Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to open the Air Quality Funding Scheme for local authorities in 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Local Air Quality Grant is not opening for the 24/25 financial year. Any future funding schemes will be subject to The Government spending review processes.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
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 solar farms on underlying soil quality.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A wide range of public assessments have been made on the uses of land alongside and underneath solar panels, such as livestock grazing and other approaches to species-rich grassland creation.
When considering development proposals that affect agricultural land and soils, the Government encourages developers and local planning authorities to refer to relevant Government policies and guidance that aim to protect all soils by managing them in a sustainable way.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
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 plans to reform waste exemptions under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is developing reforms to the waste exemptions regime which will ensure activities carried out under waste exemptions are indeed low risk and small scale and which will prevent exemptions from being used to hide illegal activity.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department first knew about the 7 day delay to changes in the IPAFFS IT system, following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in Germany.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
We do not recognise the assertation that there was a delay in controls being implemented. The department acted quickly to stop consignments that presented a risk.
Following the confirmation of outbreak, we immediately instructed Port Health Authorities (PHAs) across Great Britain to suspend susceptible FMD imports that posed a risk to UK biosecurity. Additionally, we immediately informed border authorities, including Dover Port Health Authority and businesses, with the first communications issued at 17:42 and 21:00 on 10 January, and implemented measures to suspend commercial and personal imports of commodities from susceptible animals.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
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 impact of farm size on farm productivity.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
We collect detailed information on the financial position and physical and economic performance of farm businesses in England through the Farm Business Survey (FBS). The Farming Productivity Dashboard provides key statistics on farm performance and productivity in England (Productivity Dashboard).
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many meetings he had with the (a) National Farmers' Union, (b) Country Land and Business Association, (c) Countryside Alliance and (d) Central Association for Agricultural Valuers before 30 October 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
We are listening to the sector to ensure their views are heard. We regularly meet with a range of farming stakeholders, including the National Farmers Union (NFU), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), and the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), and will continue to meet with stakeholders.
As part of this effort, the Secretary of State Steve Reed and Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner have met with NFU President Tom Bradshaw repeatedly to clarify changes in the Budget. Officials have also met with NFU, TFA and CLA representatives and recently attended the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference as part of ongoing engagement with the sector.
The Secretary of State spoke at the CLA’s annual conference last month to hear from farmers directly. Unfortunately the Conservative Party did not decide to send a representative.
Minister Zeichner also recently attended and spoke at Northern Farming Conference, the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference, the Agricultural Industries Confederation Conference, The Tenant Farmers Association Executive Committee and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution’s parliamentary reception.
We will continue to listen to farmers’ concerns to ensure their views are heard.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings he has had with the (a) National Farmers Union, (b) Country Land and Business Association, (c) Countryside Alliance and (d) Central Association for Agricultural Valuers since 30 October 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
We are listening to the sector to ensure their views are heard. We regularly meet with a range of farming stakeholders, including the National Farmers Union (NFU), the Country Land and Business Association (CLA), and the Tenant Farmers Association (TFA), and will continue to meet with stakeholders.
As part of this effort, the Secretary of State Steve Reed and Farming Minister Daniel Zeichner have met with NFU President Tom Bradshaw repeatedly to clarify changes in the Budget. Officials have also met with NFU, TFA and CLA representatives and recently attended the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference as part of ongoing engagement with the sector.
The Secretary of State spoke at the CLA’s annual conference last month to hear from farmers directly. Unfortunately the Conservative Party did not decide to send a representative.
Minister Zeichner also recently attended and spoke at Northern Farming Conference, the Eggs and Poultry Industry Conference, the Agricultural Industries Confederation Conference, The Tenant Farmers Association Executive Committee and the Royal Agricultural Benevolent Institution’s parliamentary reception.
We will continue to listen to farmers’ concerns to ensure their views are heard.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
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 oral contribution of the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs during the oral question on Flood Resilience of 14 November 2024, Official Report, column 889, and pursuant to the Answer of 4 December 2024 to Question 16251 on Internal Drainage Boards: Finance, whether the (a) allocation of a further £50 million to internal drainage boards and (b) provision of a one-off £75 million IDB Fund constitute separate funding streams; and how much his Department has (i) allocated and (ii) disbursed to internal drainage boards in financial year 2024-25.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The one-off £75 million Internal Drainage Board (IDB) Fund will accelerate IDBs’ recovery from the winter 2023-24 storms and provide opportunities to modernise and upgrade assets. This funding will support greater resilience for farmers and rural communities in the long term.
To date, the Environment Agency has allocated £54.62 million and has disbursed £30.4 million, with the rest of the 2024-25 funding on track to be disbursed by the end of March 2025.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent (a) meetings and (b) other discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on proposed changes to (a) Agricultural and (b) Business Property Relief.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
Asked by: Robbie Moore (Conservative - Keighley and Ilkley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he will continue to provide £25 million for the Natural Flood Management Fund.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is investing £2.4 billion over this year and next year to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive Government funding for 2025-26 will be consented over the coming months in the usual way through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.
The breakdown of Government investment from 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 in £ millions is published online at Flood and coastal erosion risk management report: 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 - GOV.UK. The breakdown from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 will be published in due course.