Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 4 November 2025 to Question 85516 on Marine Protected Areas: Bottom Trawling, when she plans to publish (a) the summary of that consultation and (b) her Department's response.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A consultation on the latest round of proposed fisheries byelaws, which proposes further restrictions on bottom trawling, closed on 29 September. The Marine Management Organisation is now carefully considering all responses received, and decisions will be made in due course.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 3 November to Question 85521 on Farmers: Mental Health and Productivity, for what reason the Department does not intend to undertake such research.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We undertake research where evidence does not exist to inform the policy decisions we take and our future research priorities will in part be guided by the Farming Roadmap when that is published next year. We know from working with farming charities that there are significant impacts from poor mental health in farming and have utilised their research, such as the Big Farming Survey, to understand the factors influencing mental health and resulting from, including productivity.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to ban bottom trawling in Marine Protected Areas.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s approach is to restrict fishing which is assessed as damaging to the specific protected features in each Marine Protected Area, based on advice from the Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies. A consultation on the latest round of proposed fisheries byelaws, which proposes further restrictions on bottom trawling, closed on 29 September. The Marine Management Organisation is now carefully considering all responses received, and decisions will be made in due course.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the average cost of veterinary bills for pet owners.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Competition and Markets Authority is conducting a market investigation into the provision of veterinary services for household pets. Their Provisional Decision Report was published on 15 October and is open for consultation until 12 November. Defra will consider any remedies from their final report when it is published in Spring 2026.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 27 October 2025 to Question 83644 on Farmers: Mental Health, if she will commission research to review the link between agricultural workers' mental health and changes in agricultural output.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have no plans to do so. Production levels are influenced by a range of factors including the weather and market prices. We regularly liaise with farming welfare charities and industry stakeholder groups to understand the issues affecting farmers’ mental health and any impacts resulting from poor mental health.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 20 October 2025 to Question 80143 on Farmers: Mental Health, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of farmers' mental health on levels of agricultural output.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Levels of agricultural output are measured in our statistical publications and can be affected by a range of factors including prices, disease and the weather. Although we have not attributed changes in output to changes in mental health, Defra recognises that poor mental health can affect agricultural productivity and profitability. International evidence has also highlighted a bidirectional relationship between mental health and agricultural output at the farm level.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data her Department holds on levels of sewage discharges in Ely and East Cambridgeshire constituency.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) hold several data sets relating to discharges of sewage to the environment. Most publicly accessible data can be found at: Water Data Explorer | Engage Environment Agency.
The majority of sewage discharges are permitted under the Environmental Permitting Regulations.
Event Duration Monitoring data is available for all Storm Overflows. This provides data on the number of untreated sewage spills and the duration of each. The EA holds records of pollution incidents, including details of all non-permitted sewage discharges that are reported to them, or that they otherwise become aware of.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 20 October 2025 to Question 80142 on Farmers: Mental Health, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on expanding that support.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
The department regularly meets with stakeholders as part of ongoing work to understand the causes behind poor mental health in farmers and what actions can be taken to assist those experiencing mental health challenges.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 progress on eel (a) management and (b) protection since the publication of the eel management plans.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Progress on eel management and protection was assessed in in the Implementation of UK Eel Management Plans (2020 – 2023) report, published in December 2024. The Environment Agency continues to implement the measures set out in the management plans aimed at the recovery and sustainable management of eel populations.
Asked by: Charlotte Cane (Liberal Democrat - Ely and East Cambridgeshire)
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 potential impact of farmers' mental health on the level of agricultural output.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has not done an assessment, but we recognise that poor mental health can have a damaging effect on farm productivity and are supporting farmer specific access to mental health support services through the Farming Welfare Grant.