Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the use of single-use plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables in supermarkets.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives.
The Government’s funding of WRAP, who run the UK Plastics Pact (UKPP), has seen significant progression across industry. Members have increased the average recycled content in their packaging from 8.5% in 2018 to 24.1%. UKPP members cover the entire plastics value chain and are responsible for the majority of plastic packaging sold through UK supermarkets, and approximately two thirds of the total plastic packaging placed on the UK market. Since 2018, additional progress from members includes a 55% reduction by weight sold of the items listed as problematic and avoidable in 2018; 71% of their plastic packaging is now recyclable (up from 66% in 2018); and 55% of their plastic packaging is recycled (up from 44% in 2018).
The Government also supports innovation, having funded over 80 projects on innovative solutions to plastic packaging through the Smart Sustainable Plastic Packaging Challenge (SSPP), managed by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is to publish the 48 new Local Nature Recovery Strategies.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State for the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has appointed 48 responsible authorities to prepare Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRSs) across England. Responsible authorities must follow the LNRS regulations when preparing the strategies and use the statutory guidance provided. Once complete, each responsible authority will publish the LNRS for their area. Two strategies have been published so far, in the West of England and North Northamptonshire.
LNRSs will be delivered through a combination of legal duties, funding and incentives. The Government has set out a clear leadership and coordination role for responsible authorities in the English Devolution White Paper.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of facilitating the recycling of blister packs.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Through making producers responsible for the costs of managing the packaging they use; packaging extended producer responsibility incentivises producers to use less packaging and transition to re-usable or easy-to-recycle packaging.
Defra has previously considered the merits of facilitating the recycling of harder to recycle packaging such as blister packs. This resulted in some currently difficult to recycle packaging, such as plastic films, being subject to kerbside collection and recycling requirements.
For others, such as blister packs, we concluded that where they are separately collected by producers, via takeback schemes, and are then recycled at the producer’s cost, then producers would not need to pay pEPR fees on the tonnage which is recycled. In addition, for future years, a producer’s modulated fees may be reduced if the packaging they are using, such as blister packs, is part of an easy to access, UK wide takeback scheme, as it will improve their recyclability assessment outcome.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will have discussions with representatives of the horticultural industry on an alternative to the Fruit and Vegetable Aid Scheme.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s commitment to our horticulture sector and its vital role in strengthening food security remains steadfast. Our proposed approach to future funding for horticulture will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. This includes developing a 25-year Farming Roadmap, which will involve government and the industry working together to identify solutions to challenges to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come.
We recognise the specific needs of the horticulture sector, and Defra ministers and officials meet regularly with a variety of growers from across the sector, (including a number of Producer Organisation members), to discuss a wide range of issues to help us understand how best to support sector.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 12 March 2025 to Question 36460 on Litter, what steps he plans to take to support local authorities to tackle 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 and related problems, in a way tailored to the community in which they occur. They have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices and prosecution.
This Government is considering what further steps are needed to help local authorities reduce litter and keep their streets clean. Any new announcements will be made in the usual manner.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals in this Session to create a right of responsible access to the English countryside.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and is working to ensure this is safe and appropriate. That is why we have set out ambitious manifesto commitments to create nine new national river walks and three new national forests in England, expanding access to the great outdoors.
We have also announced plans to remove the 2031 cut-off date for the recording of historic rights of way to enhance public access to nature. This will ensure that the public can continue to use these routes for years to come, with the change being formally enacted when parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 December 2024 to Question 16660 on Consumer Goods: Carbon Emissions, what discussions he has had with the (a) Circular Economy Taskforce and (b) Committees of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority on measures to limit climate emissions from advertising of high carbon products.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of reducing emissions from high carbon products and will continue to bring forward proposals to do so. As the Circular Economy Taskforce develops recommendations for the strategy, it will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what interventions may be needed. The Committee of Advertising Practice and Advertising Standards Authority operate independently of the Government.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
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 the auto-clearance system on the UK’s ability to enforce (a) bans on the import of live (i) cattle, (ii) pigs and (iii) sheep and (b) restrictions on products of animal origin from (A) Germany, (B) Hungary and (C) Slovakia.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The auto clearance system does not impact on our ability to prohibit live animals from foot and mouth affected areas, as these commodities are specifically excluded. The auto clearance system has also been updated to exclude goods subject to Foot and Mouth Regulations from impacted countries. This means that we can enforce the bands on impacted commodities.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to update data provided to the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for updating UK fishing vessel data on the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels. The MMO last updated the record on 24 March 2025.
Asked by: Ellie Chowns (Green Party - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) products of animal origin and (b) products containing products of animal origin have entered the UK from (i) Germany, (ii) Slovakia and (iii) Hungary since imports have been restricted following outbreaks of foot and mouth disease in those countries.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Since the introduction of foot and mouth controls for Germany, Hungary and Slovakia, there has been an effective prohibition on the movement of impacted goods into GB. It is important to note that most products of animal origin are not prohibited from these countries, for example poultry meat. Only products from susceptible animals that have not been treated to the required level to mitigate disease risk are prohibited, for example fresh beef.