Every parliamentary written question tabled by Edward Morello this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 61–80 of 315 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of releasing details of the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive offer after June 2026 on farmers’ ability to apply.
We will provide more detail on the new SFI offer at the NFU Conference in February ahead of publishing the full scheme details before the first application window opens in June.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of recent planning exemptions for campsites on protected landscapes in West Dorset.
The department has not made an assessment of the potential impact of recent planning exemptions for campsites on Protected Landscapes in West Dorset. However, we are committed to working with local partners and Protected Landscapes organisations to understand how planning measures can protect the unique landscape and natural assets of these areas, while supporting sustainable tourism and rural economic growth.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made representations to Ofwat regarding the requirement for third-party customers to be given opt-out rights from seasonal tariff trials.
The Government supports the innovative approaches being taken to seasonal tariffs aiming to make bills more affordable and is engaging with industry leaders to drive further progress. Ofwat called on companies to conduct charging trials, such as seasonal tariffs, aimed at supporting affordability and other sustainability goals such as reducing demand and have amended their charging rules to make it easier to conduct trials. Companies can design their charges to provide benefits and incentives in a range of ways. Ofwat regulates charging trials by requiring companies to set fair charges for all customers, and ensure all trials are consistent with good practice principles. There are several trials taking place, or planned, across all companies between now and 2030. These trials could benefit consumers by making water bills more affordable for more households. Companies must consult with the Consumer Council for Water in developing their trials to ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place ensuring vulnerable consumers are adequately protected or excluded from the trials.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Ofwat on the treatment of third-party water users where the account holder is not the end user, in relation to tariff trials operated by water companies.
The Government supports the innovative approaches being taken to seasonal tariffs aiming to make bills more affordable and is engaging with industry leaders to drive further progress. Ofwat called on companies to conduct charging trials, such as seasonal tariffs, aimed at supporting affordability and other sustainability goals such as reducing demand and have amended their charging rules to make it easier to conduct trials. Companies can design their charges to provide benefits and incentives in a range of ways. Ofwat regulates charging trials by requiring companies to set fair charges for all customers, and ensure all trials are consistent with good practice principles. There are several trials taking place, or planned, across all companies between now and 2030. These trials could benefit consumers by making water bills more affordable for more households. Companies must consult with the Consumer Council for Water in developing their trials to ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place ensuring vulnerable consumers are adequately protected or excluded from the trials.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Ofwat on the adequacy of the transparency of pricing of seasonal tariff structures for water.
The Government supports the innovative approaches being taken to seasonal tariffs aiming to make bills more affordable and is engaging with industry leaders to drive further progress. Ofwat called on companies to conduct charging trials, such as seasonal tariffs, aimed at supporting affordability and other sustainability goals such as reducing demand and have amended their charging rules to make it easier to conduct trials. Companies can design their charges to provide benefits and incentives in a range of ways. Ofwat regulates charging trials by requiring companies to set fair charges for all customers, and ensure all trials are consistent with good practice principles. There are several trials taking place, or planned, across all companies between now and 2030. These trials could benefit consumers by making water bills more affordable for more households. Companies must consult with the Consumer Council for Water in developing their trials to ensure that the appropriate safeguards are in place ensuring vulnerable consumers are adequately protected or excluded from the trials.
Food and Rural Affairs, what definition her Department will use of a small farm for the purposes of the 2026 Sustainable Farming Incentive.
We will provide more detail on the new SFI offer at the NFU Conference in February ahead of publishing the full scheme details before the first application window opens in June.
Food and Rural Affairs, what the payment values and maximum eligible land areas will be for the Sustainable Farming Incentive options retained for 2026.
This Government recognises the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) must work alongside food production, not displace it. So, the department will limit how much land can be put into certain actions and review payment rates for others. These changes will make funding go further, allowing more people to benefit from agreements. Defra is considering an agreement value cap for the new SFI offer, and this will be tested with stakeholders before we confirm further details in due course. Alongside this, the Government will set clear budgets for each application window and provide regular updates so that farmers can see when a window is approaching full subscription. The Government will confirm the budgets for each window ahead of the first application window opening in June.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the clarity of the Levelling Up and Regeneration Act 2023 relating to publicly accessible land.
The Department acknowledges that the Levelling-Up and Regeneration Act 2023 contains a number of provisions relevant to the planning, management and use of land, and considers these to be clear in their intended scope and application. Section 245 strengthens the statutory duty on relevant authorities in National Parks and National Landscapes by requiring them to seek to further the purpose of conserving and enhancing natural beauty when exercising their functions. The Act also supports the safeguarding and integration of walking and cycling networks through the planning system, building on existing policy in the National Planning Policy Framework. More broadly, the Government has announced, as part of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2025, a commitment to publish an Access to Nature Green Paper to consult on proposals to increase access and engagement with nature. The Green Paper will test a range of policy options and invite views from stakeholders and the public, helping us to gather evidence and test approaches before decisions are made. This consultation will play an important role in shaping the development of future policy in this area.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect livestock in West Dorset from distress and injury caused by fireworks.
I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 18 November 2025 to the hon. Member for Halesowen, PQ UIN 89247.
Food and Rural Affairs, if she will allocate funding to support mental health services for farmers in the Autumn Budget 2025.
Since May 2024, Defra has funded the Farmer Welfare Grant, providing £500k to support charity projects that improve the mental health and wellbeing of farmers in England. The fund, which runs until March 2026, supports projects designed to offer tailored support to farmers and their families as well as prevent further cases of poor mental health by helping to build resilience within farming communities, and deliver a range of essential services including the development of new online resources, provision of workshops, training events and networking opportunities, and one-to-one support. In addition, this Government is investing in mental health to ensure it receives the same attention as physical health. This includes the hiring of 8,500 new mental health support workers, which will reduce delays and provide faster treatment closer to people’s homes – including in rural communities.
Food and Rural Affairs, if she will allocate funding to support rural communities with (a) infrastructure and (b) service delivery costs in the Autumn Budget 2025.
This Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. Rural communities make an important contribution to the UK economy and in 2023, rural areas contributed £259 billion to England’s Gross Value Added (GVA), representing 12.2% of the total GVA for England. The Government recognises the additional challenges they face with respect to infrastructure resilience and essential service delivery, and Defra works across government to ensure that these factors are appropriately reflected when funding decisions are made. In June, departmental budgets across Government were set up to 2029/30.
Food and Rural Affairs, if she will allocate additional funding to (a) support farmers and (b) strengthen UK food security.
The Government’s commitment to farming and food security is steadfast. Supporting British farmers and boosting the nation’s food security are key priorities for the Government. Following the spending review, Defra has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help mitigate the potential impact of US bioethanol imports on (a) animal feed prices and (b) UK producers.
Defra continue to monitor potential impacts on feed prices and the wider food sector from the recent changes. By-products of the bioethanol process are used in the agri-food sector. These include Distillers’ Dried Grains with Solubles (DDGS) which is used in high protein animal feed as well as CO2 which is used in slaughter, packaging, and beverage carbonation. DDGS also comes from other sources and there are other ingredients that can be used.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with farming organisations on subsidies for beekeeping.
Figures from the annual hive count suggests that the number of beekeepers has remained relatively stable and is not declining. Defra supports beekeepers through the work of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit which operates our bee pest surveillance programmes and provides free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. Effective pest and disease control is important for preventing spread to other apiaries and pollinators. Defra supports pollinators through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Landscape Recovery, in that the schemes offer a choice of support for more regenerative approaches to farming, and creation or restoration of habitats in appropriate areas. We are working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding, and further information about the reformed SFI will be provided shortly.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of providing subsidies to support farmers to (a) introduce and (b) maintain beekeeping.
Figures from the annual hive count suggests that the number of beekeepers has remained relatively stable and is not declining. Defra supports beekeepers through the work of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit which operates our bee pest surveillance programmes and provides free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. Effective pest and disease control is important for preventing spread to other apiaries and pollinators. Defra supports pollinators through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Landscape Recovery, in that the schemes offer a choice of support for more regenerative approaches to farming, and creation or restoration of habitats in appropriate areas. We are working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding, and further information about the reformed SFI will be provided shortly.
Food and Rural Affairs, when he will make a decision on the deployment of the cattle BCG vaccine.
We are continuing to work on the development of a cattle BCG vaccine and accompanying DIVA (Detect Infected amongst Vaccinated Animals) test but will only deploy the vaccine and DIVA test when we have all the right steps in place. Our aim is to deliver an effective cattle TB vaccination strategy within the next few years, helping drive down the disease burden for future generations and advance progress towards achieving Officially Tuberculosis Free status for England by 2038.
Food and Rural Affairs, when he expects the field trials of the Cattle BCG vaccine to conclude.
Field trials to test a cattle BCG vaccine and accompanying DIVA (Detect Infected amongst Vaccinated Animals) skin test began in June 2021. The next phase of the field trials commenced in September 2025, and we hope to be able to start using an authorised vaccine and companion diagnostic test within the next few years.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to provide subsidies for farmers who diversify into beekeeping.
Figures from the annual hive count suggests that the number of beekeepers has remained relatively stable and is not declining. Defra supports beekeepers through the work of the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit which operates our bee pest surveillance programmes and provides free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. Effective pest and disease control is important for preventing spread to other apiaries and pollinators. Defra supports pollinators through the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) and Landscape Recovery, in that the schemes offer a choice of support for more regenerative approaches to farming, and creation or restoration of habitats in appropriate areas. We are working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that fairly and responsibly directs funding, and further information about the reformed SFI will be provided shortly.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing vaccination as part of the national bovine TB control strategy.
An assessment of the potential merits of vaccination was made by a reconvened panel of independent experts, led by Professor Sir Charles Godfray. The panel’s updated report, published on 4 September 2025, considered the latest evidence on both cattle and badger vaccination, and will inform the development of the refreshed bovine TB strategy for England.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to amend the regulation of genome-edited crops.
The Government has been undertaking a programme of regulatory reform for precision breeding. The Precision Breeding Act 2023 sets out a more proportionate and science-based regulatory framework for precision breeding that encourages innovation and enables products to be brought to market more easily. The secondary legislation needed to implement The Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants in England was passed into law on 13 May 2025.