Asked by: Alex Brewer (Liberal Democrat - North East Hampshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to support (a) businesses and (b) individuals in removing (i) Japanese knotweed and (ii) other invasive plant species.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the impacts caused by invasive non-native plant species (INNPs), including Japanese knotweed. Japanese knotweed is listed on Schedule 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This makes it an offence to cause Japanese knotweed to grow in the wild.
In England, the Government has developed guidance on treating and disposing of Japanese knotweed, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop Japanese knotweed from spreading - GOV.UK. Guidance is also available on treating and disposing other INNPs, which can be found on GOV.UK: How to stop invasive non-native plants from spreading - GOV.UK.
In partnership with the Welsh Government and Natural England, Defra is funding the Centre for Agriculture and Bioscience International (CABI) to conduct biological control (biocontrol) research into the use of living organisms as a cost and time-effective way of managing INNPs. This research has identified the psyllid (Aphalari itadori) as a biocontrol agent for tackling Japanese knotweed. Further information can be found on CABI’s website: Japanese knotweed - CABI.org.
Defra is providing funding for land managers to control and manage INNPs through the Environmental Land Management (ELM) Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further information can be found on GOV.UK: Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier - GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Teverson (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to replace or roll over the Countryside Stewardship agreements terminating at the end of this year.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are aware of the concerns raised by farmers and stakeholders regarding farmers whose current Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier agreements expire at the end of the year and are considering how we can support continued delivery of environmental outcomes through environmental land management schemes.
Asked by: Lee Anderson (Reform UK - Ashfield)
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 preserve Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Ashfield constituency.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) continue to be one of the most effective tools for protecting and enhancing biodiversity and deliver a wide range of health and socio-economic benefits.
Natural England has an ongoing programme to assess the condition of SSSI features and implement restoration actions. Recent work in Ashfield includes monitoring at Teversal Pastures SSSI, where two units with species-rich neutral grassland are in favourable condition and managed through a Countryside Stewardship Mid-tier scheme consented by Natural England. At Friezeland Grassland SSSI, monitoring led to a new Countryside Stewardship scheme with capital works to restore lowland neutral grassland. Natural England also monitored Annesley Woodhouse Quarries SSSI, leading to a Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme to increase grazing and management.
In the 2024 autumn budget we allocated £13m to Protected Site Strategies which will develop spatial restoration plans for priority sites, such as Sherwood Forest in the adjoining district of Newark and Sherwood. These strategies will put in place action to restore protected sites and manage the impact of environmental harm.
The Nature Restoration Fund in the Planning and Infrastructure Bill will allow a more strategic approach to SSSI restoration and deliver improved environmental outcomes.
Asked by: Alicia Kearns (Conservative - Rutland and Stamford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many countryside stewardship agreements are due to conclude without replacement in Rutland and Stamford constituency in the next year.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are aware of the concerns raised by farmers and stakeholders regarding farmers whose current agreements expire at the end of the year and are considering how we can support the continued delivery of environmental outcomes through environmental land management schemes.
Asked by: Lee Dillon (Liberal Democrat - Newbury)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new iteration of the Stewardship scheme will be open to all farmers.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We have allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. All our Environmental Land Management schemes (Sustainable Farming Incentive, Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, and Landscape Recovery) will continue, and we will continue to evolve and improve them in an orderly way to make them work for farmers and nature.
Asked by: John Whitby (Labour - Derbyshire Dales)
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 12 April 2025 to Question 57518 on Farms: Tenants, if she will make it her policy to prevent agricultural landlords participating in the (a) Sustainable Farming Incentive, (b) Countryside Stewardship Scheme, (c) Landscape Recovery Scheme and (d) other similar schemes for a period of 12 months after they have taken land back from a tenant farmer.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government remains committed to ensuring agricultural tenancies are fair and collaborative. Agricultural tenancy agreements grant tenant farmers statutory protections. Where tenancies end, all parties are encouraged to employ the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice, which sets out expected standards for constructive tenancy negotiations.
Asked by: Jayne Kirkham (Labour (Co-op) - Truro and Falmouth)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what evidential basis reducing the number of (a) Dartmoor ponies and (b) other livestock will effectively control overgrazing on Dartmoor.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All prospective Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme offers have been assessed for their potential impact against a range of environmental and cultural services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity indicators. These have included qualitative assessments, drawing upon expert opinion and evidence reviews, as well as quantitative assessments, drawing upon published datasets.
Through the new Countryside Stewardship Hier Tier offer we will be providing payment for grazing with both cattle and ponies and making both cattle and ponies eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. We are thereby removing the competition between the two as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We have also made it clear within the new offer that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, in recognition that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances.
We cannot, exclude either cattle or ponies from stocking density calculations. All livestock contribute to the overall grazing pressure exerted on moorland. On some moorland habitats (such as peatland), it is necessary to graze with low stocking densities to support habitat restoration and maintenance. If any livestock are excluded from the stocking density calculation, then over grazing would result. This would prevent us achieving desired improvements in habitat condition.
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Glastonbury and Somerton)
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 no rollover option being in place for the Countryside Stewardship scheme on (a) farmers and (b) 2030 nature recovery targets.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This includes increasing spend on Environmental Land Management schemes to £2bn by 28/29. Customers with Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agri-environment agreements expiring in 2024 were offered an extension to provide them with continuity of funding. Additionally, Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agri-environment customers whose agreements expire at the end of 2025 are now being prioritised for pre-application advice to develop a new Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agreement. Existing CS HT woodland customers may also be able to develop a new Woodland Management Plan ahead of accessing pre-application support for a new Countryside Stewardship Higher-Tier agreement, but this will depend upon individual circumstances.
We are aware of the concerns raised by farmers and stakeholders regarding farmers whose current Countryside Stewardship Mid-Tier agreements expire at the end of the year, and we are considering how we can support continued delivery of environmental outcomes.
Asked by: Ben Goldsborough (Labour - South Norfolk)
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 considered increasing funding for the Capital Grants scheme, in the context of levels of demand.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As of 1 August, strong demand for the Government’s £150 million Capital Grant offer means that all available funds for this round have now been allocated.
We plan to make further improvements to the offer for future rounds. We expect to open a new round for farmers to secure more funding during 2026. Other Countryside Stewardship capital grants which remain open for applications now are Woodland Tree Health grants, Capital grant plans, woodland management plans, Protection and Infrastructure grants and Higher Tier capital grants.
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Glastonbury and Somerton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether farmers in Higher Level Stewardship schemes will be able to apply for the new Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Our approach to transitioning farmers from existing agreements into the new schemes is under review and the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) is currently closed for new applications. We will provide further details about the reformed SFI in summer 2025.
We encourage those with existing Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreements to continue with this scheme. We’re investing £30 million to increase HLS payment rates so farmers in HLS agreements can continue to restore habitats, support rare species, preserve historic features and maintain traditional landscape features in our iconic countryside.