Written questions by Dance.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the the adequacy of the implementation of the Rock Review.

Defra works closely with the Farm Tenancy Forum and together have delivered the majority of the Rock Review recommendations. These include making Environmental Land Management schemes more accessible for tenants, setting the standard for landlord, tenant and agent behaviour with a new Code of Practice and announcing England’s first Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector. Defra continues to ensure that the unique needs of the sector are accounted for in policy design.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the average cost to the public purse was of vets fees for testing cattle herds for bovine tuberculosis in 2023 and 2024.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) holds contracts with regional Delivery Partners to deliver the TB Eradication Strategies across England and Wales respectively. Each regional Delivery Partner maintains its own network of subcontracted veterinary practices who deliver TB skin testing on farms following TB Test allocation by APHA. Contract costs between APHA and its Delivery Partners include TB test delivery on farm, quality assurance, administration, travel, and a contribution to overhead costs of both the Delivery Partner organisations and their subcontractors. For England: The average cost per TB skin test event* in the 2023/24 financial year was circa £715 (based on an average test calculation). The average cost per Head of Cattle in the 2023/24 financial year was circa £5.40. The average cost per TB skin test event in the 2024/25 financial year (to date) is circa £760 (based on an average test calculation and based upon data from April to December 2024 inclusive). The average cost per Head of Cattle in the 2024/25 financial year (to date) is circa £5.70 This information does not include costs of Gamma Interferon testing. * A TB test event may include the whole herd (usually all the animals of at least 42 days of age), a proportion of a herd, or a few individual animals in a herd.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of farm diversification on the working hours of farmers.

Defra does not hold information on the impact of diversification on the working hours of farmers. Annual statistics on farm diversification of farm businesses in England are published. The latest results cover 2023/24 (Chapter 5: Diversification - GOV.UK) and include the proportion of farms engaging in diversified activities, the type of activities and the average income produced. They show that the proportion of farm businesses in England that have some diversified activity has gradually increased since 2014/15 and in 2023/24 was 71% of farms; these farms had an average (mean) income from diversified activities of £26,900.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the average cost was of compensating farmers for cattle culled due to bovine tuberculosis in (a) 2023 and (b) 2024 to date.

In 2023 a gross amount of £29,450,689.00 was spent on compensating farmers for cattle culled due to Bovine Tuberculosis in England. The average gross amount of compensation per animal culled was £1,454.86. Data for 2024 is currently only available for the period 1 January to 30 September inclusive. During that period a total of £23,411,612.00 was spent on TB compensation for cattle, meaning an average gross payment per animal of £1,464.23. TB compensation is determined by the GB average market value for cattle.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of levels of water pollution in Yeovil constituency.

For too long, customers have been let down and water companies have discharged record levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Bill, which will...