Written questions by MacDonald.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to hold discussions with the devolved Administrations on supporting local authorities to transition away from the use of glyphosate-based herbicides in public spaces.

In March 2025, Defra, alongside the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, and the Northern Ireland Executive, published the UK Pesticides National Action Plan (NAP) 2025. The NAP sets out how we intend to increase the uptake of Integrated Pest Management (IPM) across all sectors, including in the amenity sector. Defra will continue to work with devolved administrations to encourage sustainable practices in public spaces.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of pesticide use in (a) urban and (b) public spaces on (i) public health and (ii) biodiversity.

The Government’s first priority with regard to pesticides is to ensure that they will not harm people or animal health or pose unacceptable effects to the environment. Pesticides are subject to strict regulation in Great Britain (GB), and a pesticide is only approved in GB on the basis that it will not cause harm to human or animal health, and that there are no unacceptable effects to the environment. A pesticide may only be placed on the market in GB if the product has been authorised by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), GB’s pesticide regulator. This only happens following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with her counterpart in the Scottish government on tackling plastic pollution affecting beaches in (a) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and (b) other areas.

Plastic pollution is one of the greatest environmental challenges that we face today – it litters our beaches, threatens wildlife and contributes towards climate change. The UK Government works closely with the Scottish Government on plastic pollution and beach litter is monitored across the UK under the UK Marine Strategy. Annual reports on UK beach litter are published online: Annual beach litter reports (2023) - ME4168. Monitoring data is also reported in line with our obligations under the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic and is used in the OSPAR beach litter assessment: Abundance, Composition and Trends of Beach Litter. UK Government and the Devolved Governments have taken action to address some of the most commonly-found beach litter items – for example, legislation to restrict the supply of certain single-use plastic items has been introduced across UK nations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of plastic pollution on beaches in (a) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and (b) other areas.

The UK Government funds the Marine Conservation Society to record litter from sections of our coast which helps us monitor the levels and trends of plastic pollution. The monitoring is undertaken in accordance with regionally-agreed protocols, and annual reports are published online: Annual beach litter reports (2023) - ME4168. Over the past six years, the total median litter count on UK beaches reveals a statistically significant downward trend, decreasing by 18.2 items/100m per year. Significant downward trends continue to be observed in several individual litter items, including those targeted by recent bans and consultations. Single-use plastics are significantly decreasing by 5.8 items/100m per year. The Department’s recently published Post Implementation Review (PIR) of the 2020 single use plastic bans and restrictions found evidence of reduced plastic litter on UK beaches, with plastic-stemmed cotton buds and straws showing significant declines. Cotton buds have dropped out of the UK’s top 10 most littered items in 2021 and reached their lowest levels in the Great British Beach Clean’s 28-year history.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of his policies for preventing plastic pollution on beaches in (a) Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency and (b) other coastal areas.

The UK Government funds the Marine Conservation Society to record litter from sections of our coast which helps us monitor the levels and trends of plastic pollution. The monitoring is undertaken in accordance with regionally-agreed protocols, and annual reports are published online: Annual beach litter reports (2023) - ME4168. Over the past six years, the total median litter count on UK beaches reveals a statistically significant downward trend, decreasing by 18.2 items/100m per year. Significant downward trends continue to be observed in several individual litter items, including those targeted by recent bans and consultations. Single-use plastics are significantly decreasing by 5.8 items/100m per year. The Department has also recently conducted and published a Post Implementation Review (PIR) on The Environmental Protection (Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds and Stirrers) (England) Regulations 2020. The review found these measures have contributed to reducing plastic pollution, with items such as plastic‑stemmed cotton buds moving out of the UK’s top 10 most littered item list in 2021.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure compliance with international agreements on reducing transboundary air pollution contributing to acid rain.

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is a Party to the UNECE Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution. We are fully compliant with our international commitments to reduce pollutants causing acid rain. The Government is committed to continuing cooperation with our neighbours to reduce transboundary air pollution and protect the public from the harm of pollution. The UK is playing an active role in ongoing negotiations to revise the 2012 amended Gothenburg Protocol, under the Convention.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of acid rain.

The most recent assessment of the trends in acid deposition was published in the Air Pollution Trends Report 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the causes of acid rain.

Ammonia, NOx and sulphur were the main acidifying pollutants deposited onto UK woodland in 2021. Defra has published guidance and advice through Catchment Sensitive Farming on practical actions farmers can take to reduce emissions. Grant support has also been provided to help farmers invest in equipment, such as low emission slurry spreaders, that will reduce ammonia emissions. The Government has legally binding targets under the National Emission Ceilings Regulations 2018 to reduce emissions of harmful air pollutants such as ammonia and nitrogen oxides that contribute to nitrogen deposition which can negatively impact biodiversity in sensitive habitats.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce (a) sulphur dioxide and (b) nitrogen oxide emissions from power generation.

Regulation of emissions of pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides is a devolved matter and the information provided relates to England only. A regulatory framework, the Environmental Permitting Regulations (England and Wales) 2016, controls pollution from industry, including power generation. Sites are required to obtain environmental permits and meet limits on emissions of air pollutants, including sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxide emissions, as set out in the Regulations. All large industrial facilities, including Large Combustion Plant, are regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) and must use best available techniques (BAT) to reduce emissions and report their emissions. The BAT approach ensures standards are enhanced over time by defining the available techniques which are the best for preventing or minimising emissions and impacts on the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what monitoring networks her Department supports to measure acid deposition.

The Precipitation Network (Precip-Net) measures the chemical composition of rainwater at 48 UK sites. Acid air pollutants measured include ammonium, nitrates and sulphates. More information can be found here. It is part of the umbrella UKEAP (UK Eutrophying and Acidifying Pollutants) Network which also measures airborne concentrations of pollutants that lead to acidification and nitrogen deposition.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support local authorities to prevent gulls nesting in urban areas; and whether she has had discussions with her counterparts in the devolved Administrations on this matter.

There are a range of legal methods that can be used to deter gulls to prevent or at least minimise problems in urban areas. Natural England has issued this guidance on managing wild birds using non-lethal measures. It has also piloted two organisational licences with Bath and Northeast Somerset Council; and Worcester Council for the purposes of urban gull management. It has invited and encouraged other councils to apply if they are experiencing gull issues and offered advice. Furthermore, Natural England colleagues have spoken directly to local authorities and presented to council environmental health officers through webinars hosted by the Chartered Institute of Environmental Health. While current Defra Ministers have not held discussions with counterparts in the devolved Governments on this matter, a Natural England representative attended the recent Scottish ‘Gull Summit’ to share learning on how Natural England is working with local authorities on managing gulls and providing licensing support.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of issuing guidance to local authorities on non-lethal deterrents for managing urban gull populations that comply with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

Natural England has previously issued this guidance on managing wild birds using non-lethal measures. Neither Defra nor Natural England has assessed the merits of developing further targeted guidance for local authorities on this matter but we understand that NatureScot has recently updated its guidance and published data on the impacts of licensed activity on gull populations in Scotland. Natural England has also, this year, commenced a project on large gull management at the regional and national scale regarding both urban and rural gull populations.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her Scottish counterpart on the potential impact of plastic pollution on beaches in (a) the UK, (b) Scotland and (c) Inverness, Skye and West Ross Shire constituency.

Plastic pollution is one of the greatest environmental challenges that we face today – it litters our beaches, threatens wildlife and contributes towards climate change. The UK Government works closely with the Scottish Government on plastic pollution and beach litter is monitored across the UK under the UK Marine Strategy. Annual reports on UK beach litter are published online: Annual beach litter reports (2023) - ME4168. Monitoring data is also reported in line with our obligations under the OSPAR Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North East Atlantic and is used in the OSPAR beach litter assessment: Abundance, Composition and Trends of Beach Litter. UK Government and the Devolved Governments have taken action to address some of the most commonly-found beach litter items – for example, legislation to restrict the supply of certain single-use plastic items has been introduced across UK nations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to collect data on livestock losses attributable to white-tailed eagle predation.

A formal reintroduction of white-tailed eagles on the Isle of Wight has released 45 birds, since 2019. All the eagles in southern England are fitted with GPS tags, collecting high resolution data of their movements. Detailed diet monitoring has revealed no livestock losses related to the eagles, with fish and waterbirds identified as the most important components of their diet.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide funding to support farmers for non-lethal mitigation measures for white-tailed eagle predation.

The Government has no plans to provide funding to support farmers for non-lethal mitigation measures for white-tailed eagle predation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the impact of white-tailed eagle predation on livestock.

The Government has not discussed the impact of white-tailed eagle predation on livestock with the Scottish Government.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public (a) health and (b) safety.

The two large gull species frequently seen in urban areas are the lesser black-backed gull and herring gull. There is a long term decline in the breeding population of both, which is most acute in coastal, rural areas. At the same time as this decline, and notwithstanding that populations of these birds in towns and cities are problematic to estimate, urban populations may have increased in recent years. Defra has not made a recent assessment of the potential impact of trends in the level of urban gull populations on public health and safety. All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. The law allows for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of (a) urban littering and (b) waste management on the behaviour of gull populations.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government has not made a recent national assessment on the potential impact of urban littering and waste management on the behaviour of gull populations. The effective management of litter and waste are matters for local authorities in the areas in which they occur. All wild birds in England, including gulls, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and only in exceptional cases does the law allow for certain exemptions to this protection, such as to preserve public health and safety.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on whether ash from biomass burned at the Drax power station is (a) spread on agricultural land, (b) used in cement production or (c) sent to landfill.

Of the 300,000 tonnes of biomass ash produced in 2024, ca 65,000 tonnes (22%) was used in the cement industry with the remainder being landfilled.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme on the natural environment in Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.

Agriculture is a devolved policy area, and the Sustainable Farming Incentive is an England-only scheme. There is therefore no impact on farmers in the Inverness, Skye and West Ross-shire constituency.