Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 establish a registration scheme for UK vessels to provide ring-fenced funds to tackle the issue of abandoned end of life boats.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises that end of life recreational vessels are a source of litter and pollution when abandoned and is leading an action in the OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter to improve the management of end-of-life recreational vessels. As part of this work, the Government commissioned research on the number of vessels reaching end-of-life across the North East Atlantic area, and on policy options to reduce the issue of marine litter from abandoned vessels. This research is being used to inform the development of best practice guidance.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 tackle the issue of abandoned boats in UK rivers.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Responsibility for operational matters on regulated rivers rests with the navigation authorities that own them and includes dealing with abandoned boats. The Government does not have a role in that. Navigation authorities have statutory powers to remove such boats when they deem it necessary and appropriate, but only statutory duties to do so where they present an environmental or navigation risk. Where there is no navigation authority for a river, responsibility for removing boats falls to riparian landowners and local authorities.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to protect Dartmoor ponies.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, now open for applications, we have removed the competition between cattle and ponies as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We provide payment for grazing with both, and both are eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. The new offer also clarifies that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, recognising that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances.
The moorland offer will be subject to monitoring and evaluation. Any change in the pony population during this time will be investigated and further mitigations will be explored if necessary.
In addition to monitoring the moorland offer, Defra supports conservation of livestock and equines, including the Dartmoor Pony, by monitoring populations of native breeds, with data published in the annual UK National Breed inventory. Defra also protects eligible native breeds at risk from culling during notifiable disease outbreaks.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to restore the Agricultural Workers’ Board.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We currently have no plans to restore the Agricultural Wages Board.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what evidential basis reducing the number of (a) Dartmoor ponies and (b) other livestock will effectively control overgrazing on Dartmoor.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All prospective Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme offers have been assessed for their potential impact against a range of environmental and cultural services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity indicators. These have included qualitative assessments, drawing upon expert opinion and evidence reviews, as well as quantitative assessments, drawing upon published datasets.
Through the new Countryside Stewardship Hier Tier offer we will be providing payment for grazing with both cattle and ponies and making both cattle and ponies eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. We are thereby removing the competition between the two as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We have also made it clear within the new offer that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, in recognition that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances.
We cannot, exclude either cattle or ponies from stocking density calculations. All livestock contribute to the overall grazing pressure exerted on moorland. On some moorland habitats (such as peatland), it is necessary to graze with low stocking densities to support habitat restoration and maintenance. If any livestock are excluded from the stocking density calculation, then over grazing would result. This would prevent us achieving desired improvements in habitat condition.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether new Sustainable Farming Incentives will take into account the potential impacts of grazing moorland on controlling monocultures.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers and land managers to carry out actions that support the sustainable production of food and boost farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and enhancing the environment. Upland farmers play a key role in delivering sustainable food production and our environmental targets.
We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer later this year.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 marine licensing on (a) conservation and (b) nature restoration.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The marine licensing regime plays a key role in the protection and conservation of the marine environment. All individual licence applications are assessed in line with Marine Plans and relevant nature legislation. Marine licensing aims to facilitate the sustainable use of the marine environment so that activities can be permitted whilst minimising any environmental impacts. Specific assessments may be required as part of a licence decision, depending on the activity and location, such as a Habitats Regulations Assessment or Environmental Impact Assessment, to determine whether a plan or proposal could have impacts on the marine environment, including on protected sites and species, and how such impacts will be managed.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 marine licensing on marine nature targets.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Marine licensing is an important enabler for meeting marine nature targets, including our Environment Improvement Plan targets to ensure that 70% of designated features in MPAs are in favourable condition by 2042 and the remainder in recovering condition, as well as protecting 30% of UK waters by 2030. The marine licensing regime supports the delivery of these targets through assessing the impacts of licensable activities on the environment before determining if a licence will be granted, along with determining how any impacts can be managed and mitigated where activities go ahead.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
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 tackle the health risks posed by (a) microplastics and (b) plastic-related toxins to (i) people and (ii) ecosystems.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. Defra published this report on 12 May 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments are considering its findings.
The Environment Agency (EA) has identified areas of key research that will assist policymakers in developing targeted, proportionate, and effective interventions to minimise the impacts of microplastics on the environment.
The EA continues to support the water industry and National Highways with microplastics investigations and options appraisal for minimising microplastics releases from infrastructure. Additional collaboration with academia ensures understanding of environmental risk and regulatory development is informed by strong scientific evidence.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to work with international partners to support lower-income countries in meeting Global Plastics Treaty obligations.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the importance of mobilising support for countries most in need to implement the agreement and that this is an essential element for an effective treaty to end plastic pollution.
The Government supports the use of the Global Environment Facility to support the implementation of the treaty – this will avoid further fragmentation of the environmental financial architecture and to allow for synergies with funding for the related challenges of climate and nature.
The UK has supported developing countries to attend the negotiations and regional consultation meetings, including through a £200,000 uplift ahead of INC-5.2, bringing the total of UK support for the treaty process to £2.2 million. The UK is also the largest donor (£20.5 million) to the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), which bring together governments, businesses, and civil society to tackle plastic pollution and increase investment in the circular economy in ODA-eligible countries. Members across GPAP’s networks have committed a total US$2.9 billion to plastic pollution initiatives as of March 2024.