risk and noted they already have access to a comprehensive Flood Toolkit. Social landlords however face several challenges including data gaps, securing temporary accommodation and ensuring residents have access to the right advice and support.
The review recommended that social landlords develop clear and coordinated strategies to prepare for and mitigate flood risk for their tenants and homes aligning PFR measures with wider work to improve energy efficiency, building safety and decency. The NHF has committed to delivering several actions over the next five years to strengthen members’ flood readiness.
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 guidance his Department issues to Natural England on the circumstances in which staff may not attempt to fight wildfires on land they manage.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Decisions on when and how Natural England (NE) staff respond to wildfire on land they manage are made by NE, and are dependent on the size of the fire, the training and equipment staff on site can access, and advice from the local Fire and Rescue Service. Defra has not issued any direct guidelines to NE on this subject but operational staff working on NE’S reserves at high risk of wildfire undertake Lantra-certified wildfire management training that Defra commissioned the Forestry Commission to develop.
Asked by: Al Pinkerton (Liberal Democrat - Surrey Heath)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help (a) tackle and (b) prevent organised crime networks involved in fly-tipping in (i) Surrey and (ii) Surrey Heath constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to tackling waste crime from the fly-tippers who blight our towns and villages to the serious and organised crime groups who are exploiting the waste sector. We are making policy and regulatory reforms to close loopholes exploited by criminals and have increased the Environment Agency’s (EA’s) budget for waste crime enforcement by over 50% this year to £15.6 million. The Government also works with a wide range of interested parties through the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG) to promote good practice, including advice on preventing fly-tipping on private land.
The EA focuses on tackling large-scale waste crime, often linked to organised criminal activity while fly-tipping is managed by local authorities. The greatest crossover with the EA and councils is where Organised Crime Groups are operating or linked to illegal or permitted waste sites, rather than fly tipping. Local EA Officers have established working relationships with Surrey Council County and district councils, including Surrey Heath. Information is routinely shared and joint site visits undertaken to ensure collective efforts across the organisations is targeted where each can have the most impact.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 consultation on restricting Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances (PFAS) in consumer articles.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government published a PFAS Plan on 3 February 2026. This sets out the Government’s approach towards PFAS in consumer articles.
Asked by: Olly Glover (Liberal Democrat - Didcot and Wantage)
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 publish the flood and safety risk assessments for the proposed SESRO reservoir.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to delivering best value for customers through the water infrastructure programme, while supporting growth and ensuring a resilient water supply. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, regulators and water industry stakeholders to ensure this.
White Horse Reservoir is subject to ongoing assessment through the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) gated process, which includes further investigations and assessments to inform a development consent application.
Through the development consent process consideration is given to flood and safety management and other regulatory requirements. This sits within the safety framework set out by the Reservoirs Act. All required assessments will be submitted by Thames Water to the Planning Inspectorate and the Secretary of State for consideration.