Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 provided guidance to Local Authorities on the forthcoming changes to Simpler Recycling for households.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Cannock Chase on 25 April 2025, PQ UIN 47856.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance is available to musicians to ensure compliance with CITES Appendix I and II species rules when travelling for performances.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Guidance to assist touring musicians in complying with CITES requirements is available at www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports. Specific queries can be directed to the APHA CITES team Wildlife Licensing mailbox (wildlife.licensing@apha.gov.uk) or by calling the APHA enquiries line (03000 200 301).
UK CITES Authorities also hold regular forums for CITES stakeholders including music industry representatives and unions, to provide them with support and guidance on sector-specific queries.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to review the operation of Musical Instrument Certificates for touring musicians following recent feedback from the sector.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recently undertook a public consultation on potential reforms to the UK CITES regulatory framework and the music industry’s feedback was considered in detail as part of the Government’s response. There are currently no further plans to review the operation of Musical Instrument Certificates.
The rules governing the use of Musical Instrument Certificates are set internationally under CITES and the UK will continue to advocate for rules to be updated as appropriate to reflect the needs of touring musicians.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 potential impact of CITES regulations on musicians travelling internationally with instruments containing protected materials.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of CITES regulations on musicians travelling internationally with instruments containing protected materials. However, Defra and its agencies regularly engage with representatives of the music sector on the implementation of CITES requirements.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 publish a timetable for introducing a ban on the import of foie gras.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns.
Foie gras production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years as it is not compatible with our animal welfare legislation.
Defra is continuing to consider the evidence and options in relation to foie gras.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will introduce a ban on the importation of foie gras into the UK during this Parliament.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns.
Foie gras production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years as it is not compatible with our animal welfare legislation.
Defra is continuing to consider the evidence and options in relation to foie gras.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered treating static populations of wild birds, including swans and wildfowl that remain in defined local areas, as eligible for vaccination against avian influenza.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The use of avian influenza vaccination in kept and wild birds is controlled by legislation. Defra’s and Welsh Government’s policy on vaccination is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and Defra’s Avian influenza (bird flu) vaccination guidance. The cross Government and industry avian influenza vaccination task force develops recommendations for the use of vaccination to prevent the spread of avian influenza in the UK. Defra and Welsh Government have no plans to vaccinate the wild bird population against avian influenza.
In England, the vaccination of birds against avian influenza, except those kept in licensed zoos in England subject to authorisation by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, is not currently permitted. High standards of biosecurity, separation of poultry and other captive birds from wild birds, and careful surveillance for signs of disease remain the most effective means of controlling avian influenza.
In practice, existing vaccines can only be administered via injection. This precludes widespread use in wild birds. While vaccination can reduce mortality, it is likely that some vaccinated birds would still be capable of transmitting avian influenza if they became infected.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the policy reason is for limiting avian influenza vaccination to birds kept in zoological settings.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Given the role of zoos in global conservation, vaccination of zoo birds is permitted in England subject to eligibility criteria. Existing vaccines can only be administered via injection, which rules out widespread use in wild birds. While vaccination can reduce mortality, vaccinated birds may still transmit avian influenza, increasing the time needed to detect and eradicate the virus.
The cross-Government and industry Avian Influenza Vaccination Taskforce develops recommendations for the use of vaccination to prevent the spread of avian influenza. In their initial report the Taskforce considered that sector specific vaccination in poultry is likely to be the most effective approach and set out a series of next steps to gather more information. A follow-up report will be published in summer 2026.
Defra’s policy on the use of avian influenza vaccines, together with sector-specific guidance for zoos and other collections with a zoo licence on how to apply for authorisation to vaccinate against avian influenza, is available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-vaccination.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 assessed a risk of localised extinction of swan populations as a result of outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in (a) England, (b) Warwickshire, and (c) Stratford-on-Avon.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the significant threat avian influenza poses to wild birds and the impact this is having on these important species.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency undertake year-round surveillance of avian influenza in wild birds across Great Britain, reporting findings on GOV.UK and on their interactive map and dashboard.
Alongside surveillance, long-term population monitoring and targeted research is crucial to understanding the impacts of avian influenza on England and Wales’s wild bird populations. While Defra has not carried out an assessment of risk of local extinction in the named areas, information on wild bird population monitoring schemes run by Government agencies and partner organisations, as well as the Defra and Welsh Government approach to avian influenza in wild birds, can be found in the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales.
Asked by: Manuela Perteghella (Liberal Democrat - Stratford-on-Avon)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle organised crime networks involved in fly-tipping in rural areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is making the necessary policy and regulatory reforms to close the loopholes being exploited by waste criminals. Key reforms include carrier, broker, dealer reform, waste permit exemption reform and the introduction of digital waste tracking. Defra believes these reforms are the best way to drive criminality out of the waste sector whether in urban or rural communities.
The Government has increased the Environment Agency’s (EA) budget for waste crime enforcement by over 50% this year to £15.6 million. The EA-hosted Joint Unit for Waste Crime has nearly doubled in size thanks to our extra funding and its UK-wide partnership work with the EA, HM Revenue & Customs, National Crime Agency, the police and others continues to share intelligence, powers and resources to disrupt waste criminals.
However, the Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why the Government collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver their renewal of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was published in November. The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.