Written questions by Mayer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the ecological condition of UK woodlands; and what steps his Department is taking to mitigate the decline in (a) plant, (b) bird, (c) mammal, (d) butterfly and (e) other woodland biodiversity.

The National Forestry Inventory shows only 9% of England’s native woodlands are in favourable ecological condition, with the majority of the remaining 90% in intermediate condition. In England, we have four legally binding targets for biodiversity: to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030; to reverse declines by at least 10% by 2042, when compared with 2030; to reduce the risk of national species extinction by 2042; and to restore or create more than 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat, also by 2042.To support these goals, grant schemes like the England Woodland Creation Offer incentivise high-biodiversity woodland creation and natural regeneration. Environmental Land Management Schemes, including Countryside Stewardship, fund woodland improvements such as invasive non-native species control, coppicing, deadwood habitat creation, and restoration of ancient woodland sites. We are also investing in research by Forest Research on how woodland creation can reconnect fragmented habitats to benefit diverse species.

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, 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 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, 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 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 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 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, 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 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, 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.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Environment Agency is required to undertake an environmental impact assessment before cutting grass on embankments.

The Environment Agency regularly carries out maintenance works using its permissive powers to manage flood risk. Routine grass cutting, vegetation management and debris clearance on embankments are low-impact but essential preventative maintenance activities for our flood defences - ensuring they remain safe, and to sustain their condition. A full assessment in accordance with the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Regulations isn’t necessary, however, we carefully assess each maintenance activity for environmental impacts through internal protocols.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to reduce the risk of harm to marine mammals from (a) discarded and (b) lost (i) ropes, (ii) fishing lines, (iii) nets and (iv) other fishing equipment.

The Government is committed to taking action to tackle Abandoned, lost or otherwise discarded fishing gear (ALDFG) to reduce the risk to all marine life, including marine mammals. We are working domestically to tackle plastic pollution from fishing and aquaculture gear across the full lifecycle and therefore reduce the risks to wildlife. We supported the development of a circular gear design standard under the European standards body, and are working with the administrations in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales and industry, to develop UK-wide solutions for the collection and recycling of end-of-life gear. This is a transboundary issue and global action is needed. Internationally, the UK has called for plastic pollution treaty under negotiation to include specific provisions to address harmful forms of plastic pollution, including fishing and aquaculture gear. We believe that measures need to address the full lifecycle of gear, from design to end-of-life management. We are also working with other countries at the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) to strengthen the requirements under the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL) on the marking of fishing gear and the reporting of fishing gear losses.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the Environment Agency has sufficient (a) resource, (b) legal expertise and (c) access to court time to enforce environmental protection laws.

Environment Agency (EA) funding and resource is closely monitored to ensure that the agency can carry out its duties and functions effectively. EA funding is currently being reviewed in line with Defra’s departmental Spending Review process. The EA has specialist legal expertise in the enforcement and prosecution of environmental crime including water company failures. The EA has very recently increased the number of specialist prosecuting lawyers dealing with pollution cases. The EA has exactly the same access to court time as other prosecuting authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the number of deaths of dogs in greyhound racing.

Defra works with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) to ensure greyhound racing is a safe as possible. Each year since 2018 GBGB has published data for the deaths of greyhounds from GBGB affiliated tracks and trainers. This data is published online at https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/injury-and-retirement-data/ Defra monitors the figures published by GBGB for any identifiable trends.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the written statement of 25 February 2025 entitled NFU conference: Boosting farm profitability, HCWS469, what his definition is of high welfare products in the context of Government catering contracts; and what farmed animal species will be covered by this policy.

The National Procurement Policy Statement underscores the Government's commitment to increasing the procurement of food that meets higher environmental standards, supporting local suppliers and upholding ethical sourcing practises across public sector contracts. This includes sourcing products from all farmed animals which have been raised to high UK welfare standards as defined in current animal welfare legislation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on (a) the size of the egg laying hen population, (b) the number and proportion of egg laying hens that are kept in caged systems and (c) the number and proportion of eggs that come from caged hens.

Defra’s official statistics on livestock populations in the United Kingdom, published in June 2024, state that the total number of egg-laying hens (including breeding birds) was 54.6 million birds. Of these, 41.9 million were laying hens and pullets for table egg production. Defra does not hold published figures on the number of egg-laying hens kept in caged systems, known as enriched ‘colony’ cage systems. However, Defra’s latest statistics indicate that in 2024, the UK Egg Industry produced 2.6 billion eggs for human consumption from hens in enriched ‘colony’ cage systems, accounting for 22% of total UK production.