Every parliamentary written question tabled by Angus MacDonald this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 41–60 of 112 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the closure of the Sustainable Farming Incentive Scheme on farmers 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.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that ash produced from the burning of wood pellets is disposed of in a manner that is safe for (a) the environment and (b) public health.
Drax power station is regulated by the Environment Agency (EA) under the conditions of its environmental permit and is required to operate in such a way as to minimise the risk of pollution. Ash generated at Drax Power Station is sent to the adjacent Barlow Mound landfill for disposal. Barlow Mound landfill is for ash and other specified wastes from Drax and is regulated under a separate environmental permit and includes controls to monitor and minimise the impact on the environment. This includes monitoring to assess potential impacts to both surface and groundwater around the site. For public health the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) is a consultee for Environmental Permitting decisions made by the EA in relation to sites such as power stations.
Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the total quantity of ash produced annually from the burning of biomass at the Drax power station.
The quantities of various waste streams produced at Drax are required to be reported to the Environment Agency using the national Pollution Inventory system. For 2024 the figure for ash from biomass was just over 300,000 tonnes.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting restrictions similar to those in Switzerland on the spreading of biomass ash on fields.
Defra has not made an assessment of the potential merits of adopting restrictions similar to those in Switzerland on the spreading of biomass ash on fields. Waste and agriculture are devolved policy areas, so this response only covers England. In England you can spread waste to land to improve soil health. This can help reduce the need to use manufactured fertilisers and quarried soil conditioners. Spreading waste to land must be controlled by an environmental permit, regulatory position statement, low risk waste position or waste exemption to protect the environment and human health. It must result in agricultural benefit or ecological improvement, and be waste recovery, not waste disposal.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department requires operators of biomass power stations to publish annual data on the quantity and composition of ash produced.
All installations permitted under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016 are required to supply pollution inventory data annually. For biomass power stations, this includes the amount of ash produced, but not it’s composition. Pollution Inventory data is published after it has been verified by the Environment Agency. Pollution Inventory data can be found here: Pollution Inventory - data.gov.uk.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of mandatory animal welfare labelling for products from pasture-fed livestock on (a) farmers and (b) consumers.
On 12 June 2025, we published the summary of responses and the Government response to the fairer food labelling consultation, which was undertaken last year by the previous government. The response is available here on GOV.UK. We will consider the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s animal welfare strategy.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage the uptake of (a) outdoor farrowing and (b) other higher welfare rearing systems for pigs.
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving the lives of farm animals and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway supports farmers to improve the health and welfare of their livestock through funded vet visits as well as targeted grants such as the Animal Health & Welfare Farming Equipment and Technology Fund (FETF25). The FETF provides grants to farmers, including pig keepers, of between £1,000 and £25,000 towards the cost of a list of equipment items that deliver improvements in the health and welfare of their animals. The item list includes kit specifically intended to improve and upgrade pig housing such as outdoor farrowing arks, automatic curtain systems and LED lighting. This follows the FETF24 offer in which funding for over 800 farrowing arks was claimed by pig keepers. We continue to work with industry as part of the Pathway to encourage improvements in pig welfare.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with devolved Administrations on the consistency of on-farm animal welfare inspections across the United Kingdom.
Animal welfare is a devolved matter in the UK. This means that responsibility for animal welfare policy in the individual nations is the responsibility of the relevant nations’ Ministers. However, Defra works closely with the devolved Governments on a range of shared priorities and will discuss any relevant matters as necessary such as animal welfare inspections.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations on greyhound welfare in the racing industry.
The Government regards greyhound racing as a well-regulated sport. The welfare of racing greyhounds in England is covered by the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Racing Greyhounds Regulations 2010 (the 2010 Regulations). The 2010 Regulations include a number of welfare requirements, such as requiring all greyhound tracks to have a veterinary surgeon in attendance to ensure that every greyhound is fit to run. In addition to these statutory protections, the sport’s main regulatory body – the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) enforces welfare standards (including those in the 2010 Regulations) at GBGB affiliated tracks, as well as at GBGB licensed trainers’ kennels. Independent, external oversight of GBGB’s regulatory work at tracks and trainers’ kennels is provided by the UK’s National Accreditation Body - the United Kingdom Accreditation Service (UKAS).
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the potential impact of climate-related events on household costs in the next five years.
The third Climate Change Risk Assessment (CCRA) was published in 2022 and sets out 61 climate risks and opportunities to the UK up to the year 2100. These risks cover a range of sectors that impact household costs, such as risks to our energy infrastructure, risks from flooding, and risks to agriculture and supply chains. The Government’s fourth CCRA is due in 2027. It will be informed by the Climate Change Committee’s Independent Assessment (CCRA4-IA) Technical Report, which will consider climate risks to household finances. The Government will set out the actions it will take to address the most recent assessment of climate risks from CCRA4 in the fourth National Adaptation Programme in 2028.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Greyhound Board of Great Britain on (a) injury and (b) fatality rates among racing greyhounds.
Each year since 2018 the Greyhound Board of Great Britain (GBGB) has published the sport’s annual injury, fatality and retirement statistics from GBGB affiliated tracks and trainers. This data is published online at https://www.gbgb.org.uk/welfare-care/injury-and-retirement-data/ GBGB wrote to Baroness Hayman of Ullock on 25 June with the sport’s annual injury, fatality and retirement statistics for 2024. The Greyhound Forum, of which Defra officials and GBGB are members, discussed the 2024 figures during the June 2025 meeting of the Forum.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with (a) Blue Cross and (b) other animal welfare organisations on (i) greyhound welfare and (ii) the regulation of greyhound racing.
This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department is engaging with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more details on this in due course.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent estimate he has made of the of puffins in the UK; and if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of trends in the number of puffins on ecology within the UK.
Defra provides funding through JNCC to the UK-wide Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP), and the JNCC-led Seabirds Count census which provide UK-wide monitoring for seabirds, including puffins. The results are publicly available and will inform future conservation actions. The most recent Seabirds Count census (2023) counted 474,679 pairs of puffins. Where comparable data were available, they indicated declines of 23% since 2000, reinforcing the importance of collaboration on seabird conservation. The devolved Governments are implementing their respective seabird conservation strategies, so we continue to work together to coordinate action and data sharing.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to work with devolved Administrations to improve the sharing of data on curlew (a) ecology and (b) population health.
Data on UK-wide curlew ecology and population health is primarily gathered and shared through the British Bird Survey (BBS) and the Birds of Conservation Concern (BoCC) review. The BBS is the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s common and widespread breeding birds to include the curlew. This publication presents trends for breeding bird populations in the UK and for each UK country, showing change in population between 1994 and 2024. UK and country-level trends are also reported for more recent shorter time periods (1-year, 5-year, and 10-year). The BoCC review is compiled by a coalition of the UK’s leading bird conservation and monitoring organisations and reviews the status of all regularly occurring birds in the UK, Channel Islands and Isle of Man. The bird species that breed or overwinter, to include the curlew, have been assessed against a set of objective criteria and placed on the Green, Amber or Red lists to indicate an increasing level of conservation concern. Curlew is red-listed in the latest BoCC.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is providing funding for research into puffin conservation.
Defra provides funding through JNCC to the UK-wide Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP), and the JNCC-led Seabirds Count census which provide UK-wide monitoring for seabirds, including puffins. The results are publicly available and will inform future conservation actions. The most recent Seabirds Count census (2023) counted 474,679 pairs of puffins. Where comparable data were available, they indicated declines of 23% since 2000, reinforcing the importance of collaboration on seabird conservation. The devolved Governments are implementing their respective seabird conservation strategies, so we continue to work together to coordinate action and data sharing.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps with the devolved Administrations to improve the sharing of data on puffin (a) ecology and (b) population health.
Defra provides funding through JNCC to the UK-wide Seabird Monitoring Programme (SMP), and the JNCC-led Seabirds Count census which provide UK-wide monitoring for seabirds, including puffins. The results are publicly available and will inform future conservation actions. The most recent Seabirds Count census (2023) counted 474,679 pairs of puffins. Where comparable data were available, they indicated declines of 23% since 2000, reinforcing the importance of collaboration on seabird conservation. The devolved Governments are implementing their respective seabird conservation strategies, so we continue to work together to coordinate action and data sharing.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is providing funding for UK-wide research into curlew conservation.
The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the main scheme for monitoring the population changes of the UK’s breeding birds to include curlew. The BBS is a partnership jointly funded by the British Trust for Ornithology, the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). In England, Natural England’s (NE) bird research is primarily funded via its Species Recovery Programme (SRP), with more SRP funding allocated to curlew than to any other single bird species. Through SRP, NE have funded two key projects, both of which are working to increase understanding and implement conservation measures to benefit curlews. In addition, the Curlew Recovery Partnership aims to provide co-ordination and support to those engaged in curlew conservation in England. The Partnership was set up with financial support from Defra.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with the devolved Administrations on coordinated approaches to monitoring curlew populations.
The Secretary of State has not had discussions with the Devolved Administrations on a coordinated approach to monitor curlew populations. The UK curlew population is monitored under the British Trust for Ornithology’s (BTO) Breeding Bird Survey (BBS), an annual monitoring scheme jointly funded by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, BTO and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds. Population trends for curlew are generated at UK, country and regional levels and shared publicly in an annual report.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the (a) population status and (b) ecological role of curlews.
The Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) is the main scheme for assessing the population changes of the UK’s breeding birds. This publication presents trends for breeding bird populations in the UK and for each UK country, showing population changes. The latest Breeding Bird Survey (BTO-JNCC-RSPB BBS Report 2024) shows a 51% decline in the UK’s curlew breeding population between 1995 and 2023. The latest review of Birds of Conservation Concern (bocc-5-a5-4pp-single-pages.pdf) assessed those bird species that breed or overwinter in the UK. This review, compiled by a coalition of the UK’s leading bird conservation and monitoring organisations, placed the curlew on the red list due to severe population declines. Curlew fulfil several ecological roles, to include biodiversity indicator, invertebrate control, and ecosystem engineer. Beyond their ecological importance, curlew are also an important part of the cultural landscape of the UK.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing minimum public safety requirements for beekeepers operating near (a) residential and (b) publicly accessible land.
Defra provides guidance to beekeepers advising that apiaries should be sited away from neighbours, footpaths or public areas to minimise the risk of members of the public being stung. Beekeeping groups also encourage beekeepers to work with their bees in such a way that risks to the general public are kept to a minimum.