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 confirm the date from which farmers currently in legacy Higher Level Stewardship agreements will be able to exit those agreements and enter Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier without repayment.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) customers can submit a request to end their existing agreement at any time during the calendar year, but they may need to repay any money received.

Defra will work with customers whose HLS agreements will expire over the next 2-3 years to support them to continue management of key habitats and to look at how delivery of these sites can be further enhanced.

More details about the further roll out of Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) will be confirmed in due course, including which cohorts will be invited into CSHT next.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether underspend in the current financial year’s Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier budget will be (a) protected, and (b) carried forward into next year’s allocation.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra expects to increase both the numbers of farmers and land managers coming into the scheme and related spend on the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme over the course of the coming year. The scale of ambition for the number of agreements in this first phase remains unchanged.

To support this, Defra has been carefully rolling out Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier over the course of 2025 and into 2026. Since January 2025, Natural England and the Forestry Commission have offered pre-application advice to over 2,400 farmers and land managers. The application service opened on 18 September 2025, and so far over 650 sites have been invited to apply.

Defra is continuing to work with farmers and land managers to support completion of their pre-application advice and, where agreed, invite them into the service to apply over the coming months.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department is supporting farmers who cannot afford the costs of feasibility studies (e.g. PA2 for a feasibility study) which prevents them from accessing the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offer.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Payment for completion of feasibility studies can be claimed as soon as the work has been completed. The PA2 grant funds 100% of the costs of completing the study and so farmers and land managers will receive payments back for all costs incurred.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, whether his Department has made an assessment of the level of prevalence of multinational companies marketing (a) beers and (b) brewery brands as being from (i) small and independent brewers and (ii) from a specific geographical location.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade has not made a specific assessment of the level of prevalence of multinational companies marketing beers and brewery brands as being from small and independent brewers or from a specific geographical location.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decision. This could include multinational beverage companies misrepresenting where their alcohol products are produced. Misrepresentation may be taken as an unfair trading practice and constitute an offence.

Question to the Department for Business and Trade:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, what assessment he has made of the potential impact on consumers of breweries (a) stating and (b) implying that their products are being brewed in one location when they are produced in another location.

Answered by Kate Dearden - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade)

The Department for Business and Trade has not made a specific assessment of the potential impact on consumers of breweries misleading them on where their products are brewed.

The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024 prohibits unfair commercial practices, including misleading actions, that are likely to impact the average consumer’s transactional decision. This could include breweries misrepresenting where their products are produced. Misrepresentation may be taken as an unfair trading practice and constitute an offence.

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 introducing a geographic indication scheme for beers traditionally brewed in a specific location.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government recognises the economic and cultural importance of geographical indications (GIs) and remains committed to ensuring their continued protection.

The family of UK produced GIs already includes beer - Kentish Ale, Kentish Strong Ale, and Rutland Bitter, in addition to East Kent Goldings, a variety of hops used in the production of beers and ales.

Those are proudly produced to specific recipes and processes in a defined place, and the Government welcome applications for GI protection from producers of other beers.

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 proposed closure of Sharp's brewery in Rock, North Cornwall on (a) jobs, (b) the local economy and (c) consumer choice.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has not completed an impact assessment regarding the proposed closure of Sharp’s brewery. Molson Coors are conducting a consultation process on this proposed closure, and no further decisions will be made until this has finished. The department remains in regular contact with Molson Coors on this matter.

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 adjustments to ensure parity between (a) legacy Higher Level Stewardship agreements, and (b) current Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreements, for those delivering equivalent environmental outcomes above the moorland line.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In February last year, Defra recognised that Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payment rates had fallen behind the rates offered through other schemes including Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT).

Defra invested £30 million to increase payment rates so farmers in HLS agreements can continue to restore habitats, support rare species, preserve historic features and maintain traditional landscape features in our iconic countryside.

Defra raised 157 options by 34.4% of the difference between the HLS rate set out in an agreement holder's document and the equivalent CSHT or Sustainable Farming Incentive action, to bring them more in line with those schemes. This includes equivalent payment rates for agreements above the moorland line.

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 payment parity between (a) legacy Higher Level Stewardship agreements, and (b) current Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier agreements.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In February last year, Defra recognised that Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) payment rates had fallen behind the rates offered through other schemes including Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT).

Defra invested £30 million to increase payment rates so farmers in HLS agreements can continue to restore habitats, support rare species, preserve historic features and maintain traditional landscape features in our iconic countryside.

Defra raised 157 options by 34.4% of the difference between the HLS rate set out in an agreement holder's document and the equivalent CSHT or Sustainable Farming Incentive action, to bring them more in line with those schemes. This includes equivalent payment rates for agreements above the moorland line.

Question to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of local and regional (a) breweries and (b) beer brands on the tourism economy in (i) Cornwall and (ii) England.

Answered by Stephanie Peacock - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Culture, Media and Sport)

The Government recognises the vital role of breweries and beer brands in both local communities and the attractiveness of the UK as a visitor destination. While DCMS has not made a formal assessment, we continue working with other Government departments to ensure that targeted support is provided for the sector.

The Government is committed to helping breweries grow through exports and supports all businesses, including exporters, via the new Business Growth Service (Business.gov.uk) which has integrated our support in a single, accessible platform, designed to help businesses across the UK start, scale, and succeed globally. The Chancellor also announced in January that pubs will get a 15% cut to new Business Rates bills from April followed by a two-year real-terms freeze.

The Government also provides showcase opportunities for the British Beers such as at embassy tastings, trade missions and global trade shows that connect producers directly with buyers and distributors. Breweries of all sizes can also access UK Export Finance (UKEF), which offers a wide range of financial products to support exporters and export-ready businesses.

The forthcoming Visitor Economy Growth Strategy will set out a long-term plan to increase visitor flows across the UK, boost value, and deliver sustainable growth. Central to this strategy is the delivery of greater regional dispersal, ensuring that visitor income is spread effectively across regional destinations, including rural and coastal communities.

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 take steps to ensure that details of (a) the geographical location of production and (b) ownership of brands is included on (i) labels and (ii) point of sale materials for (1) beer and (2) other food and drink products.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK aims to maintain high standards on the information that is provided on food labels. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for the name and address of the food business operator that is responsible for the food.

Food origin information is mandatory for some, but not all foods. It is not required for beer products, but many producers in the UK state where the beer is brewed. If there is a recognised regional style of beer, it may be possible to protect that heritage through the geographical indications scheme.

In any case, where an indication of origin or provenance is given on food and drink, either in words or pictures, this must be accurate.

The Government has no current plans change country of origin rules. The ownership of brand is not required under food labelling rules.

Protections for Cornish produce

Palantir and the NHS

Windermere

Conflict in Lebanon

Funding for rural Britain

Coniston Hydro

LGBTQ+ veterans

Sign Language Week

NHS funding for mental health services

State visits to the US

Student finance system reform

Outdoor learning

Government response to Israel’s West Bank annexation plan

Heating oil prices

Royal Mail delivery standards

Centenary of Babbacombe Cliff Railway in Torquay

Eating disorder services

Cardiac risk in the young

Funding for rural fire and rescue services

World Hearing Day 2026

Crohn’s and Colitis Awareness Week 2025

Protections for the welfare of wild animals in tourism