Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the numbers of (a) grey squirrels and (b) red squirrels in England.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A 2018 report by the Mammal Society estimates there are 1.94million grey squirrels and 38,900 red squirrels in England.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the EU on the movement of veterinary medicines between Great Britain and Northern Ireland after 1 January 2026; and when she plans to communicate relevant decisions to veterinary practices.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government continues to engage with the EU on a range of issues relating to the Windsor Framework, including veterinary medicines.
We continue to engage extensively with industry including veterinary bodies and other veterinary experts and will use this information to inform and calibrate the guidance and measures we are taking.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is having discussions with counterparts in the devolved Administrations on the circular economy strategy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Yes. This government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, progress towards Net Zero, restoration of nature, and a more resilient economy.
The Government convened a Circular Economy Taskforce of experts to help map that transition; in the new year we will publish a Circular Economy Growth Plan that sets out how government will deliver a more circular and more prosperous economy.
The Government will maintain this collaborative approach as the Circular Economy Growth Plan is finalised, with further joint working and mutual learning scheduled to ensure coherence across the United Kingdom.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to ensure that veterinary medicine supply via suitably qualified persons to Northern Ireland will continue on the same basis as now from 1 January 2026.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Suitably Qualified Persons (SQPs) are unique to the UK, and the Government is committed to supporting them and the vital role they play in supporting the UK’s farming and companion animal sectors.
Continued access to veterinary medicines for Northern Ireland at the end of the grace period is a Government priority. After extensive stakeholder engagement, our current estimate is that 10-15% of products are expected to be discontinued. Many of these authorisations are dormant or sold in very low volumes and we do not anticipate significant animal health or welfare issues as a result of these discontinuations.
Where there is, or likely to be, a significant animal health issue, and it is appropriate to do so, products under the Veterinary Medicines Health Situation Scheme could be made available for prescription and supply by SQPs who would be able to supply veterinary medicines as they do now.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 commission an independent assessment of the effectiveness of the (a) Veterinary Medicines Internal Market Scheme and (b) Veterinary Medicine Health Situation Scheme since those schemes were established.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Continued access to veterinary medicines in Northern Ireland at the end of the grace period is a government priority. We continue to engage extensively with stakeholders and have updated the guidance following their feedback, including on the two schemes. The two schemes will take effect from 1 January and we will monitor their effectiveness and consider further reviews, which could include an independent assessment by the Veterinary Products Committee, if needed. We remain confident that the schemes can address supply gaps if they emerge.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what changes have been made in the past twelve months to the monitoring of animal health disease under the Animal Health and Welfare Framework.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency leads the Government’s monitoring of animal disease control and carries out routine surveillance of disease risks in the UK and globally, to help the Government anticipate future threats to animal health.
We remain vigilant to changes in risk and continue to use our established systems to monitor for new and emerging threats to our biosecurity through our Veterinary Risk Group and the Human and Animal Infections Risk Surveillance Group.
The Animal Health and Welfare Common Framework (Provisional Framework Outline Agreement and Concordat), published as a Command Paper in 2022, has been produced to explain how the UK Government and devolved Governments propose to work together in key areas of animal health and welfare law and policy. It explains how the principles of devolution continue to apply to animal health and welfare policy after the UK’s exit from the EU.
The separate Animal Health and Welfare Framework published in 2018 has been produced to help county councils, unitary authorities and metropolitan boroughs in England deliver their statutory duties in relation to the health and welfare of farmed animals.
Neither Framework in its own right establishes nor introduces any changes to the monitoring of animal health.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 21 May 2025 to Question 51109 on UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland, how many species are scheduled to have their prohibition lifted by 31 December 2025.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has submitted technical dossiers to the European Commission seeking derogations for 45 species of plants from the EU's prohibitions on entry for high-risk plants. 35 of these have been successful to date, subject to specific conditions being met. The remaining 10 applications are under review by the Commission. Their up-to-date status can be found here: Export of high risk plants to the EU - UK Plant Health Information Portal
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 assist in the roll out of the T-cell-based approach vaccine to tackle Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
APHA scientists have assisted the consortium, which includes the University of Surrey, and Chester Zoo, to get to this phase 1 study of a novel vaccine to tackle Elephant Endotheliotropic Herpesvirus. They will continue to provide expert advice and assistance. Chester Zoo have agreed to take this work forward, which is likely to include a phase II study prior to any wider roll out.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
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 respond to Written Question 74702 on Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Question 74702 was answered on 22 September 2025.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to answer Question 74602 on UK Internal Trade: Northern Ireland.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Question 74602 was answered on 15 September 2025