Committee publication · Correspondence · 19 May 2026
Correspondence from Minister Mary Creagh, Defra, following the evidence session on 24 March, dated 11 May 2026
Summary
Minister Mary Creagh responds to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee's follow-up questions from a 24 March evidence session. She addresses solar farm co-location with agriculture, nature markets and corporate reporting standards, protected area designations and management, ancient woodland funding priorities, plastic tree guards, waste data gaps and Digital Waste Tracking implementation, fishing gear alternatives, landowner insurance barriers, and reduced overseas aid allocations to nature programmes.
Key findings
- Solar farms can be co-located with agriculture; the Land Use Framework sets principles for appropriate solar deployment without compromising food production, with Defra to coordinate with DESNZ and DESNZ Minister Shanks.
- TNFD corporate reporting guidance will be incorporated into UK Sustainability Reporting Standards; Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund has supported farmer-led nature projects to commercial readiness, with independent evaluation underway.
- 55% of England's SSSIs fall within National Parks and National Landscapes; Farming in Protected Landscapes programme has supported positive management on approximately 400 SSSIs since 2021.
- Digital Waste Tracking will require near real-time reporting from October 2026 (England, Wales, Northern Ireland) and January 2027 (Scotland); extended Producer Responsibility and Simpler Recycling depend on improved data quality from stakeholder engagement.
- UK leads UN treaty negotiations on plastic pollution and promotes circular design standards for fishing gear (BS EN 17988); Defra receives £115m annually for ODA 2026/27–2028/29, prioritising ICF-funded marine, Darwin Initiative, and nature-integration programmes.
Tone
ProceduralTopics
Key actors
Mary Creagh, Alistair Carmichael, Minister Shanks, Forestry England, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, PackUK, Forest Research, International Maritime Organisation
Notable line
“Solar farms can be co-located with agriculture, enabling continued food production.”
Key Quotes
“Solar farms can be co-located with agriculture, enabling continued food production. The Land Use Framework (LUF) confirms that expanding renewables need not come at the expense of food or nature and sets principles to …”
“Protected sites, such as SSSIs, are also critical, but are designed to protect the most important places for nature including geological features, natural habitats and the habitats of rare, threatened or vulnerable species, including migratory species.”
“Digital Waste Tracking will require information about waste generated and handled across the UK to be recorded on a central service, with near real-time reporting by facilities from October 2026 in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, and from January 2027 in Scotland.”
“The UK is a leading voice in the negotiations for a UN treaty on plastic pollution and a member of the high ambition coalition pushing for an effective treaty to end plastic pollution by”
“Defra will receive £115m annually for ODA from 2026/27 to 2028/29. The portfolio (the majority of which is ICF) will be streamlined to prioritise programmes that leverage other funding or become self-financing, draw on Defra's expertise …”
Source · parliament.uk record ↗