Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 increase price transparency in the milk supply chain.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Government recognises the importance of greater transparency in the milk supply chain to support a fair and sustainable dairy sector.
The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations, which fully came into force in July 2025, requires that all dairy contracts must clearly set out the factors that determine the price of milk.
In addition, producers have the right to request a written explanation of how the price has been determined and, where applicable, how those factors have influenced the price. This improves transparency and ensures farmers better understand how the price received relates to the terms of their contract.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 maximise the effectiveness of the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) has been appointed to oversee and enforce the Fair Dealing Regulations for the Milk and Pig Sectors, providing a route for raising issues and complaints where parties believe the rules have not been followed.
Since being appointed, the ASCA has carried out a wide range of proactive activities to engage with the sectors to raise awareness of the regulations and provide support, including but not limited to running surveys, attending and speaking at conferences and agricultural shows, farm visits and convening sector roundtables.
To further support producers, the ASCA also established an in-confidence email channel to enable producers to raise issues anonymously with the ASCA.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 prevent biodiversity loss associated with deforestation globally.
Answered by Mary Creagh
We remain steadfast in working with partners to deliver our shared commitment to halt and reverse deforestation and forest degradation by 2030 while supporting sustainable development. We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is currently considering its approach to addressing the impact of the use of forest risk commodities in our supply chains and will set out its approach in due course.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
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 insurance premiums for homes at high risk of flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Flood Re is a joint Government and industry flood reinsurance scheme established specifically to help UK households at high risk of flooding to access affordable insurance through their insurance provider.
In 2024/25, Flood Re provided cover for over 346,000 household policies. 650,000 properties have benefitted since the scheme’s launch. Notably, prior to Flood Re’s inception, the average home insurance quote for a householder with a flood claim was about £4,400. As of December 2024, the average was c. £1,100. Additionally, 99% of householders at high risk of flooding can now obtain quotes from 10 or more insurers.
I met with senior leaders from the insurance industry this month. We discussed how the industry can support their customers both to secure relevant and affordable insurance, and at the point of claim.
Asked by: Catherine Fookes (Labour - Monmouthshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what actions he is taking to mitigate the potential impact of the built environment on bat populations.
Answered by Mary Creagh
All bats, including their breeding sites and resting places, are protected under UK and international law.
This strict legal protection makes it an offence to deliberately capture, injure, or kill bats; to damage or destroy a breeding or resting place; or to obstruct access to a resting or sheltering place. Local Planning Authorities require a bat survey to be completed if a proposed development is likely to negatively affect bats or their habitats. Appropriate measures must be taken by developers to avoid, mitigate and, as a last resort, compensate for any negative effects on bats that could be caused by any proposed development. An example of a compensatory measure could be the erection of a bat box, whilst a mitigation measure could include carrying out works to a summer roost site in the winter when bats are not present.
The revised National Planning Policy Framework we published in December expects developments to minimise impacts on and provide net gains for biodiversity, including by establishing coherent ecological networks that are more resilient to current and future pressures and through incorporating features that support priority or threatened species such as bats.