Written questions by Snowden.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to reform water sector regulation to help tackle (a) water pollution, (b) water scarcity and (c) long-term infrastructure resilience.

The Government will respond to the recommendations in full via a White Paper, published later this year. The White Paper will outline the Government’s vision for the future of the water sector, marking the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation. Following this there will be a new water reform bill, which we will introduce during this Parliament, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, and the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the recommendations of the Cunliffe Review of the water regulatory system.

The Government will respond to the recommendations in full via a White Paper, published later this year. The White Paper will outline the Government’s vision for the future of the water sector, marking the most fundamental reset to our water system in a generation. Following this there will be a new water reform bill, which we will introduce during this Parliament, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, and the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's press notice entitled Government steps in to build first major reservoirs in 30 years, published on 29 May 2025. what progress she has made on building (a) nine new reservoirs and (b) upgrading water infrastructure to reduce leakage.

The Price Review 2024 will deliver substantial, lasting, improvements through a £104bn upgrade for the water sector. The highest level of investment in the water sector since privatisation, this investment will be crucial to deliver the improvements required. The Government’s Water Delivery Taskforce is working across Government, the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) and water industry stakeholders to deliver planned water infrastructure that is essential to growth. Water companies are aiming to deliver approximately 10.4 million smart meters over 2025-30. The rollout will enable water companies to reduce leakage, helping them meet their commitment to deliver a 50% reduction in leakage from 2017-2018 levels by 2050 and reduce overall water consumption.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many vehicles were (a) seized and (b) crushed for fly-tipping offences in (i) Fylde, (ii) Lancashire, and (iii) England in the last 12 months.

Local authorities in England are required to report fly-tipping enforcement actions, including vehicles seized, to Defra, which are published annually here. This data is not available at a constituency level and does not include information on what happened to the vehicle after it was seized. Data for the 2024/25 reporting year is still being collected. In the last 12 months no vehicles have been seized in relation to waste crime offences by the Environment Agency within Fylde or Lancashire. The last vehicle seizure in Lancashire was October 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to provide an answer to Question 87476 on Pets: Shops.

A response was published to Question 87476 on Tuesday 18 November here: PQ 87476.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of local authorities currently use digital waste tracking services.

The Digital Waste Tracking Service goes live from April 2026 for waste receivers, with requirements to digitally track waste received becoming mandatory in October 2026. Waste operators currently use multiple systems – some paper based and others digital - to collect certain elements of waste tracking data. By introducing digital waste tracking, data will be collected centrally in near real time, making it much more difficult for rogue operators to compete in the industry and commit waste crime. As part of our user research, it has been shown that the large majority of local authority waste disposal and waste collection authorities use third party contractors to manage waste in their areas, even if they are the holder of the environmental permit. As such it is difficult to quantify the number of local authorities that currently run their services in-house. From April 2027, subject to funding, Digital Waste Tracking will onboard other waste operators including carriers which will provide an end to end view of how waste moves through the system.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of prolonged dry weather on wildlife and natural habitats in (a) Fylde and (b) Lancashire.

Following the prolonged dry weather incident of 2025 the Environment Agency (EA) responded to numerous dry weather-related environmental incidents. These included incidents in: a) FyldeThe Fisheries Operations Team carried out a fish rescue at a pond near Larkholme in May, following reports of fish mortalities. b) wider LancashireThe EA attended multiple reports of fish in distress / mortalities, algal blooms and low water levels in the Leeds Liverpool canal. Fish rescues were carried out (where necessary) along with advice and guidance to fishery owners. Following the driest February to April since 1929, most drought reported incidents were confined to April and May. Intermittent rainfall from May onwards helped reduce environmental impacts, with the EA responding to just one dry weather incident in July in Lancashire.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential risk to the health of birds from avian influenza (H5N1) in Fylde constituency.

The risk of HPAI H5 in wild birds in Great Britain has recently escalated from high to very high (event occurs almost certainly). The risk of poultry exposure to HPAI H5 in Great Britain is assessed as very high (event occurs almost certainly) where there is suboptimal or poor biosecurity and Medium (event occurs regularly) where stringent biosecurity is consistently applied at all times. All exotic disease control and prevention measures are kept under regular review as part of the Government’s work to monitor and manage the risks of exotic disease.Risk levels are being kept under regular review. Avian Influenza Prevention Zone (AIPZ) mandating enhanced biosecurity and, for keepers of over 50 birds, housing is in force across the whole of England, including the Flyde constituency - to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of the disease.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to encourage (a) dog breeders to undertake health testing before breeding puppies and (b) responsible dog acquisition.

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, licensed breeders are prohibited from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies. Under the statutory guidance, the licenced dog breeder must make sure that the purchaser is informed of the age, sex and veterinary record of the dog being sold, and that a puppy may only be shown to a prospective purchaser if it is together with its biological mother. In addition, Defra supports the sector’s Puppy Contract for responsible puppy breeding and buying. As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent meetings she has had with (a) animal welfare groups and (b) (i) veterinary and (ii) training organisations on the use of electric shock collars on pet dogs.

DEFRA regularly engage with a wide range of stakeholders on animal welfare issues.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has provided to local authorities on the investigation of injuries sustained by companion animals during commercial grooming appointments.

The Department has not provided any guidance to local authorities on the investigation of injuries sustained by companion animals during commercial grooming appointments. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 anyone in control of animals must protect them from suffering and provide for their welfare needs. These requirements apply to anyone operating a dog grooming business. Under the Act, local authorities have powers to investigate allegations of cruelty, poor welfare, or neglect of animals.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help ensure that grooming services offered by pet retail chains are subject to adequate (a) welfare standards and (b) inspection regimes.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 (the 2006 Act) anyone who has control of animals must protect them from suffering and provide for their welfare needs. These requirements apply to anyone operating a dog grooming business. Failing to comply with the 2006 Act is punishable by imprisonment, an unlimited fine or both. The Canine and Feline Sector Group (CFSG), comprised of leading national animal welfare charities, veterinary and trade associations and other expert organisations has recently published a code of practice to assist for dog and cat groomers which can be found here.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Fruit and Vegetable Scheme on producers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

The Government is committed to our horticulture sector and the vital role it plays in strengthening food security by ensuring a reliable and sustainable supply of fresh home-grown produce. The Fruit and Vegetable Scheme Aid Scheme is an EU legacy scheme, and we will not be continuing that model of support in England when it ends on 31 December 2025. Future funding for the sector will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. The Good Food Cycle, published as part of our food strategy gives the food sector a blueprint for an economically successful and innovative domestic food sector, including horticulture. It will work alongside the Farming Roadmap, the Land Use Framework, the Circular Economy Strategy and the Environmental Improvement Plan to deliver a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports farmers, growers and food producers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the suspension of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on farmers in (a) Fylde constituency and (b) Lancashire.

We do not produce constituency level assessments. We publish regular statistics on Farm Business Income broken down in various ways. The latest data currently available are for 2023/24, 2024/25 data will be published on the 20 November 2025. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development. Across England, 50,000 farm businesses are already in agri-environmental schemes.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to increase funding for coastal clean-up and restoration projects.

The Government has supported schemes to clean up marine litter, such as Fishing For Litter and similar local schemes. Fishing For Litter is a voluntary, unpaid litter bycatch removal scheme by commercial fishermen, run by KIMO, which provides fishing boats with bags to dispose of marine-sourced litter collected during normal fishing operations. Defra has provided £2.5 million of investment in the Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative since 2024 through the Water Environment Improvement Fund. ReMeMaRe, led by the Environment Agency, aims to restore 15% of saltmarsh, seagrass and native oyster reefs in England by 2043. Defra is also providing £168,000 funding this financial year for the ReMeMaRe Programme Office which is supporting local partners to significantly increase the scale and pace of practical estuarine and coastal habitat restoration in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many incidents of untreated sewage discharge into coastal waters in Lancashire were reported in each of the last five years.

Analysis of Event Duration Monitoring summary spill data is publicly available on GOV.UK. The EA routinely monitors this data to assess compliance with permits, and where non-compliances are identified the EA takes appropriate enforcement action.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the quality of coastal waters around England.

Defra assessed the quality of coastal waters around England in 2024, publishing these assessments as part of the UK Marine Strategy Part One Update and good environmental status consultation in June 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many instances of water quality breaches have been reported by water suppliers in Lancashire in the last 12 months.

The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not compile water quality breach data by county. The figures provided relate to United Utilities' operations across its entire supply area, which serves Lancashire and the wider Northwest region. In the 12-month period from Q4 2024 to August 2025, there were 107 water quality breaches reported by United Utilities, which is the water supplier serving Lancashire. This data is reported as of 24 October 2025 and is subject to change as new data is reported. These figures are not yet final, as water companies have one month following a breach to investigate the cause and rectify any issues before completing their compliance reports. Data for September and October 2025 is not yet available. The Drinking Water Inspectorate does not compile water quality breach data by county. The figures provided relate to United Utilities' operations across its entire supply area, which serves Lancashire and the wider Northwest region.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure funds raised through Extended Producer Responsibility are used by local authorities on advanced recycling infrastructure.

The Government has implemented robust measures within the packaging Extended Producer Responsibility scheme to ensure that funds raised are directed by local authorities towards recycling infrastructure. I have instructed PackUK to use regulatory powers to recover monies from local authorities in England where these funds have not been spent on packaging waste management services.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of rent increases in agricultural tenancies on UK food production; and what support the Government is offering tenant farmers.

Defra monitors farm rents in England annually and the most recent farm rents data publication shows changes in farm rents per hectare vary according to the type of tenancy agreement, type of farmland and by location. A range of economic factors can affect UK food production including output prices, input costs, global trade, market demand and public support policies. Schemes delivered under the farming budget are open to tenants to help them produce food and also deliver environmental benefits. The Government has appointed a Commissioner for the Tenant Farming Sector to support collaborative relationships across the tenanted sector.