Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 help reduce the number of pollution incidents from Wessex Water sewerage assets in Somerset.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Somerset, two new Water Industry Officer teams now monitor Wessex Water’s compliance with environmental permits and hold them accountable for pollution incidents. These teams inspect all Wessex Water assets and in 2024/25, delivered more inspections than any other EA Area, with similar performance expected this year. Officers are continually upskilled to strengthen incident response and enforcement capabilities to ensure they hold Wessex Water accountable.
Within the Yeovil constituency, the EA is due to complete a total of 22 inspections of Wessex Water assets this year, an increase from 6 last year. The EA has already responded to a significant pollution incident within the constituency, initially stopping the pollution incident and now investigating further to determine an appropriate enforcement response.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 farmers in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) the UK to help increase the UK's food security.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change we are delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers which includes a raft of new policies and major investment to boost profits for farmers.
We have allocated a record of £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production in England over this parliament. This includes funding for Environmental Land Management schemes, which amongst others, will deliver improvements to sustainable food production and the environment, in Somerset and across the country.
Furthermore, UK consumers have access through international trade to food products that cannot be produced here, or at least not on a year-round basis. This supplements domestic production and also ensures that any disruption from risks such as adverse weather or disease does not affect the UK's overall security of supply. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 publish the conclusions of the research project on operational challenges preventing some cats from being reunited with their keepers after road traffic accidents.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The research report for the project entitled "Impact of waste management processes on reunifying owners with their dead cats and dogs found by the roadside" is undergoing review. A report will be published once those procedures have concluded.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 11 September 2025 to Question 75506 on the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs: Finance, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of delivering funding beyond 2025-26 to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
My officials continue to work closely with the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs in delivering the 25/26 grant. Any assessment of the potential merits of providing further funding beyond 25/26 will form part of future spending decisions.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of removing discretionary grant funding for the National Federation of Young Farmers' Clubs on the farming industry in (a) Yeovil constituency (b) Somerset and (c) England.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Encouraging more young people into farming and land-based careers is vital to ensure a skilled workforce is in place and the longer-term viability of the sector.
Defra works closely with the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC). Defra provides funding of up to £30,000 per year for specific project-based activity which supports skills development and training.
My officials continue to work very closely with the NFYFC to deliver the 2025-26 grant to ensure value for money.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 23 June 2025 to Question 61101 on Darwin Plus: Finance, when he plans to announce the amount of future funding for Darwin Plus.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is committed to continuing the support made available to the UK Overseas Territories through Darwin Plus. The department recognises the unique environmental importance of the territories and the positive impact of the programme in protecting biodiversity.
As set out in my earlier answer, the department has secured a multi-year commitment from HM Treasury and will therefore look to provide an update on Darwin Plus following departmental business planning.
Funding commitments for grants awarded through the Darwin Plus programme can cover up to 5 years of activity through schemes such as Darwin Plus Strategic.
Updates regarding Darwin Plus will be made in the usual way, as soon as they are available.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
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 23 June 2025 to Question 61101 on Darwin Plus: Finance, how many years the funding commitment is for.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is committed to continuing the support made available to the UK Overseas Territories through Darwin Plus. The department recognises the unique environmental importance of the territories and the positive impact of the programme in protecting biodiversity.
As set out in my earlier answer, the department has secured a multi-year commitment from HM Treasury and will therefore look to provide an update on Darwin Plus following departmental business planning.
Funding commitments for grants awarded through the Darwin Plus programme can cover up to 5 years of activity through schemes such as Darwin Plus Strategic.
Updates regarding Darwin Plus will be made in the usual way, as soon as they are available.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of protecting funding for the Darwin Plus scheme beyond 2030.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is committed to continuing the support made available to the UK Overseas Territories through Darwin Plus. The department recognises the unique environmental importance of the territories and the positive impact of the programme in protecting biodiversity.
As set out in my earlier answer, the department has secured a multi-year commitment from HM Treasury and will therefore look to provide an update on Darwin Plus following departmental business planning.
Funding commitments for grants awarded through the Darwin Plus programme can cover up to 5 years of activity through schemes such as Darwin Plus Strategic.
Updates regarding Darwin Plus will be made in the usual way, as soon as they are available.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with large supermarkets on the potential impact of (a) food pricing and (b) supermarkets' buying practices on food producers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers about a range of measures they can take to ensure the availability of affordable food. These measures include maintaining value ranges, price matching and price freezing. However, it is for each individual food retailer to make commercial decisions regarding the products in their stores, as the Government does not interfere in day-to-day operations.
The Government is firmly committed to ensuring food producers receive a fair price for their products, and to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists.
On 13 March, Fair Dealing Regulations for the pig sector were introduced and are currently progressing through the parliamentary process. Similar regulations for the eggs and fresh produce sectors will follow, with the Government prepared to intervene in any sector where fairness issues are identified.
Where farmers sell directly to retailers, their agreements will be covered within the scope of the sectoral regulations that we are introducing through powers in the Agriculture Act 2020.
Additionally, the Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to nutritious, affordable food. The recently launched Food Strategy will look to outline measures to make healthy food accessible and affordable for the whole population.
Asked by: Adam Dance (Liberal Democrat - Yeovil)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessments he has made of the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on (a) littering and (b) reducing littering.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering. They have a range of enforcement tools including fixed penalty notices and prosecution to help them meet their duty to keep public areas clear or litter and rubbish. This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities tackle litter.
In the meantime, we are tackling two of the more common sources of litter. The sale of single-use vapes will be banned from 1 June 2025 and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers.
No assessment has been made of the primary causes of litter in rural communities, the potential impact of litter on public health in rural communities or the potential merits of supporting greater education in schools on littering.
The Eco-Schools programme, run by Keep Britain Tidy, works with schools to help change littering habits. As part of the programme, in 2023/24 over 100,000 pupils participated in litter picks collecting 27,000 bags of rubbish and delivering over 3,000 litter picks in their communities.