Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the consultation on hunting will review exemptions under the Hunting Act 2004.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and we will consult specifically on how to deliver a ban in the new year.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of (a) extending the bathing season on a case-by-case basis and (b) implementing year-round testing.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On 28 October 2025, the Department laid before Parliament an SI which incorporates reforms to modernise the Bathing Water Regulations. Core reform 3, which is due to come into force 21 November, introduces the discretion to determine a different bathing season for a site where appropriate, allowing more flexible, locally tailored bathing seasons that reflect when people use the site.
We are working with the Environment Agency on a pre-implementation research project. In this, we will consult with stakeholders to ensure we have considered all the relevant factors, including existing studies and other evidence like the EA’s recently published ‘Exploring recreational water use in England’ report, during development. The outcome of this research project will be set out in public guidance that will be published in due course.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Bathing Water (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2025, what she plans to extend these protections to all recreational water users.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Bathing waters are one of the most visible ways in which the public interacts with the water environment and so it is critical that appropriate regulations meet the needs of water users and those involved with managing bathing water sites.
In the November – December 2024 consultation on bathing water reforms, we asked respondents about the expansion of the definition of ‘bathers’ to include other water users. 90% of respondents either agreed or strongly agreed with this proposal and gave suggestions of what water users should be included. We are now exploring further research to determine how best to implement this reform and consider any potential environmental and societal impacts. Defra will engage with local and national stakeholders as this work progresses.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of current penalties for offences under the Hunting Act 2004 in deterring illegal hunting.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has not made such an assessment to date. Those found guilty under the Act are subject to the full force of the law. The Act already provides for a range of penalties, including fines and forfeiture of dogs, vehicles and equipment used to commit an offence.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 trail hunting is not used as a cover for the illegal hunting of wild mammals with dogs.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to enacting a ban on trail hunting in line with our manifesto commitment. Work to determine the best approach for doing so is ongoing and we will consult specifically on how to deliver a ban in the new year.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 merits of amending the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 to include dog nose prints as an means of identifying racing greyhounds.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
One of the original objectives of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 was to improve the traceability of greyhounds in England during and after their racing life. The 2010 Regulations therefore require all greyhounds racing in England to be permanently identified by both microchip and ear tattoo. Any future review of the 2010 Regulations would include assessing the merits of still requiring two methods of permanent identification for racing greyhounds.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 merits of amending the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 to remove the requirement for racing greyhounds to be identified by earmarking.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
One of the original objectives of the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 was to improve the traceability of greyhounds in England during and after their racing life. The 2010 Regulations therefore require all greyhounds racing in England to be permanently identified by both microchip and ear tattoo. Any future review of the 2010 Regulations would include assessing the merits of still requiring two methods of permanent identification for racing greyhounds.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 green social proscribing on levels of mental health and wellbeing.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the health and wellbeing benefits of outdoor access and will continue to champion these benefits, which the Green Social Prescribing programme has evidenced.
Phase 1 of the Green Social Prescribing programme ran until March 2023 and was very successful, achieving around 8,500 referrals and demonstrating statistically significant improvements in participants mental health.
As in the first phase of the programme, there will be an evaluation report developed for Phase 2 of the programme, which ran from April 2024 until March 2025. We expect to publish the phase 2 report in early 2026.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
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 banning the (a) import and (b) sale of fur on the economy.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) to produce a report on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The AWC report will add to our understanding of the fur industry and help inform our next steps.
We are also aware that the European Food Safety Authority has published a report on the welfare of fur animals and are reviewing its findings.
Asked by: Neil Duncan-Jordan (Labour - Poole)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the effectiveness of Natural England’s Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security strategy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Natural England worked closely with Defra and other stakeholders in development of their new strategy entitled ‘Recovering Nature for Growth, Health and Security’, which has been shared and discussed with Ministers. The strategic outcomes and approaches described in the strategy align with Defra and Government priorities.