Every parliamentary written question tabled by Andrew Snowden this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 41–60 of 234 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential insurance implications of increased flood risk for households and businesses in Fylde constituency.
The Department recognises increasing flood risk can affect insurance availability and affordability, including in Fylde, and continues to engage with industry, including at an insurance roundtable last autumn. Flood Re, a joint Government–industry scheme ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of Environmental Stewardship agreements at protecting wildlife habitats and increasing biodiversity.
Environmental Stewardship (ES) is a legacy scheme which operated in England under the framework of the EU’s Common Agricultural Policy. It was introduced in 2005 and closed to new applications in 2014. The scheme has been subject to ongoing monitoring and...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of banning on trail hunting on countryside management.
On 26 March, Defra launched a Consultation on Proposals to Prohibit Trail Hunting in England and Wales which invites views on a range of matters including any potential environmental impacts of a ban. The consultation will be open until 18 June and Defra ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent changes to travel with pets between Great Britain and the EU on the number pets able to travel to the EU.
On 22 April, the European Union (EU) implemented new rules which affect those travelling with their pets from third countries, such as Great Britain (GB), into the EU. This impacts rules on EU pet passports, Animal Health Certificates (AHCs), authorised p...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to maintain and protect curlews on the Lancashire coast.
Defra Group has supported Lancashire County Council in their Local Nature Recovery Strategy, which sets out nature recovery priorities and specific proposals for habitat creation and improvement that will support many species, including curlew. Nationally...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the administrative impact of export health certificates on UK food producers.
Defra keeps export health certificate (EHC) processes under review and supports UK food exporters through the EHC Online digital service, GOV.UK guidance and an export support service. Defra officials have begun negotiations with the EU on an SPS agreemen...
Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding has been allocated through the Tree Production Capital Grant in each funding round since the scheme’s inception.
The Tree Production Capital Grant was launched in 2022. The total value of funding allocated through signed grant agreements in each financial year is as follows: 2022/23: £1,509,3742023/24: £2,871,8332024/25: £2,938,3972025/26: £1,953,960Total: £9,273,56...
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with stakeholders, including the British Veterinary Association, the RSPCA, and pharmaceutical manufacturers, on proposed changes to the regulation of parasiticides.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) leads the cross‑government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group and is engaging with stakeholders on the environmental risks of flea and tick treatments containing fipronil and imidacloprid. Engagement has included several meetings with individual organisations, including the British Veterinary Association, the RSPCA and the pharmaceutical industry, as well as a PiE stakeholder workshop in Summer 2025 involving veterinary professionals, charities, retailers, industry and academia. The VMD has also launched an eight week Call for Evidence as part of its review of the distribution categories of veterinary medicines containing fipronil or imidacloprid. This open process invites evidence and views from all interested stakeholders to ensure that any future regulatory decisions are informed by robust evidence and consider impacts on animal health and welfare, the environment, pet owners and businesses. No decisions have yet been taken on regulatory changes, and stakeholder engagement will continue as the evidence base is considered.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on coordinating policy relating to the evacuation of pets during international emergencies.
During international emergencies Defra officials work closely with the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) to coordinate policy and manage live operational issues, including in relation to emergency pet movements.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the written answer of 19 September 25 to question 75415 on XL Bully dogs, what progress has been made on developing a withdrawal scheme for dogs previously exempted as XL Bully type.
The Government is continuing to develop a withdrawal scheme so that owners who no longer believe that their dog is an XL Bully type can apply to have their certificate of exemption withdrawn.The Government does not have a definitive timeline for when this process will be available. Officials are working diligently to develop the withdrawal scheme as soon as possible and further details will be shared once finalised.
Food and Rural Affairs, what information her Department holds on how Ofwat calculates the cap on which water companies can increase water bills for customers.
Ofwat published methodology for calculating the price controls that cap water bill increases. Ofwat sets these caps independently through its five‑year price review, assessing companies’ plans and the efficient costs needed to meet Government‑set service and environmental expectations. Money approved for infrastructure can only be spent on upgrades that benefit customers and the environment, and cannot be diverted to bonuses, dividends or executive pay, with requirements for companies to return money to customers if they fail to meet performance commitments. The Government has also secured £104 billion of private investment through Price Review 2024, the largest investment programme in the history of the water sector.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the the numbers of hen harriers over the last 5 years.
The number of breeding hen harriers is assessed annually by Natural England in partnership with the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB). Summaries of these figures are published as blogs via Natural England’s .gov blog page. Assessments of the number of breeding hen harriers from the last four years can be seen below: Nesting attempts per upland area of England Area2022202320242025Bowland18111115North Pennines71142Northumberland9171518Peak District5002Yorkshire Dales and Nidderdale101542Total49543439 In 2025, a peer-reviewed paper was published assessing the population trends in hen harriers in the UK and Isle of Man between 2016 and 2023. This included data and co-authorship from Natural England’s hen harrier programme: https://doi.org/10.1080/00063657.2024.2446373.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help preserve hen harrier numbers.
Hen harriers are monitored year-round by Natural England (NE) and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. NE staff engage closely with land managers of hen harrier habitat, and in the breeding season support the licenced use of Diversionary Feeding which enables nesting hen harriers to provide sufficient food to their chicks, improving the survival of young harriers while reducing the pressure from hunting on gamebird stock. Field-based monitoring is underpinned by fitting satellite ‘tags’ to some hen harriers. This provides invaluable insights into their movements and habitat use and flags when and where they might have died, enabling their recovery for postmortem analysis and an enforcement response where illegal persecution may have played a role in the harrier’s death. Bird of prey persecution is a national wildlife crime priority. Defra supports the work of a Tactical Delivery Group which brings stakeholders together to tackle such criminality. Defra is also a principal funder of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). In 2024, the NWCU launched the Hen Harrier Task Force – a partnership designed to help tackle illegal persecution of the species. It uses innovative technology such as drones and specialised detection dogs to enhance evidence collection in remote areas.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of trends in the level of water bills in Fylde constituency since July 2024.
It is important that customers get value for money from their water bills and that support is available for those who need it. I meet water companies frequently to discuss a range of issues, including customer bills. As the independent economic regulator, it is Ofwat’s responsibility to scrutinise water company business plans and ensure the prices water companies charge their customers are fair and proportionate. It does this through its Price Review, every five years. Ofwat published the results of the 2024 Price Review in December 2024, this sets out company expenditure and customer bills for the next five years, up to 2030. These price controls came into effect on 01 April 2025. Price Review 2024 will deliver substantial improvements for customers and the environment through a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector - the highest level of investment in the water sector since privatisation. The average annual bill rise over the next 5 years will be £31 (or 36%). This will vary across households depending on their circumstances. Information on bills for each water company is available on Ofwat’s website. All water companies have measures in place for customers who struggle to pay for their water and wastewater services, such as WaterSure, social tariffs, payment breaks and holidays, and debt management support. Moreover, Government expects industry to keep the current support schemes under review to ensure that vulnerable customers are supported. The Government has committed to reforming the WaterSure support scheme which supports low-income households with high essential water use due to having a medical condition or three or more children living at home and has consulted on extending the list of qualifying benefits to include non-means tested disability benefits. This proposal is designed to provide better support for low-income households where a medical condition leads to high essential water use. The proposed reforms would also increase support for existing households and update the regulations to reflect best practice adopted across the water sector. The department will publish the response to the consultation in the coming months. Bill increases are necessary to make up for years of under-investment and make sure water companies can deliver a good service to customers and protect the environment. The Government is also bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for billpayers and restore trust and accountability. This includes the creation of a powerful new consolidated regulator, which will work to ensure water company bills are fair and affordable for customers. These reforms are detailed in the Government’s Water White Paper.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the Canal and River Trust’s grant settlement for maintaining the safety and integrity of inland waterways in England.
Canal maintenance, and ensuring funding for it, is the responsibility of navigation authorities. The Government provides the largest navigation authority, the Canal and River Trust, with an annual grant of £52.6 million to support the Trust’s network maintenance programme. This represented 22% of the Trust’s total income of £232 million last year. Following a comprehensive review of its funding in 2022, the Government agreed a further 10-year grant for the Trust from 2027 of £401 million. The new grant reflects the importance of inland waterways and provides a stable funding stream, gradually tapering each year, to support CRT as it delivers its long-standing objective of reducing reliance on public funding through developing alternative funding sources.
Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department issues dog walkers in periods of extreme cold.
Anyone who walks dogs is required to comply with the Animal Welfare Act 2006 which requires individuals in control of animals to protect them from unnecessary suffering, and to provide for their welfare needs. Welfare groups such as the RSCPA and Dogs Trust publish advice on their websites for dog walkers on how to keep dogs healthy and active during periods of cold weather.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has considered the potential merits of introducing mandatory labelling of meat products to indicate the method of slaughter.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 17 December 2025 to PQ UIN 99375.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to ensure that consumers are provided with sufficient information to make informed choices regarding the method of slaughter used in producing meat sold in UK supermarkets.
The Government expects industry to provide consumers with information on which to make an informed choice about their food. Any information provided on the method of slaughter must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of water infrastructure.
A record £104 billion of investment is planned for the water sector in the next investment cycle. This will provide the water supply and wastewater capacity to secure future water supplies, including nine new reservoirs and several large-scale water transfer schemes.
Food and Rural Affairs, what the total reservoir storage capacity in England (a) is in 2025 and (b) was in (i) 2020 and (ii) 2015.
The total capacity of reservoirs for all purposes in England, as per the public register of large raised reservoirs of over 25,000m3, which is managed by the Environment Agency.