Written questions by Gelderd.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to resolve delays in payments under the Sustainable Farming Incentive due to designated site complications such as underlying archaeology.

The Rural Payments Agency are working at pace with customers to resolve those agreements identified where herbal lays have been applied to land containing historic features which impacted their eligibility. With over 85% of these payments now been released, we are continuing to work with the affected customers to ensure any remaining payments due are made as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of the enforcement of environmental protections on Sites of Special Scientific Interest in rural coastal areas; and what steps he is taking to help ensure timely investigation of alleged breaches of statutory protections on such sites.

Natural England works with Defra to highlight any gaps in the regulatory and enforcement regime for protected sites. Natural England has a suite of regulatory remedies and enforcement sanctions (including civil and criminal) to address issues on protected sites. The aim is always to seek the prevention or remedy of harm and to ensure future compliance. This means that Natural England often seeks to achieve a voluntary agreement but where that cannot be achieved, or where the harm is very significant, Natural England acts swiftly using its regulatory or enforcement powers to remedy the situation. The Corry Review of Defra’s regulatory landscape (April 2025) identified challenges in the effectiveness and consistency of environmental enforcement. Defra has committed to a programme of reforms to strengthen compliance and improve outcomes on the ground.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to review the guidance provided to land managers of designated (a) heritage and (b) conservation sites in relation to balancing (i) agricultural use, (ii) environmental protection and (iii) public access rights.

There are a range of heritage and conservation site designations in England affording high levels of protection. Guidance for these designations is continually reviewed to ensure it balances priorities for food production, nature recovery and access to nature.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many inspections Natural England has conducted on Sites of Special Scientific Interest in Cornwall in each of the last five years; and what the average response time is for investigating reported concerns about land management on those sites.

Natural England does not carry out ‘inspections’ on SSSIs but undertakes condition assessments on SSSIs. These allow NE to identify changes in the condition of site features and identify any concerns about site management. The Rural Payments Agency undertakes compliance inspections for agri-environment schemes including those covering SSSIs and will alert Natural England of any issues identified by their inspections. Investigation response times vary depending on the risk and significance of the negative impact on the SSSI. For example, in a case of damage to a SSSI grassland caused by overgrazing Natural England will contact the land manager immediately and seek a voluntary solution. If a voluntary solution cannot be agreed Natural England will look to serve a stop notice to prevent further damage and allow further investigation.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to amend the (a) Commons Act 2006 and (b) related legislation to (i) introduce a mandatory requirement for formal public consultation on proposals to undertake works on common land, (ii) require the provision of equivalent exchange land when common land is deregistered and (iii) review restrictions in section 16 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013 on the right to register land as a (A) town and (B) village green.

The Department currently has no plans to amend the Commons Act 2006 or related legislation.A requirement for formal public consultation on proposals to carry out works on common land is already in place. Under section 38 of the Commons Act 2006, consent is required for any works that would impede access or alter the character of common land. Applicants are expected to consult interested parties—including landowners, commoners, parish and district councils, Natural England, and the Open Spaces Society—and to publish notices both locally and on site. The requirement to provide equivalent exchange land when common land is deregistered is also well established. Section 16 of the Commons Act 2006 requires applicants to offer suitable exchange land where the deregistered area exceeds 200 square metres.We have no plans to review the restrictions introduced by section 16 of the Growth and Infrastructure Act 2013.Further information on carrying out works on common land is available here on GOV.UK: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/carrying-out-works-on-common-land.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support community-led models of food (a) production and (b) distribution in rural areas.

Food security is national security. The Good Food Cycle, the UK government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK. A resilient and healthy food system requires a whole-of-society approach – one that is centered on people and community and that addresses food insecurity and resilience in both rural and urban areas, so everyone has access to more healthy and sustainable food. The food strategy will also explore where we can go further, including community led food production and distribution, to create and promote a vibrant food culture at national, regional and local level. We will set out more detail as the work progresses.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) advocate for improved international protections for salmon through the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation and (b) support local hatcheries to aid salmon population recovery.

The UK is a committed member of the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO), which seeks to reverse the decline of wild Atlantic salmon and recover populations to healthy and resilient levels across their range. The UK hosted NASCO’s 2025 annual meeting in Cardiff, earlier this year, at which parties agreed to develop ambitious new salmon action plans to contribute to the recovery of salmon populations. In the first half of 2026 NASCO will host negotiations to develop a new regulatory measure for the West Greenland land fishery, which the UK will participate in. In 2024 NASCO published new guidelines for stocking Atlantic salmon. In England, all stocking activity is regulated by the Environment Agency, who take a case-by-case approach, with reference to the NASCO guidelines.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help prevent decline in Atlantic salmon populations in (a) the River Lynher and (b) other rivers in the South West (i) in general and (ii) by commercial mackerel fishing vessels inadvertently catching salmon smolts.

The Environment Agency (EA) manages salmon fisheries in England. They use a combination of local and national Byelaws and Net Limitation Orders to prevent commercial salmon fishing and to minimise recreational pressures on salmon. For the South West, this includes protections on 13 principal salmon rivers; the Hampshire Avon, Frome, Exe, Teign, Dart, Tavy, Tamar, Lynher, Fowey, Camel, Taw, Torridge, and Lyn and on 20 recovering salmon rivers; the Allen, Avill, Blakeney Brook, Bristol Avon, Brit, Doniford, Fal, Harbourne, Heddon, Lerryn, Looe, Meon, Otter, Par, Parrett, Porth, Seaton, Sid, Valency and Washford. In 2023, anglers reported releasing 95% of salmon caught, across England and Wales. Additionally, the EA works collaboratively with many local organisations to implement other environmental improvement actions that benefit salmon within the River Lynher and neighbouring catchments. Defra is working with the North Atlantic Salmon Conservation Organisation (NASCO) to better understand the risk of salmon bycatch in commercial pelagic fisheries, including mackerel fisheries.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance he plans to issue on sufficient sorting requirements for material recovery facilities to follow.

Defra does not plan to issue specific guidance on sorting requirements for Material Recovery Facilities (MRFs). Simpler Recycling requires the following recyclable waste streams from all households and workplaces in England: glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste (and garden waste from households only). These measures will increase the quantity of dry recyclable material collected for sorting at MRFS and will apply from 31st March 2025 from workplaces, 31st March 2026 from households and 31st March 2027 from micro-firms (with less than 10 FTEs. Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support Material Recovery Facility (MRF) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements. We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities through WRAP’s MRF Forum to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment, upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling. WRAP is developing interventions to support Local Authorities setting up new MRF contracts or procurement of other resources associated with implementation of Simpler Recycling requirements. An assessment is being undertaken of the potential future composition of dry mixed recyclable waste streams and the associated financial implications resulting from this.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department plans to provide to local authorities and material recovery facilities to ensure sorting and recycling infrastructure can be upgraded so it is consistent.

Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support Material Recovery Facility (MRF) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements. Simpler Recycling requires the following recyclable waste streams from all households and workplaces in England: glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste (and garden waste from households only). These measures will increase the quantity of dry recyclable material collected for sorting at MRFs and is a requirement from 31 March 2025 from workplaces, 31 March 2026 from households and 31 March 2027 from micro-firms (with less than 10 FTEs). We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities through WRAP’s MRF Forum to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment, upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling. WRAP is developing interventions to support Local Authorities setting up new MRF contracts or procurement of other resources associated with implementation of Simpler Recycling requirements. An assessment is being undertaken of the potential future composition of dry mixed recyclable waste streams and the associated financial implications resulting from this. The MRF operators who are engaged with us are aware of their obligations and are working hard to upgrade their facilities to ensure they can separate the target materials as required by Simpler Recycling.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of (a) Tamar Grow Local Community Interest Company and (b) similar organisations on (i) improving local food security, (ii) supporting small-scale farmers and (iii) reducing environmental impact in South East Cornwall constituency.

We are currently exploring a new farming and countryside local advice and collaboration offer. This aims to support farmers and land managers to work together to improve business resilience and deliver environmental outcomes. We are looking at a variety of potential delivery partners and with existing farming collaboration groups to understand what works best.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to increase protections for (a) ancient and (b) veteran trees.

As the criminal case for the Sycamore Gap tree has shown, our judicial system takes illegal tree felling seriously: those that cause illegal damage will be held to account. In addition, our most important trees, those of ancient and veteran status, are considered irreplaceable habitats and protected in planning policy. Local authorities may also grant specific protections on individual trees of high value through Tree Preservation Orders.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing performance standards for material recovery facilities to ensure purity of all material bales.

Simpler Recycling requires the following recyclable waste streams from all households and workplaces in England: glass, metal, plastic, paper and card, food waste (and garden waste from households only). These measures will increase the quantity of dry recyclable material collected for sorting at MRFs and will apply from 31st March 2025 from workplaces, 31 March 2026 from households and 31st March 2027 from micro-firms (with less than 10 FTEs). There are existing requirements on material recovery facilities (MRFs) to report the reject rates at each facility in Waste Data Flow question 100 and to undertake composition sampling on material received and report this to the Environment Agency via the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2023. Defra is working with WRAP (Waste and Resources Action Programme) and waste industry representatives to support Material Recovery Facility (MRF) readiness for the Simpler Recycling requirements. We have engaged with MRF operators and local authorities through WRAP’s MRF Forum to identify challenges with MRF capacity, investment, upgrade timelines, and to work with the sector to identify interventions to support MRFs as they prepare for Simpler Recycling. WRAP is developing interventions to support Local Authorities with setting up new MRF contracts, determine the potential future composition of dry mixed recyclable waste streams and the associated financial implications. I have instructed my officials to develop further policy options to drive long-term improvement to Local Authority performance, including on potential approaches to improving quality which will support the UK reprocessing sector.

Foot and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of compliance with conservation obligations on scheduled monuments located within agricultural land; and what steps he is taking to ensure that land management practices are compatible with heritage protection legislation.

Scheduled Monuments are protected via the Ancient Monuments and Archaeological Areas Act 1979. Since 2013, positive management of Scheduled Monuments located within agricultural land, promoted through Defra’s agri-environment schemes, has helped to remove approximately 700 from Historic England's Heritage at Risk Register. Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier has measures to support such practices, further information is available at Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of facilities in public disabled toilets to meet the needs of stoma care users.

The Government oversees policy and legislation with respect to the safe management of waste and litter as well as the protection of drains and sewers. This however does not extend to compelling or explicitly encouraging local authorities with regard to types of waste receptacles or their placement. These decisions are for local authorities to make.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to improve bilingual provision in (a) Cornish and (b) English in agricultural (i) guidance and (ii) communications for farmers in Cornwall.

Cornish is not currently a legally recognised formal language under UK law. Any translations or bilingual materials would be a matter of voluntary policy or local practice. Language service needs and spend are assessed to ensure these services offer good value for money for taxpayers while maintaining high standards of service delivery.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help prevent the spread of (a) bee pests and (b) diseases linked to the importation of non-native honey bee strains.

Apis mellifera also known as the Western honey bee is native to Europe. All consignments of honey bees (Apis mellifera) imported into the UK must be accompanied by health certificates confirming that the area the bees originated from is free of certain pests and diseases. The health certificate must be issued no more than 24 hours prior to dispatch and the certifying officer must also confirm that a pre-export inspection took place.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 on (a) small-scale and (b) hill farmers in South East Cornwall constituency.

The Department has made no specific assessment of the impact of the Sheep Carcase (Classification and Price Reporting) (England) Regulations 2025 on small scale and hill farmers in South East Cornwall. The mandating of sheep carcase classification and price reporting will create a more transparent, productive and efficient sheep market across the UK. It will encourage producers to improve productivity and to rear sheep to better meet market specifications and consumer demand, bringing the sector in line with the beef and pig sectors. Carcases will be assessed against a consistent grading and pricing system rewarding producers for the quality of lambs being sent for slaughter. The regulations will be applicable to abattoirs with a throughput of at least 2,000 sheep per week. Abattoirs processing 1,000 to 1999 sheep per week are able to opt into the mandatory scheme. The weekly throughput of 2,000 sheep per week will exempt smaller abattoirs from the scheme so that we do not place additional regulatory and administrative burdens on them.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support (a) native and (b) varroa-tolerant bee breeding programmes in England.

Developing varroa-tolerant bees through selective breeding is likely to be very difficult as it requires geographic isolation or artificial insemination to preserve the resistance traits being selected for, as well as large numbers of colonies to ensure that the resulting strains maintain good genetic diversity. There is advice for beekeepers about how to manage Varroa and queen rearing on BeeBase, the website managed by the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on meeting the good environmental status indicators set out in the report entitled Marine Strategy Part One, published in October 2019.

The Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published a UK-wide consultation on 20 June this year, which details the latest assessment on the state of UK seas and progress toward Good Environmental Status. This follows publication of the updated UK Marine Strategy Programme of Measures in January this year, which sets out measures for achieving GES.