Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 protect people in Stockport from regular flooding.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) carries out routine inspections of all main watercourses across Stockport. The primary purpose of these inspections is to ensure that flood‑risk infrastructure is properly maintained and that any emerging issues are identified at an early stage. Inspectors also monitor anything that could increase flood risk, including fallen trees or debris that may cause blockages.
EA operational teams are on call 24/7, 365 days a year to operate flood defences and respond to incidents. This includes clearing debris from watercourses, supported by remote monitoring through telemetry systems. Across the Stockport constituency, the teams manage and clear a total of three debris screens.
Recent community drop‑ins were held for Stockport residents. The purpose of these was to help residents register for flood warnings so they can better prepare for and respond proactively to potential flooding.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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's animal welfare strategy will include a plan for reviewing progress towards meeting the goals of that strategy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department is engaging with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the volume of water lost to leakage in the United Utilities network in each of the last five years.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Total leakage data is reported to the Environment Agency annually by water companies through the statutory Water Resources Management Plan annual review process.
A summary of 2023/24 water company performance across the country, which includes leakage data, is available here.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a consultation on phasing out the use of farrowing crates for pigs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 2 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Birmingham Northfield, PQ UIN 41698.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to ensure that the ban on hunting trophy imports (a) is robust and (b) does not allow any hunting trophies to enter the UK.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government committed to banning the import of hunting trophies in its manifesto and we will deliver on this. Defra continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can implement a robust ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern in the most effective way.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the effectiveness of the National Wildlife Crime Unit in tackling wildlife crime in the North West.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra supports the valuable work of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) and is providing £424,000 to the Unit in 2025-2026. It is satisfied with the NWCU’s effectiveness. The NWCU helps prevent and detect wildlife crime by obtaining and disseminating intelligence, undertaking analysis which highlights local or national threats, and assisting law enforcers with investigations. Defra has a strict grant reporting mechanism in place with the Unit whereby each quarter it provides qualitative and quantitative information setting out how Defra funding has been spent. In 2024-25 the NWCU provided support on wildlife crime cases to every local police force in the North West and indeed the whole of the UK.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
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 for publication of the animal welfare strategy; and if he will make it his Department's policy to ban male chick culling as part of the strategy.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 sets out strict requirements to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing, including male chicks from the egg production sector. Permitted killing methods for chicks, such as gas stunning and maceration, are based on scientific research and assessment to ensure birds are spared any avoidable pain, distress, or suffering. In recent years there has been rapid global progress in the development of technologies that allow chicks to be sexed in-ovo (within the egg), and we welcome the UK egg industry’s interest in the development of day zero sexing technology.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on levels of trifluoroacetic acid in the River Mersey.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The EA continues to evaluate scientific evidence, develop new testing methodologies for TFA, and refine its monitoring approach. Future recommendations may involve expanded data collection and updated regulation.
Asked by: Navendu Mishra (Labour - Stockport)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential (a) impact of the AUK1 specification for toilet backflow protection on the quality of drinking water and (b) merits of formally adopting the new AUK4 standard.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Under the previous Government, a small number of cases of contamination of drinking water have been discovered in which water from toilet cisterns re-entered (or backflowed into) a building’s drinking water system. The water industry and the Bathroom Manufacturers Association set up a task and finish group to identify the issues, review relevant technical specifications, and suggest solutions. Defra considered the proposals and consulted on amendments (which include a new AUK4 specification).
We are finalising the summary of responses from the consultation and the government response to them and will consider approval of the new and updated specifications in due course.