Written questions by Ramsay.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to introduce a close season for the shooting of hares.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only, with the potential for relevant policy to extend and apply to Wales. While the Government has no immediate plan to introduce a close season for hares in England, the policy remains under consideration as part of the Government’s plans to introduce the most ambitious programme for animal welfare in a generation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publishing the welfare standards and guidance to accompany the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024; and which stakeholders he plans to consult on the guidance before it is published.

The accompanying guidance to the Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2024 has been developed taking into account views from the consultation undertaken in 2023 and relevant experts. The guidance will be published shortly.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to publish (a) the Elephant Welfare Group's report, (b) the Government's response to the Elephant Welfare Group's report; and what his Department's policy is on the future of elephants in UK zoos.

The Government’s policy on the keeping of elephants in zoos will be set out with the publication of the new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain. The new Standards, which will replace the current Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, will be published shortly.

Food and Rural Affairs, which organisations will be consulted as part of the development of the Government's Food Strategy; and whether the expert panel will include representatives from the (a) sustainable food and (b) farming sectors.

As part of the development of the food strategy there will be multiple routes for stakeholders to share ideas and input into the strategy. The Food Strategy Advisory Board represents the first step in a wider stakeholder engagement plan which will continue to ensure and demonstrate the joined-up and systems-wide approach for the food strategy. The membership of the Food Strategy Advisory board was published on gov.uk on 21 March 2025 (Leading food experts join Government food strategy to restore pride in British food - GOV.UK).

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will implement an immediate moratorium on import permits for hunting trophies of (a) polar bears and (b) other endangered species.

We committed to a ban on the import of hunting trophies of endangered animals in our manifesto and we will deliver on this. We are currently engaging with a range of stakeholders in order to decide on the most effective approach.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on the development of a national methane action plan.

We do not believe we need a methane action plan, as it is already covered in our existing delivery Plan for Carbon Budgets. We will publish an updated Plan that will outline the policies and proposals needed to meet Carbon Budgets 4-6 and the 2030 Nationally Determined Contribution on a pathway to net zero in due course. This will include key methane policies covering the period up to 2030 that will contribute towards the Global Methane Pledge. The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero work closely together on common climate change and environmental issues including around methane.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment (a) his Department and (b) its arms length bodies have made of the potential impact of the Water Industry National Environment Programme on carbon emissions.

Ofwat published their final determinations for Price Review 2024 (PR24) on 19 December, which included a confirmed £104 billion of water company expenditure between 2025 and 2030. £24 billion will be invested to improve the environment and Ofwat have confirmed this will put the sector on track to meet net zero targets by 2050. For the period between 2025-2030, Ofwat have provided percentage estimates of the emissions reductions water companies are expected to deliver. These can be found within Ofwat's publicly available PR24 company specific documents available on their website: Final determinations in the 2024 price review - Ofwat. Water companies will report on the emission reductions from schemes, using real time data to demonstrate the impact. Ofwat have also introduced price control deliverables (PCDs) for PR24 – a financial incentive mechanism to incentivise companies to deliver projects on time, and if projects are not delivered, funding is returned to customers. This includes a PCD on climate change resilience to incentivise delivery by companies.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to roll out mandatory water efficiency labelling.

On 5 September 2024, the Secretary of State reaffirmed the Government’s intention to rollout a Mandatory Water Efficiency Label (MWEL). We will introduce the MWEL in the UK via Secondary Legislation under Section 52 and Schedule 6 of the Environment Act 2021. We are working with the Environment Agency to engage manufacturers and other stakeholders to keep them informed about the regulations as they develop. As this is a devolved matter, we are also working closely with colleagues in the devolved governments to deliver the legislation.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to update the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016.

Work is underway across Defra and the Drinking Water Inspectorate to consider potential updates to the Schedules in the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations 2016 to ensure drinking water quality in England continues to remain exceptionally high. This includes working with a range of external experts to inform and develop the Government’s thinking on these matters.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to consult on Part G of the building regulations to improve water efficiency standards.

The Government is committed to enabling homes to be water efficient as part of the statutory Water Demand Target under the Environment Act 2021, to reduce the use of public water supply by 20% by 2037/38. The target is underpinned by a commitment to lower water usage in homes, to achieve a usage of at least 122 litres per person per day by 2038, on a trajectory to 110 litres per person per day by 2050. Defra is working closely with the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government to explore whether the Building Regulations 2010 could be amended to tighten water efficiency standards, enable consumers to use less water and save on their water and energy bills. Policy options on amendments to the Building Regulations have been collated into a draft consultation, and we are now working through steps to proceed to consultation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with (a) British Sugar and (b) the National Farmers Union on emergency authorisation of the thiamethoxam containing neonicotinoid Cruiser SB on sugar beet.

Defra regularly meets with both British Sugar and the National Farmers Union to discuss a range of topics such as crop development, harvest, trade and pest and disease pressures and progress in research and stewardship programmes. All applications for emergency authorisation are assessed according to the legal requirements and on the basis of the evidence.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his Department's policies of the report by Wildlife and Countryside Link entitled Global Biodiversity Framework Tracker Report, published on 15 October 2024.

We recognise the findings of the Global Biodiversity Framework Tracker Report and that more needs to be done on nature recovery. Our submission to the CBD commits the UK to achieving each of the 23 global targets at home. They are underpinned by a set of specific commitments and policies to halt and reverse the loss of biodiversity. By submitting our national targets on time, we have ensured the UK’s commitments can be included in the global analysis to be carried out at COP16. We will publish the full UK National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) in due course, detailing further delivery plans and future ambitions. We set out our approach to implementing the Framework domestically in our Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP). On 30 July, we announced a rapid review of the EIP to develop a new, statutory plan to protect and restore our natural environment, helping us meet each of our ambitious Environment Act targets. It will focus on cleaning up our waterways, reducing waste across the economy, planting millions more trees, improving air quality, and halting the decline in species by 2030.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to ban the use of (a) cages and (b) close confinement systems for farmed animals.

We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue we will want to fully consider in due course.