Every parliamentary written question tabled by Alex Mayer this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 81–100 of 125 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2024 to Question 6928 on Fish Products: Faroe Islands, when his response to the public consultation on fairer food labelling will be published.
The Government is now carefully considering all responses before deciding on next steps and will publish a response to this consultation in due course. I refer the hon. Member to the answer I provided to PQ 6928.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure local authorities have adequate resources to process the anticipated increase in claims following the 2031 cut-off date for recording historic rights of way.
The Government has announced that it will repeal the 2031 cut-off date for the recording of historic rights of way as soon as parliamentary time allows. The final Local Government Finance Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase on 2024-2025. The majority of this funding is not ringfenced in recognition that local authorities themselves are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding accordingly.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will outline his Department’s planned timetable for reviewing the funding formula for flood defences.
We will launch a consultation in the coming months which will include a review of the existing flood funding formula to ensure that the challenges facing businesses and rural and coastal communities are adequately taken into account when delivering flood protection. Feedback will be sought on the advantages and disadvantages of potential reforms to the flood funding formula.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of extending the Flood Re scheme to non-owner occupiers.
The Flood Re scheme allows for insurers to offer discounted premiums to leasehold or landlord owned properties consisting of three or less units where the freeholder/landlord lives in the property. As larger blocks, of four or more units, are classified as a commercial business, the Flood Re scheme does not apply for buildings insurance. Tenants and leaseholders can obtain contents insurance supported by Flood Re, regardless of the size of the block. There are currently no plans to extend the scope of the scheme, however Defra regularly reviews all policies, including eligibility for Flood Re.
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 79 of the Autumn Budget 2024, HC 295, published on 30 October 2024, which regions will receive funding from the £2.4 billion allocated to the building of flood d
This Government is investing £2.4 billion over this year and next year to improve flood resilience by maintaining, repairing and building flood defences. The list of projects to receive government funding for 2025-26 will be consented over the coming mont...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce a timebound legal duty to end overfishing in UK waters.
The Fisheries Act 2020 contains a commitment to recover stocks to sustainable levels through the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs). We are taking this approach having learned from the well-intentioned but ultimately unachievable single dead...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to promote (a) safer and (b) environmentally friendly pest control alternatives to rodenticide for (i) residential and (ii) commercial use.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is responsible for approving biocidal products such as rodenticides. To ensure that the risks associated with professional use of anticoagulant rodenticides could be properly managed, the UK Government worked with ind...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enhance monitoring of wildlife exposure to (a) rodenticides and (b) other toxic substances; and whether he plans to allocate additional resources
The UK Government is investing in enhancing England's capability to monitor for and report on exposure to wildlife of: anticoagulant rodenticides (SGARs); legacy contaminants such as metals; and persistent bio-accumulative and toxic chemicals. This has be...
Food and Rural Affairs, what (a) funding and (b) other support his Department is providing to farmers to transition to more sustainable agricultural practices in (i) East, (b) South West and (c) South East of
The Government has committed to support farmers through a farming budget of £5 billion over two years, including £2.4 billion in 2025/26. This will include the largest ever budget directed at sustainable food production and nature’s recovery in our countr...
Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish its planned timescale for implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
This Government is strongly committed to requiring standardised SuDS (sustainable drainage systems) in new developments. We need to see SuDS in more developments; to designs that cope with changing climatic conditions as well as delivering wider water inf...
Food and Rural Affairs, will he make an assessment of the potential impact of the import of (a) soy, (b) palm oil, (c) cocoa and (d) other products on the UK's contribution to tropical deforestation.
UK consumption of soy, palm oil, cocoa, coffee, rubber and cattle products was associated with 15,363 hectares of deforestation in 2021 of which 11,201 was tropical deforestation. These commodities are estimated to account for 55% of the UK’s tropical and...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support the conservation of endemic tree species.
Genetic conservation is critical to maintaining the genetic pool of England’s native and endemic tree species. This diversity is important for evolutionary adaptation to environmental change. The Millennium Seed Bank, managed by Royal Botanic Gardens Kew,...
Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has for the (a) protection and (b) conservation of hedgehogs following the change to their conservation status on the International Union for Conservation of
The Government has no plans to provide additional legal protection to the hedgehog in England. While we are concerned about hedgehogs, there is no evidence to suggest legal protection will address the main causes of decline namely habitat loss, pesticide ...
Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 2.3.2 of the report of the Strategic Dialogue on the Future of EU Agriculture, published on 4 September 2024, what assessment he has made of the potential i
The Strategic Dialogue of the Future of EU Agriculture provided a mechanism for EU stakeholders to make suggestions to the European Commission to help inform its work shaping its Vision for Agriculture and Food. As this report represents those stakeholder...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the level of availability of veterinary surgeons; and what steps his Department is taking to h
We appreciate the incredibly valuable work completed by veterinary surgeons and recognise their essential role in achieving our ambitious goals of upholding high standards of animal welfare, supporting trade, and safeguarding public health and food securi...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government on the potential impact of light pollution on animal populations; and
Defra has not had direct discussions with the Secretary of State for Communities, Housing and Local Government about the potential impact of light pollution on animal populations. Defra will continue to work closely with researchers, non-governmental org...
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of creating a centralised database of licenced (a) breeders and (b) sellers of (i) dogs and (ii) other pets.
Interested parties can check whether a dog breeder or pet seller is licensed without separately referring to a database. Under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, licensed dog breeders and pet sellers...
Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish a consultation on the regulation of dog behaviour and training services.
Defra are working with police, local authorities and animal welfare groups to promote responsible dog ownership. As part of this work, we will continue to consider the role of education and training (for both dogs and their owners) in encouraging responsi...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that the water industry provides funding for catchment-based solutions for natural flood management.
Defra recognises that nature and catchment-based solutions in the water sector have an important role to play. The strategic policy statement in 2022 set out the governments priorities for Ofwat. This set out that water companies should significantly incr...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with stakeholders on catchment-based water systems planning.
Since taking office, we have prioritised engagement with our stakeholders to reap the benefit of their expertise through information sharing. The Secretary of State and I have held one-to-one meetings and shared panels with several organisations involved ...