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

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have figures for the number of seals in coastal waters which have been (1) killed, or (2) badly injured, by lost flying rings in the past five years; and whether they have any plans to ban the manufacture of such rings to protect seals.

The Government funded Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) investigates the causes of death of stranded cetaceans (dolphins, whales and porpoises) around the United Kingdom coast. As part of this programme, routine investigations of seal strandings were also re-introduced to the programme in 2022, improving our understanding of, and ability to tackle key threats to the animals. As part of this programme, one case has been recorded of seals in coastal waters which have been killed by lost flying rings, although a number of anecdotal reports of live seals found with heads in flying rings have been recorded over the same period. Seal mortality due to entanglements in other forms of marine plastics or marine debris have also been recorded by the CSIP and partners.

We would encourage anyone who sees a sick, injured or entangled seal to contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and report any dead seals to the CSIP. See Defra’s Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code for England for more information. The Code also raises awareness of the need for the public to take all litter home with them when visiting the coast.

The Government currently has no plans to ban the sale of plastic flying ring frisbees. In general, we prefer to help people and companies make the right choice, rather than banning items outright. Where the evidence supports the case, we will continue to review the impact of problematic products and take a systematic approach to reducing the use and impact of plastic products.