Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 30 April 2025 to Question 47160 on Food: Import Controls, what steps he has taken to ensure the adequacy of signage at ports and airports relating to the ban on personal imports of meats and diary products from EU countries.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
As part of our national mission to protect our food sector and farmers, we communicated the ban on personal imports of certain meats and dairy products from EU countries via a press release, social media and information on GOV.UK. We have worked in partnership with the Department of Transport, the Home Office, the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, ports, airports and international travel operators to communicate the ban. We published updated posters on gov.uk for operational partners to display. Baroness Hayman met with ports, airports and international travel operators to discuss the communications, including signage, that they put in place.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, what the geographic distribution of the land with solar panels on that is used for agricultural production is.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statistics are based on results from the annual Defra June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. This survey covers England but no lower geographic breakdowns are available. The number of responses to the question was too small to give accurate estimates at any lower level than England only.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what correspondence his Department has had with the Friedrich Loeffler Institute on the development of a vaccine for Bluetongue Virus serotype 12.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra has not had any correspondence with the Friedrich Loeffler Institute regarding the development of a vaccine for bluetongue virus serotype 12. However, Defra continues to work closely with key domestic and international partners, including vaccine manufacturers, to monitor the availability and development of vaccines for bluetongue virus, including serotype 12.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, whether he plans to collect date on the potential impact of large-scale solar farms on (a) agricultural land use and (b) landscape character to inform future land use policy.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 June 2025 to Question 56079.
Defra does not collect information on the potential impacts of constructing green energy infrastructure on agricultural land use or landscape character.
However, Defra does produce statistical estimates of agricultural land areas each year from the annual June Survey of Agriculture:
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, whether his Department plans to introduce (a) guidance and (b) thresholds to balance solar farm development with (i) the protection of landscape character and (ii) food production capacity in rural areas.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are already robust measures in place to protect landscape, biodiversity and agricultural land, including comprehensive environmental assessments where relevant.
The Government agrees that prime agricultural land should be safeguarded, and where a proposal involves agricultural land, the National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions, making clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. This will, where relevant, be a material consideration in planning decisions, including those made by the Secretary of State.
Solar and farming can be complementary, supporting each other financially, environmentally and through the shared use of land – whilst maintaining UK food production.
The Government has also committed to empower Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder and more accessible. As set out in the NPPF, great weight should be given to conserving and enhancing landscape and scenic beauty in National Parks, the Broads and National Landscapes which have the highest status of protection in relation to these issues.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that planning decisions on solar farms are informed by up-to-date assessments of local agricultural productivity and landscape sensitivity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government places great importance upon our agricultural land and food production and has committed to empower Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder and more accessible.
There are established routes in the planning system to consider the impacts of renewable and low carbon energy projects, as well as processes to enable communities to engage in the consultation of applications.
Where a proposal involves agricultural land, the National Planning Policy Framework sets out how the best and most versatile agricultural land should be reflected in planning policies and decisions, making clear that where significant development of agricultural land is demonstrated to be necessary, areas of poorer quality land should be preferred to those of a higher quality. This will, where relevant, be a material consideration in planning decisions, including those made by the Secretary of State. Guidance on assessing development proposals on agricultural land is available from Natural England to ensure decisions are informed by up-to-date assessments of agricultural land.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research and development initiatives his Department is supporting to accelerate the development of a vaccine for Bluetongue Virus serotype 12.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra’s approach to bluetongue is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Disease control measures aim to limit the spread of infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures. This is reflected in the Great Britain (GB) Bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy, which was produced jointly between Scottish and Welsh governments and Defra, and in consultation with experts and industry stakeholders. The GB disease control strategy covers actions that would be considered and implemented in the event any bluetongue serotype was detected, including BTV-12.
The Government also conducts annual targeted surveillance for BTV. This is designed to detect new serotypes of bluetongue virus, including BTV-12 that may be circulating. The annual surveillance uses diagnostic testing protocols at the bluetongue national reference laboratory, The Pirbright Institute, that can detect and differentiate between different serotypes of bluetongue virus including BTV-12. It was through this annual surveillance that the single case of BTV-12 in a single animal was detected on 7 February 2025 on a farm in England and no further cases of BTV-12 have been detected since.
Whilst there are currently no authorised vaccines for BTV-12 in the UK or Europe, Defra regularly engages with manufacturers on bluetongue vaccine availability and supply. The Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) has responsibility for assessing applications submitted by manufacturers for veterinary medicinal products, including vaccines. Following assessment of the supporting data, if the benefits of use outweigh the risks when used in accordance with the approved labelling, a Marketing Authorisation will be issued permitting the sale of the product. The VMD also regulates the distribution and supply of veterinary medicines.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) veterinary pharmaceutical companies and (b) international partners on the (i) development, (ii) approval and (iii) potential deployment of a vaccine for bluetongue serotype 12.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra’s approach to bluetongue is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Disease control measures aim to limit the spread of infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures. This is reflected in the Great Britain (GB) Bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy, which was produced jointly between Scottish and Welsh governments and Defra, and in consultation with experts and industry stakeholders. The GB disease control strategy covers actions that would be considered and implemented in the event any bluetongue serotype was detected, including BTV-12.
The Government also conducts annual targeted surveillance for BTV. This is designed to detect new serotypes of bluetongue virus, including BTV-12 that may be circulating. The annual surveillance uses diagnostic testing protocols at the bluetongue national reference laboratory, The Pirbright Institute, that can detect and differentiate between different serotypes of bluetongue virus including BTV-12. It was through this annual surveillance that the single case of BTV-12 in a single animal was detected on 7 February 2025 on a farm in England and no further cases of BTV-12 have been detected since.
Whilst there are currently no authorised vaccines for BTV-12 in the UK or Europe, Defra regularly engages with manufacturers on bluetongue vaccine availability and supply. The Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) has responsibility for assessing applications submitted by manufacturers for veterinary medicinal products, including vaccines. Following assessment of the supporting data, if the benefits of use outweigh the risks when used in accordance with the approved labelling, a Marketing Authorisation will be issued permitting the sale of the product. The VMD also regulates the distribution and supply of veterinary medicines.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
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 made an assessment of the risk of bluetongue serotype 12 outbreaks in the UK; and what contingency plans are in place for such an outbreak.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra’s approach to bluetongue is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice. Disease control measures aim to limit the spread of infection through proportionate and evidence-based control measures. This is reflected in the Great Britain (GB) Bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy, which was produced jointly between Scottish and Welsh governments and Defra, and in consultation with experts and industry stakeholders. The GB disease control strategy covers actions that would be considered and implemented in the event any bluetongue serotype was detected, including BTV-12.
The Government also conducts annual targeted surveillance for BTV. This is designed to detect new serotypes of bluetongue virus, including BTV-12 that may be circulating. The annual surveillance uses diagnostic testing protocols at the bluetongue national reference laboratory, The Pirbright Institute, that can detect and differentiate between different serotypes of bluetongue virus including BTV-12. It was through this annual surveillance that the single case of BTV-12 in a single animal was detected on 7 February 2025 on a farm in England and no further cases of BTV-12 have been detected since.
Whilst there are currently no authorised vaccines for BTV-12 in the UK or Europe, Defra regularly engages with manufacturers on bluetongue vaccine availability and supply. The Veterinary Medicine Directorate (VMD) has responsibility for assessing applications submitted by manufacturers for veterinary medicinal products, including vaccines. Following assessment of the supporting data, if the benefits of use outweigh the risks when used in accordance with the approved labelling, a Marketing Authorisation will be issued permitting the sale of the product. The VMD also regulates the distribution and supply of veterinary medicines.
Asked by: Sarah Bool (Conservative - South Northamptonshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 June 2025 to Question 56079 on Agriculture: Land Use, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of commissioning commissioning independent research to assess the cumulative impact of solar farm development on (a) rural land use and (b) visual amenity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Land Use Framework will provide a long-term view of land use change. Over the next 25 years, England’s landscapes will need to change to support climate change mitigation and adaptation, economic growth, housing delivery, food production, clean energy and meeting statutory targets for nature recovery
The Land Use Consultation published this year was underpinned by analysis of land use change for nature restoration and other objectives. This included analysis produced by Defra’s Land Use Analysis and Research Programme of potential spatial distributions of change through to 2050.
The evidence base for this consultation also underpins wider Government reform, including a Farming Roadmap, the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan and review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.