Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what was the total Environment Agency expenditure on waste crime in each year since 2015.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Environment Agency (EA) is unable to track total expenditure on waste crime as waste crime is delivered by a range of multi-functional teams.

The EA can only report on what is allocated, not what is spent. The table provided sets out the EA’s Grant in Aid income that has been specifically allocated to waste crime activities since 2015. Wider core grant has historically contributed to enforcement work across all EA functions but is not allocated in a way that can be specifically linked to waste crime, so is not included.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff worked for the rural payments agency in each year between 2019 and 2026.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The number of full‑time equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the Rural Payments Agency is published in the public domain as part of Defra’s Monthly Workforce Management Information (MWMI) reports.

This information can be accessed via the following link: : Defra: workforce management information - GOV.UK.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to produce a white paper for a food strategy.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The food strategy is an on-going programme of work to create a healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient food system. The first part was the Good Food Cycle publication in July 2025, which identified for the first time the outcomes the Government want from the food system.

Defra is working with the food system to consider the best way of achieving these outcomes. The department will consider the need for legislation, alongside the wide range of other policy tools that can help deliver outcomes and will seek to make space in the legislative timetable if needed.

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 potential impact of the requirement for Bird Gathering Licences to be approved no more than seven days before an event on (a) trends in the number, (b) the planning and (c) biosecurity of such events.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus. Detailed risk assessments can be found on Gov.UK.

As legislation requires this to be a risk-based decision, assessments of the impact to individual events, the number of events, or types of event, have not been made.

Assessing the risk of each gathering is complex. Factors taken into account include, but are not limited to: the background risk; the origin locations of the birds; the species of birds attending; biosecurity measures; the number of birds and species; and the number of exhibitors. Gatherings, including mixed species exhibitions may be permitted, subject to licence.

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 changes made in December 2025 to Bird Gathering Licences on the viability of (a) mixed‑species bird exhibitions, (b) the National Exhibition and (c) any other regional agricultural events.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.

Regulation 6 of the Avian Influenza (Preventive Measures) (England) Regulations 2006, as amended, sets out the legal basis for permitting gatherings of poultry or other captive birds. In England, a licence to hold a bird gathering may be granted by Defra if a veterinary risk assessment has been carried out, and if the gathering, including the movement of birds to and from it, would not significantly increase the risk of the transmission of avian influenza virus. Detailed risk assessments can be found on Gov.UK.

As legislation requires this to be a risk-based decision, assessments of the impact to individual events, the number of events, or types of event, have not been made.

Assessing the risk of each gathering is complex. Factors taken into account include, but are not limited to: the background risk; the origin locations of the birds; the species of birds attending; biosecurity measures; the number of birds and species; and the number of exhibitors. Gatherings, including mixed species exhibitions may be permitted, subject to licence.

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 made of the risks posed by captive‑bred birds at licensed gatherings prior to introducing the December 2025 amendments to Bird Gathering Licences; and what the evidential basis was for the prohibition on sales and exchanges at such events.

Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I refer the Hon Member to the reply previously given on 30 January 2026 to the Hon Member for Stockton West, Matt Vickers to PQ UIN 107782.

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 in response to the findings of the Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security, published on 26 January 2026.

Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Nature underpins our security, prosperity, and resilience, and understanding the threats we face from biodiversity loss is essential to addressing them effectively. The UK is already taking action to strengthen resilience to environmental risks at home and overseas.

The Nature Security assessment is a strategic analysis designed to help government plan for potential shocks that are credible enough to warrant preparation and will inform policy and decision-making. This approach ensures the UK is equipped to anticipate and manage risks should they arise. Publishing the assessment also supports international cooperation on shared biodiversity challenges.

In the UK, the Government is investing in sustainable farming, restoring peatlands, improving water quality, and protecting pollinators. The government has introduced landmark legislation to protect our oceans and is working to restore over half of all plantations on ancient woodland sites by 2030.

Internationally, the UK is investing significantly in forest and ocean protection and is supporting the transition to more sustainable food and land use globally, to help ensure the future of our global supply chains.

Together, these measures form part of the UK’s wider strategy to reduce the security risks of biodiversity loss, protect livelihoods, and promote global stability through nature recovery.

Bird gathering licences

UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons

Found: Yours sincerely, Wendy Chamberlain Member of Parliament for North East Fife Tim Farron Member of Parliament