Written questions by Mayer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered implementing the recommendations made in the Tree Council’s report entitled Protecting trees of high social, cultural and environmental value, published in April 2025.

Defra has reviewed the report’s recommendations and considered the feasibility of actions to take forward while ensuring balance between existing priorities and our statutory obligations. As the criminal case for the Sycamore Gap tree has shown, our judicial system takes illegal tree felling seriously: those that cause illegal damage will be held to account. In addition, our most important trees, those of ancient and veteran status, are considered irreplaceable habitats and protected in planning policy. Local authorities may also grant specific protections on individual trees of high value through Tree Preservation Orders. We are continuing to focus on improving the implementation of planning protections to ensure that our most important trees of ancient and veteran status are protected in both practice and policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the £816 million set aside for tree planting over the Spending Review period he plans to spend on the management of existing woodlands.

The £816 million of funding announced in the spending review is funding dedicated to supporting delivery of the statutory tree canopy and woodland cover target and increasing tree planting rates across England. Recognising the importance of woodland management we have recently opened the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier scheme for new applications. It includes an expanded woodland management offer, with funding for a variety of management actions and woodland types. Woodland managers can apply for funding to produce a woodland management plan and will then receive advice from Forestry Commission to agree the management of their woodland in the scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for felling licences were refused by Forestry Commission England in 2024.

Forestry is a devolved matter and so this answer is for England only. The Forestry Commission granted 3,437 felling licences in 2024. No felling licence applications were refused.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many felling licences granted by Forestry Commission England in 2024 permitted the felling of ancient trees.

This Government does not collect data on the number or classification of trees felled. However, when considering a felling licence application the Forestry Commission would expect the application to comply with good forestry practice.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications for felling licences were refused by Forestry Commission England in the last five years due to the potential impact of felling on ancient woodland remnants within plantations on ancient woodland sites.

The Forestry Commission has not refused any felling licence applications in the past 5 years. However, in 2019 one application was refused as the felling would lead to a loss of woodland containing veteran and future veteran oaks. The felling of these would be against the ‘interests of good forestry… and the amenities of the district’ which meant that it was not compliant with the UK Forestry Standard.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many felling licences were granted by Forestry Commission England in 2024.

Forestry is a devolved matter and so this answer is for England only. The Forestry Commission granted 3,437 felling licences in 2024. No felling licence applications were refused.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the (a) workforce capacity and (b) resources available to deliver large-scale community tree planting programmes.

In 2024, Defra published independent research by the ICF - UK Forestry Workforce & Skills Research - KT0201. It showed that the forestry workforce had grown steadily over the past decade, with around 24,000 people employed in the core forestry sector as of 2023 and that continued investment in forestry apprenticeships and workforce development tools were required. The Forestry-Sector-Skills-Plan-2025.pdf, published in early 2025, identifies specific actions such as the Level 6 Professional Foresters apprenticeship to address the gap in skills in the sector. Defra and Forestry Commission are now working with key stakeholders to deliver the specific actions it sets out. Sapling availability has also been addressed through this project. Forestry Commission publish the Tree Supply Report and Tree Nursery Directories annually to bring visibility to the market. Defra and Forestry Commission work closely with the nurseries to assess trends in the market. In the 24/25 planting season, 161 million saplings were produced which is around 1 million more than the previous year. The Nature for Climate Fund funded grants this year of up to: £2 million capital investment in tree production through the Tree Production Capital Grant; £1.5 million supporting innovation in tree production through the Tree Production Innovation Fund and £0.6 million supporting tree seed sourcing through the Seed Sourcing Grant.

Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria are applied by Forestry Commission England when determining whether to refuse an application for a felling licence.

When considering a felling licence application the Forestry Commission will judge the proposals against the UK Forestry Standard, the government’s technical guide to sustainable forest management, available at The UK Forestry Standard - GOV.UK. There is no requirement for the applicant to prove why they should be allowed to fell trees, it is for the Forestry Commission to provide reasons why it should not grant a licence. The grounds for refusing a felling licence are based on the statutory criteria set out in section 10(2) of the Forestry Act 1967 which states: “Subject to the provisions of this Act (and, in particular, to their duty to take advice under section 37(3), the Forestry Commission may on any such application grant the licence, or grant it subject to conditions, or refuse it, but shall grant it unconditionally except in a case where it appears to them to be expedient to do otherwise:(a) in the interests of good forestry or agriculture or of the amenities of the district;(b) for the purpose of complying with their duty of promoting the establishment and maintenance of adequate reserves of growing trees.” The Forestry Commission’s approach is to work constructively with applicants to resolve issues and facilitate responsible woodland management. Refusal is therefore considered a measure of last resort.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle reductions in biodiversity in existing woodlands; and what steps she plans to take through the Environmental Improvement Plan to monitor this.

Expanding our trees, woodlands and forests is an important tool at our disposal for reversing reductions in our woodland biodiversity. Establishing native woodland has made the greatest contribution to the increase in priority habitats in recent years, and we will continue to improve the condition and increase the extent of our most precious woodland habitats, such as irreplaceable ancient woodlands. We have pledged £816 million for tree planting and woodland creation up to 2030, benefiting biodiversity and setting us on a path to contributing 100,000 hectares of wildlife-rich woodland to the statutory habitats target by 2042.The England Woodland Creation Grant provides additional payments for the creation of native woodland and to buffer and connect existing ancient and native woodland. New payments have been introduced to Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier to support the improvement of woodland and the management and restoration of ancient woodland. Over 2000ha of ancient woodland habitat has been brought into this ancient woodland option since its introduction. We are already taking a range of actions to support woodland biodiversity and will set out further details in the upcoming Environment Improvement Plan.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the costs to her Department of climate-related extreme weather since 1 January 2020.

The third UK Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA3), published in 2021 under the UK Climate Change Act 2008, includes a Monetary Valuation of Risks and Opportunities assessment of the current and future costs of climate change to the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many miles of canal have been closed for navigation due to water shortages in 2025.

The country’s largest navigation authority, the Canal and River Trust, reports that the prolonged period of dry weather this spring and summer has led to a number of restrictions and closures across its 2,000-mile inland waterway network. As well as low water levels generally, restrictions on navigation due to water shortages can also include closing locks to preserve the water in the canal sections between them. While this results in through navigation being closed, it may still be possible to navigate between turning points within the sections of canal between closed locks. As of 31 August 2025, the Trust reports that there were 32 low water closures on 29 waterways impacting an estimated 403 miles, or 1/5th of the network. Since April 2025 the Trust has had 76 low water closures, 53 over 48 hours’ duration and 23 under 48 hours.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of phasing out the use of enriched cages for laying hens.

We remain 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 which we are currently considering very carefully. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key stakeholders, including animal welfare organisations, as part of the development of an animal welfare strategy to be published later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of the introduction of bans on enriched cages for laying hens in European countries.

The Government is committed to upholding our high animal welfare standards as part of wider trade policy. We remain 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 for laying hens is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully. This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Prime Minister announced that we will be publishing an animal welfare strategy later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to introduce species-specific requirements for the slaughter of farmed fish.

Since publication of the Animal Welfare Committee’s updated Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing a GB-wide joint government-industry working group on farmed trout has been examining the issues raised in the report. This co-design work has made good progress on exploring potential options for more detailed welfare at killing requirements. We are now exploring all the potential next steps, including options for creating detailed guidance and new legislation. The Scottish Government is also working closely with the salmon industry on more detailed welfare at killing requirements.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle the sources of littering in (a) Bedfordshire and (b) England.

Littering is a crime that blights communities and the environment. Local councils are usually best placed to respond to littering and related problems, in a way tailored to the community in which they occur. They have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal including fixed penalty notices of up to £500 and prosecution action which can lead to a criminal record and a fine of up to £2500. We are considering how we can further support local councils. In the meantime, we are targeting some of the more commonly littered items to reduce the presence of these on our streets. The sale of single-use vapes was banned on 1 June and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) will go live in England, Northern Ireland, and Scotland in October 2027. The DRS will introduce a redeemable deposit on single-use in-scope drinks containers which can be redeemed when the empty container is returned. Litter composition data indicates that 55% of litter by volume is made up of containers in-scope of DRS. The DRS will therefore significantly reduce this form of litter.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the Secretary of State for Transport on tackling non-exhaust emissions from road transport as a source of particulate pollution.

The Government is committed to meeting legal targets for air quality, including the PM2.5 targets recently set under the Environment Act 2021. My officials have regular discussions across Government about the policies needed to ensure we meet these targets, including officials in the Department for Transport on action to reduce non-exhaust emissions from road transport.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on the transportation of live lobsters through (a) postal and (b) courier services within the UK.

Animal welfare legislation protects all animals from being transported in a way likely to cause injury or suffering. Lobsters and other live decapod crustaceans are protected from injury or unnecessary suffering during transportation by a general duty of care provision in Article 4 of The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO) and equivalent national legislation in Wales. WATEO requires that animals are transported in receptacles or means of transport under conditions (in particular with regard to space, ventilation, temperature and security) and with such supply of liquid and oxygen, as are appropriate for the species concerned.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of (a) recent trends in the level of drought and (b) the potential impact of drought on his Department's tree‑planting plans.

We continue to monitor and adapt to the impact that drought conditions can have on trees, particularly for young trees which are most susceptible. The Government has introduced extraordinary measures to support trees that have suffered because of drought conditions and works closely with tree planting delivery partners to respond to conditions across England. The Nature for Climate Fund has also invested £1 million into research to understand how trees are responding to extreme weather events, including drought, assessing species robustness and resilience. More broadly, the Water Companies’ Drought Code of Practice includes an exemption during hosepipe bans to allow for the continued watering of trees planted in the last three years.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the number of live lobsters being (a) posted and (b) couriered in 2024.

Defra does not hold data for live lobsters being posted and couriered in 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of appointing an expert in animal welfare to the Food Strategy Advisory Board.

Members of the Food Strategy Advisory Board were selected as senior leaders who have a broad range of experience across the food system and reflect the diversity of the sector. Membership has been finalised. We are not looking to expand it at this time. The Board represents just one aspect of our engagement with stakeholders across the food supply system. The food strategy will articulate the outcomes required to deliver food system change.