Written questions by George.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to introduce measures to prevent the import of eggs, liquid eggs and powdered eggs produced in systems which are banned in the UK.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking across procurement policy, food service, and manufacturing supply chains to ensure that improved domestic welfare standards are not undermined by the use of imported lower-welfare egg products.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the Government will publish the findings of its consultation on a proposed ban on keeping laying hens, pullets and breeder layers in cages.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 31 March 2026 to the hon. Member for Edinburgh West, PQ UIN 122785.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support will be made available from Government to support a transition away from enriched cages.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps will be taken to ensure that imports of eggs, liquid eggs and powdered eggs meet UK animal welfare standards, in the context of any phase-out of caged systems domestically.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the risk of increased imports of lower-welfare eggs following domestic reforms to housing systems for laying hens.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether further supported welfare improvements for laying hens will be incorporated into the UK Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that any ban on caged systems for laying hens is accompanied by equivalent trade measures which prevent the import of eggs and egg products produced to lower welfare standards than those permitted in the UK.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether free and independent recourse is available to customers when water companies classify customer disputes as legal enforcement matters.

Customers who have unresolved disputes are advised to contact The Consumer Council for Water (CCW) who has the statutory function to help customers resolve complaints against their water company or retailer, as well as providing free advice and support. Government has also committed to introduce a new Water Ombudsman. The ombudsman will provide an independent service to investigate and resolve complaints for customers. The ombudsman will be free to use and make impartial and binding decisions based on what is fair and will work with the regulator and CCW to drive improvements in the sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that the automatic compensation South West Water has announced for customers affected by Storm Goretti is funded from the company’s profits and reductions in executive bonuses; and whether she will require this compensation funding to be independently audited to ensure full transparency and compliance.

Customers affected by Storm Goretti will receive payments under the Guaranteed Standards Scheme (GSS). These payments come from a company's current operating expenditure and are not paid for through a future increase in customer bills. The standards, outlined in the GSS, set out a baseline for customer service in the water sector. They include providing timely restoration of water supply following an interruption, responding to written complaints and managing the risk of sewer flooding. Ofwat has previously published summaries of the GSS framework on its website (see here and here). Companies report on GSS payments in their Annual Performance Reports and submit these figures to Ofwat. These reports are independently audited, and Ofwat uses them to inform its work.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with utility companies on directing customers to online information during service disruptions; and what steps she will take to ensure that essential information is provided through communication channels which remain functional during emergencies.

The Security and Emergency Measures Direction 2022 (SEMD) requires water companies to ensure continuation of their water distribution functions during an emergency. SEMD includes a legal requirement for companies to have “appropriate emergency communication facilities and procedures for managing and maintaining communications and support to customers throughout an emergency”. Defra expects water companies to respond rapidly and on a 24/7 basis through a range of communication methods (including, but not limited to, telephone, email, and social media). We also expect companies to plan for individual channels being unavailable, for example during power or telecoms failures, and that companies should adapt their communications plans in response to customer feedback or local priorities as incidents evolve. Defra Ministers met with senior officials from South West Water over the past weekend to discuss the company’s response to the supply disruption following Storm Goretti. The Drinking Water Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, regulates water company performance on SEMD. Their review of the company’s response to Storm Goretti will include examination of South West Water’s compliance with the communication requirements of SEMD.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with South West Water on the adequacy of its communication strategy during recent service disruptions, including whether she will ask the company to issue a formal statement committing to a revised strategy which prioritises customer impact.

The Security and Emergency Measures Direction 2022 (SEMD) requires water companies to ensure continuation of their water distribution functions during an emergency. SEMD includes a legal requirement for companies to have “appropriate emergency communication facilities and procedures for managing and maintaining communications and support to customers throughout an emergency”. Defra expects water companies to respond rapidly and on a 24/7 basis through a range of communication methods (including, but not limited to, telephone, email, and social media). We also expect companies to plan for individual channels being unavailable, for example during power or telecoms failures, and that companies should adapt their communications plans in response to customer feedback or local priorities as incidents evolve. Defra Ministers met with senior officials from South West Water over the past weekend to discuss the company’s response to the supply disruption following Storm Goretti. The Drinking Water Inspectorate, on behalf of the Secretary of State, regulates water company performance on SEMD. Their review of the company’s response to Storm Goretti will include examination of South West Water’s compliance with the communication requirements of SEMD.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with counterparts in (a) Austria, (b) Sweden, (c) Switzerland, (d) Norway, (e) Germany, and (f) New Zealand on their (i) banning and (ii) phasing out of farrowing crates for pigs; and what assessment she has made of the outcomes of those bans on (A) sow welfare, (B) piglet mortality, (C) farming sector viability, (D) farm-level adaptation, and (E) regulatory enforcement.

We have regular engagement with counterparts in other countries on farmed animal welfare issues, including on cages and other close confinement systems.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of a ban on farrowing crates on pig production capacity.

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 farrowing crates for pigs is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully, including impacts on the pig industry.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of imported pork produced using farrowing crates on the competitiveness of UK farmers that do not use farrowing crates.

The Government supports both a competitive farming sector and the need to maintain high animal welfare standards in the UK. No such assessment has been undertaken. No data is held on the production method of imported pork.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the UK’s trading partners on certification and surveillance requirements to enable the use of avian influenza vaccination in poultry while maintaining export access.

The joint industry and cross-government highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) Vaccine Taskforce has published a report proposing a number of next steps to close critical knowledge gaps before publishing a final recommendation. These actions include exploring a targeted turkey vaccination trial, proactive engagement with trading partners, and working to build surveillance and laboratory capacity. Defra and the Devolved Governments, working with industry, will give careful consideration to these in determining next steps.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve communications with registered and unregistered bird keepers when avian influenza control zones are established.

Defra continues to support bird keepers to manage and prepare for avian influenza outbreaks. Defra uses several channels of communication with bird keepers. A dedicated avian influenza page on GOV.UK is regularly updated with the latest information. We also issue national, local and trade press releases to ensure the latest information is communicated through the media. All poultry or other captive bird keepers in England (with the exception of certain psittacines and passerines) are legally required to register with the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) via the Kept Bird Register. This enables the Government to communicate directly and promptly with bird keepers about biosecurity measures to help protect their birds and reduce the risk of disease spread. Following confirmation of an avian influenza outbreak, all registered bird keepers within disease control zones receive text messages or email alerts about the measures in the zones. In addition, anyone can subscribe to APHA’s free animal disease alerts service to receive updates on risk levels, latest guidance and new cases across Great Britain, regardless of whether they keep birds.

Food and Rural Affairs, what criteria her Department plans to use to determine whether to pilot targeted vaccination of poultry against highly pathogenic avian influenza.

The joint industry and cross-government highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) Vaccine Taskforce has published a report proposing a number of next steps to close critical knowledge gaps before publishing a final recommendation. These actions include exploring a targeted turkey vaccination trial, proactive engagement with trading partners, and working to build surveillance and laboratory capacity. Defra and the Devolved Governments, working with industry, will give careful consideration to these in determining next steps.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the updated cross-government contingency plan for outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza; and whether that plan includes arrangements for (a) local authority resourcing and (b) mutual aid.

The UK contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals explains how UK Governments and departments work together in responding to exotic animal disease outbreaks. It is updated every year, with the next update due later this autumn. The plan also outlines the arrangements of support and resources made available for Local Authorities at times of disease outbreak. This support also includes the provision of Mutual Aid agreements. This could involve the facilitation and co–ordination of arrangements with Local Resilience Forums, with additional support provided where the local response has been or may be overwhelmed.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of national and regional carcass disposal capacity available for use during an avian influenza outbreak in 2025–26.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has contracts in place to manage carcass transport and disposal during disease outbreaks such as avian influenza. The Agency works with contractors across Great Britain which currently have sufficient disposal capacity based on current planning assumptions.