Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
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 the number of sewage discharges in East Sussex.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have begun rebuilding the water network to clean up our rivers, lakes and seas. £104 billion is being invested to upgrade crumbling pipes and sewage treatment works across the country, including in East Sussex. This includes over £10 billion to improve over 2,500 storm overflows across England.
The Environment Agency (EA) has increased regulatory inspections across East Sussex to tackle sewage spills, focusing on sites which pose the biggest risk to the environment and ensuring they meet the required environmental standards. The EA have increased regulatory inspections of water company assets within the Lewes constituency from the previous year.
We are also taking action to tackle agricultural pollution. This includes doubling the funding for farm inspections, enabling the EA to work with more farmers, including in East Sussex, to bring them into compliance. These combined efforts are contributing to stronger environmental standards and a clearer picture of progress in water management across the Lewes area.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure water companies are held to account for sewage discharges.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has been clear there is no excuse for poor performance, and we will not look the other way while companies routinely fail to meet agreed standards. Water companies must take seriously their role in meeting the public and regulators expectations.
We have introduced the toughest sentencing powers against law-breaking water executives in history. Through the provisions in the Water (Special Measures) Act, we have introduced new, tougher penalties to address incidences where some water companies have obstructed investigations, failing to hand over evidence related to illegal sewage discharges.
In addition, The Environment Agency have increased their target for water company inspections to 10,000 per year as part of the Government’s wider focus to hold companies to account and improve our water environment.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to assess the potential impact of (a) microplastics and (b) PFAS contaminants in agriculture soil on human and wildlife health.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) keeps a close observation of emerging evidence of the risks microplastics and PFAS may pose.
The EA is working with Defra and collaborating with the water industry on a suite of microplastic and sludge investigations. One water industry investigation through the Chemicals Investigation Programme is currently looking at the movement of microplastics and chemicals from biosolids spread on land to soils.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on whether levels of PFAS in sewage biosolids from wastewater plants are being investigated in Phase 4 of the Chemical Investigations Programme.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Sewage sludge is the by-product of the wastewater treatment which can applied to agricultural land as a fertiliser. Whilst this practice supports the circular economy, the Government recognises that sludge spreading is not without risk.
To better understand these risks from chemicals, Defra officials are engaging with industry and independent researchers under the water industry-funded Chemicals Investigation Programme (CIP). PFAS in sludge was investigated in phase 3 of CIP (CIP3) with reports available online: CIP3 Information. Further sludge investigations are now being run in the current phase 4, they include CIP4 Groundwater, Soil and Biosolids Investigation and CIP4 - Chemical Investigations Programme - Phase 4 - Sludge Investigation.
This work will help inform possible and future measures to mitigate PFAS pollution. The Department discusses the progress of this work on a frequent basis.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
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 agri-food attachés on the domestic wine sector.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has 16 agri-food attachés across the world who resolve market access barriers and support export growth for the UK agri-food sector, including wine. So far in 2025, the attachés have helped resolve 41 trade barriers, worth nearly £100m in export opportunities for the agri-food sector.
The UK wine sector, as one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors, is an area that continues to attract domestic and foreign investment. UK wine exports increased by 35% in 2024, accounting for 9% of total sales, which shows a growing interest in the product. To support this interest, UK wines are now served in a number of embassies across the world, from Paris to Tokyo, with attachés playing a key role in their promotion. They also help by working across Governments and with industry partners to resolve practical issues that UK companies face when exporting.
In addition to supporting wine export outcomes (their primary focus), attachés also advance broader Defra objectives, including monitoring global wine supply chain risks and contributing to G20 discussions, COP30 and other multilateral engagements.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the domestic wine sector.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to supporting the UK domestic wine industry which is one of the fastest growing agricultural sectors. This growth, in both the domestic and international markets, is testament to the high-quality wines being produced and the hard work and vision of those working in the sector.
Defra officials regularly engage with WineGB and producers to support the sector’s ambitions, drive growth and exports and find ways in which the Department can help support further expansion. Defra is considering possible reforms to the UK wine regulations to deliver better results for consumers and industry.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
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 has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of food labelling on citrus fruits.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Requirements for quality and labelling of fresh fruit and vegetables are set out in statutory Fruit and Vegetable Marketing Standards. These include a Specific Marketing Standard for Citrus Fruit. More information is available at the link below.
Fresh fruit and vegetable marketing standards - GOV.UK
Additionally, all food, including that which is imported, must comply with food labelling rules. The fundamental principle of these rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead, must enable the safe use of food, and provide consumers with all the information they need to make informed choices about the food that they consume.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
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 take legislative steps to ensure that all small (a) businesses and (b) charities can have commercial waste collection under the new Simpler Recycling legislation, allowing for waste collection by domestic waste narrow access vehicles where necessary.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We can confirm that all small businesses and charities are in scope of Simpler Recycling. The Simpler Recycling legislation does not specify the type of vehicles that must be used for collection, provided they comply with existing standards on waste vehicles. Where commercial services are provided by local authorities, they can utilise waste vehicles that serve household collection routes.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has assessed the potential merits of a focus on plant-based foods in the forthcoming food strategy.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government is committed to ensuring access to safe, nutritious, and affordable food for all, and recognises the role that plant-based options can play in supporting a healthier, more sustainable, and resilient food system. Through the lens of a new food strategy, there is an opportunity to explore where we can go further to create a positive food culture with access to healthier diets for all.
The Eatwell Guide sets out government recommendations for a healthy diet. This guidance recognises the valuable contribution of plant-based foods and drinks, illustrating that both plant-based products and animal-based products can be part of a healthy balanced diet.
Asked by: James MacCleary (Liberal Democrat - Lewes)
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 encourage farmers to farm sustainably.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Government is backing British farming. We are prioritising investment that supports the Government’s Plan for Change and building on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery.
We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes such as the Sustainable Farming Incentive. As of April 2025, these schemes supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland being managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows being protected and restored.
In the recent spending review, we committed to carrying on the transition towards paying to deliver public goods for the environment, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery between 2026 and 2029. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million).