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 help UK small businesses comply with EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Regulation 2026/40 (PPWR) and the requirement for each UK company to contract an authorised representative for waste reporting when selling goods to customers in each EU member state.

Defra is aware of issues regarding PPWR compliance among UK small businesses and has published a joint FAQ document with DAERA and the Food Standards Authority to support small businesses. Defra has raised concerns around the need to appoint multiple authorised representatives through engagement with the European Commission and will continue to engage on this issue.