Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she intends to issue updated guidance to local councils on maintaining minimum service levels in waste operations during periods of industrial disruption.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra does not plan to update guidance to local councils on prioritising services in periods of disruption in waste operations. Defra’s current guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-collection-services-guidance-for-local-authorities/waste-collection-services-guidance-for-local-authorities.
Asked by: Wendy Morton (Conservative - Aldridge-Brownhills)
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 environmental impact of prolonged interruptions to refuse collection in Birmingham, including consequences for air quality, pest control, and neighbourhood cleanliness.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prolonged interruptions to refuse collection in Birmingham. The ongoing waste dispute is a local issue and rightly being dealt with by Birmingham City Council. Commissioners appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government continue to support the Council in their recovery and improvement journey and provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State.
Asked by: Jim Allister (Traditional Unionist Voice - North Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has she made of the potential implications of the simplifications made by the EU to the EU Deforestation Regulation in terms of (a) its impact on the UK economy in Northern Ireland, (b) the timetable for the Northern Ireland Assembly to consider the legislation and (c) the timetable for the application of the legislation to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are currently reviewing the latest EU proposals. We will take them into account as part of our ongoing considerations.
Asked by: Kevin Hollinrake (Conservative - Thirsk and Malton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, Further to the DEFRA 2024-25 annual report and accounts, HC 1388, 12 November 2025, p.147, whether Nick Joicey has permanently left her Department as a civil servant.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Nick Joicey is currently on secondment from Defra. He remains a Civil Servant and, in line with standard practice, continues to be on Defra's headcount during the period of the secondment.
Asked by: Blake Stephenson (Conservative - Mid Bedfordshire)
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 make an estimate of the cost to the public purse of (a) consultations and (b) reviews conducted by her Department since 4 July 2024.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
An answer could only be provided by incurring disproportionate costs.
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, what proportion of a) farms and b) slaughterhouses are inspected each year; and what assessment she has made of the potential impact of that proportion on animal welfare standards.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
a). In 2023, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) undertook 1381 visits, inspecting 3001 herd and flocks. APHA operates an intelligence- and risk-based inspection regime, prioritising cases where significant animal suffering has been identified. There is no prescribed proportion of farms inspected solely for welfare purposes. When inspections are carried out for other purposes, such as disease control, any welfare concerns identified are addressed immediately or escalated for further action.
b) All approved slaughterhouses have Food Standards Agency (FSA) officials present during operations and receive at least one dedicated welfare inspection annually. These inspections are supplemented by risk-based audits, ensuring a high level of compliance with animal welfare standards. Overall compliance with animal welfare requirements in slaughterhouses remains very high across the sector.
Risk-based and intelligence-led inspections remain the most effective means of targeting resources to tackle serious animal welfare breaches. The FSA monitors large numbers of animals and reports any welfare concerns to APHA, which forms part of this integrated, risk-based approach.
Asked by: Lord Cromwell (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 requires local authorities and other relevant bodies to keep only land under their control, such as highways, clean of litter and refuse; whether the Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse specifies the distance from the highway for which it is the responsibility of the local authority to clear fly-tipping and other waste; and whether local authorities and other bodies are required to assist landowners with clearing their land beyond the edge of the highway of waste placed illegally by third parties, including toxic waste and fly-tipping.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Section 89 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 imposes duties on local authorities to ensure that certain land is, so far as is practicable, kept clear of litter and refuse. The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (see attached) provides guidance on discharging these duties. It does not specify the distance from the highway for which it is the responsibility of the local authority to clear fly-tipping.
Local authorities are responsible for most trunk roads and other, more minor roads. National Highways is responsible for motorways and certain trunk roads. Landowners are responsible for the land that they own. We encourage local authorities to investigate all incidents of fly-tipping, including those on private land. The Environment Agency may investigate waste that has the potential to damage the environment, such as hazardous waste.
We recently published a Pride in Place Strategy in which we committed to bringing forward statutory enforcement guidance on littering and modernising the code of practice on Litter and Refuse that outlines the cleaning standards expected of local authorities.
Asked by: Lord Fuller (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their most recent estimate of the total cost per dwelling for the purchase by developers of nutrient neutrality credits for phosphate and nitrogen respectively, including cost variations by catchment and region.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is broad variation in the cost of nutrient credits across nutrient neutrality areas, dependent on a range of factors such as the type of nutrient, the value of land and the nature of the intervention.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
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 impact on sugar beet producers in England due to the decision to extend tariff-free access for raw cane sugar.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK relies on some imported refined sugar to meet demand, and the Government’s assessment concluded that any additional volume of raw cane imports would largely displace that imported refined sugar rather than impacting domestic production. The increase in the ATQ volume is therefore not expected to impact UK sugar beet producers and the Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to ensure policy making finely balances all considerations.
Asked by: Samantha Niblett (Labour - South Derbyshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to help ensure farmers are not out of pocket for costs incurred under AB12 supplementary feeding for farmland birds.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the Environmental Land Management Capital Grants scheme, AB12 aims to provide bird feed during the winter period when other food sources are scarce. It pays £732 per tonne for every 2 hectares (ha) of winter bird food and is available under Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier. Feed can be purchased from a number of suppliers across the UK. The department regularly reviews payment rates.