Written questions by Chowns.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to ensure the farming budget is used to meet legally-binding (a) environmental targets under the Environment Act 2021 and (b) emissions reduction targets under the Climate Change Act 2008.

As a result of the spending review and determination of the farming budget for this period: We are prioritising investment that supports the Government’s Plan for Change and builds on the Secretary of State’s work to reform Defra to drive growth while maintaining a steadfast commitment to farming, food security, and nature’s recovery We are investing more than £2.7 billion a year in farming and nature recovery. Funding for the Environmental Land Management Schemes paid to farmers will increase by 150% from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3 billion a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme. And up to £400 million from additional nature schemes, including those for tree planting and peatland restoration. This budget is the largest investment into nature in history, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£385 million). These will make a significant contribution to the Environment Act and emissions reduction targets under the Climate Change Act 2008, including improving the quality of water, air, and spaces for wildlife so biodiversity can thrive.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken to ensure that the process of appointing the new Chair of the Office for Environmental Protection protects its independence.

The Chair role is appointed by the Secretary of State acting jointly with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs. The appointment will be conducted in line with the Governance Code on Public Appointments as regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. The role will be publicly advertised, and an Advisory Assessment Panel, including a Senior Independent Panel Member, will be appointed to assess candidates objectively against the published criteria. The appointment will also be subject to pre-appointment scrutiny by a Parliamentary Select Committee.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make future disease outbreak compensation payments conditional on (a) evidence of private insurance in place and (b) demonstrable compliance with specified biosecurity standards.

Compensation is paid by Defra for animals culled by the Government for disease control purposes, as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. In addition to the financial support offered to producers directly affected by outbreaks through compensation, producers can insure privately for losses not covered by Defra’s compensation scheme, this may include consequential losses including business interruption caused by control measures. Defra continues to monitor the situation and to remind producers that they are responsible for the on-farm management of their flocks. Having strong biosecurity measures in place, and maintaining them year-round, significantly reduces the risk of infection on site.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the detailed criteria his Department uses to calculate avian flu compensation payments for industrial poultry units.

Compensation paid for birds culled by the Government for disease control purposes is designed to promote prompt reporting of suspicion of disease and is only payable for healthy birds as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. There is no compensation available for sick birds or birds that have died. Compensation is not paid for consequential losses, including business interruption caused by control measures, nor for eggs or poultry meat. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) makes its assessment of the disease status of the birds based on clinical inspection and veterinary judgment. The amount of compensation is established by APHA using the relevant valuation rate card (or for specialist stock by a specialist valuer). The valuation rate cards are updated by APHA five times per year (in January, March, June, September and November) to ensure rates are in line with average market values for the types of birds.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of excess sewage sludge on river pollution.

Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (SUiAR) supported by the Sewage Sludge Code of Practice provide environmental and health protections from sludge spreading. The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for spreading sludge. We recognise that effective and proportionate regulations are an essential tool to improve the water environment. The Independent Water Commission’s Call for Evidence, published in February 2025, highlighted the Environment Agency’s recommendation to strengthen the regulatory framework for sludge application on land by incorporating the Sludge Use in Agriculture Regulations 1989 into the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016. A set of recommendations will be delivered by Q3 of this year. The UK Government will then respond and consult on proposals we intend to take forward.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of land-spreading sewage sludge on soil contamination.

The Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations 1989 (SUiAR) supported by the Sewage Sludge Code of Practice provide environmental and health protections from sludge spreading. The Government is continuing to work with the Environment Agency to assess the regulatory framework for spreading sludge. We recognise that effective and proportionate regulations are an essential tool to improve the environment. The Government has been working with water companies under their Chemical Investigations Programme (CIP), to improve the evidence base on the behaviour and fate of contaminants in during treatment processes. CIP phase 4 will include a Groundwater, Soil and Biosolids investigation. This will be looking at the fate and behaviour of multiple chemical compounds, including PFAS substances, to establish whether detected substances pose a risk to long-term soil health, groundwater quality ansd the wider environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish updates to the Farming Rules for Water.

The updated and amended Farming Rules for Water were published on 18 June and we are continuing to support the EA to work with farmers to meet their legal obligations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to support the reintroduction of (a) species, (b) elk, (c) water voles, (d) eels and (e) pine martens in river catchments.

The Government supports species reintroductions, where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment. Taking each species in turn: A) We are not aware of any active proposals for the reintroduction of elk. B) The conservation and recovery of water voles has been supported by a range of projects. The Environment Agency has carried out 279 projects over the last three years, including habitat works, reintroduction or translocation, research and monitoring. Forestry England has also reintroduced water voles to Kielder forest with Northumberland Wildlife Trust and have further plans to reintroduce water voles into Wild Ennerdale in the Lake District. In addition, Natural England’s Species Recovery Programme has invested in three reintroduction projects of captive bred water voles. C) Defra has no current plans to support restocking of eels. D) Forestry England works closely with both active and potential pine marten reintroduction projects across the country and are also partners on the Two Moors Pine Marten Project, and the South Cumbria Pine Marten Recovery Project, both of which released animals last autumn.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to increase the amount of funding available to support (a) rewilding and (b) natural process-led grazing at landscape scale along (i) river and (ii) the river Wye catchments.

This Government is making the largest investment into nature in history, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million). In a joint initiative worth up to £1 million, Defra and Welsh government will fund comprehensive cross-border research to understand pollution and other pressures and develop plans to tackle these issues in the Wye catchment. This funding will ensure farmers, environmental campaigners, citizen scientists and other local experts, can help us gather essential evidence about what is causing this iconic river to be so polluted, and chart a course towards improving water quality and restoring nature across the catchment. The Landscape Recovery scheme has two projects in development on the River Wye and within the Wye catchment: these are ‘Wye Valley – Ridge to River’, and ‘Wyescapes – Food, Nature and Water’, respectively. The ‘Wye Valley’ vision is for a resilient, multi-functional landscape, where a mosaic of woodlands, parkland, meres, farmland, and floodplains provide food, boost biodiversity and protect water whilst contributing to climate mitigation and social value. It aims to create and connect wildlife rich habitat and to farm regeneratively to increase carbon storage, reduce emissions and nutrient losses. ‘Wyescapes’ aim is to recover priority habitats and species, reduce nutrient runoff, restore hydrological/ecological function and resilience, and reduce CO2e emissions. The project consists of riverside land and adjacent farmland, where the managing farmers will be supported to reduce intensity of existing practices and create new wetlands, floodplain meadow, and woodland.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to support the removal of barriers to keystone species reintroduction projects (a) in England and (b) over devolved boundaries.

The Government supports species reintroductions including keystone species, where there are clear benefits for nature, people and the environment. All reintroductions in England are expected to follow the Code for Reintroductions and other Conversations Translocations. The Code states that, while it is specific to England, cross-border co-operation and engagement with relevant authorities and stakeholders is essential where releases occur close to England’s neighbours or involve a reintroduction of a species to Great Britain. We would therefore expect any reintroduction project to carry out cross-border coordination as part of the planning phase of their reintroduction project.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support restoring (a) natural processes to river corridors within river catchments and (b) (i) native vegetation, (ii) floodplain connectivity and (iii) wetland habitats; and if he will take steps to work on these restoration projects with (A) local authorities, (B) environmental groups, (C) farmers and (D) catchment partnerships.

The England Woodland Creation Offer provides 100% of standard woodland creation capital costs and further incentivises the restoration of native riparian vegetation for water benefits through stackable supplementary payments for woodlands that improve water quality, reduce the risk of flooding, and riparian buffers that improve water habitat. This year (2025/26) Defra have committed £10.9 million of capital Water Environment Improvement Funding (WEIF), administered by the Environment Agency (EA), which is designed to help achieve the Environment Improvement Plan goal of achieving clean and plentiful water. The primary objective is of the fund is to address “orphaned” water environment issues where the polluter pays principle does not apply. Typical WEIF projects include river restoration, wetland habitat restoration and creation, floodplain connectivity, removal of barriers for fish and eel migration. WEIF projects are developed through Catchment Partnerships and are primarily delivered by local delivery partners, including eNGOs and Local Authorities. The EA is also accelerating investment in Natural Flood Management (NFM) through the £25 million NFM fund. NFM protects, restores, or emulates the natural functions of rivers, floodplains, catchments, and the coast to reduce flooding and coastal erosion. Projects being delivered through the fund involve a range of stakeholders including wildlife and rivers trusts, local authorities, landowners, farmers, and local communities. Additionally, the EA also carries out large scale habitat creation projects through its Habitat Compensation and Restoration Programmes. These programmes compensate for impacts to protected sites due to human activity and have created approximately 1,600 hectares of intertidal habitat.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage landowners in river catchments to transition toward nature-led farming.

We are investing £2.7 billion a year into sustainable food production and nature’s recovery, with funding for our Environmental Land Management schemes increasing by 150%. This funding is available to all farmers, includes this in river catchments. We have more farmers than ever in nature friendly farming schemes and are reforming SFI to target funds fairly and effectively towards food, farming and nature priorities. We will announce further details later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of insurance requirements for companies operating intensive poultry units, in the context of (a) avian influenza and (b) other disease outbreaks.

The UK poultry sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years. Compensation is paid by Defra for animals culled the by HM Government for disease control purposes, as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. In addition to the financial support offered to producers directly affected by outbreaks through compensation, producers can insure privately for losses not covered by Defra’s compensation scheme, this may include consequential losses including business interruption caused by control measures. Following difficult avian influenza seasons in 2021/22 and 2022/23, poultry and egg producers made the department aware of the challenges that some faced in both obtaining suitable insurance products and the increased cost of such insurance. However, we understand that renewal rates have remained high for producers with existing policies, including those companies operating intensive poultry units. Defra continues to monitor the situation and to remind producers that they are responsible for the on-farm management of their flocks. Having strong biosecurity measures in place, and maintaining them year-round, significantly reduces the risk of infection on site.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to implement the judgement in Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs v Pickering Fishery Association [2025] EWCA Civ 378.

I refer the Member for North Herefordshire to the Minister’s written statement of 6 May 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a system for regulating the land market along the lines of the French Société d’Aménagement Foncier et d’Etablissement Rural.

Defra has made no such assessment. The Land Use Consultation explored the functions of land markets in England and the case for new incentives, including regulation to support the Government’s growth, environmental, and food production objectives. The responses to the consultation will inform a Land Use Framework that will be published later this year. The Farming Roadmap will include a vision for our farming sector and set the direction for how we get there, with a focus on delivering our food security and environmental objectives and supporting farms to be resilient and profitable.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase the level of funding for local authorities to ensure the maintenance of public rights of way.

The Settlement for 2025-26 makes available over £69 billion for local government, which is a 6.8% cash terms increase in councils’ Core Spending Power on 2024-25. Spending decisions beyond 2025-26 are a matter for the upcoming Spending Review. Local authorities are best placed to understand local priorities and allocate funding accordingly including for public rights of way matters. My department does not provide any additional funding.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department plans to take to ensure that forest risk commodities implementing legislation supports the UK's commitments under the Forest, Agriculture and Commodity Trade Dialogue on (a) making finance available to smallholders, (b) supporting transition towards sustainable production and (c) strengthening enabling conditions.

The Government recognises the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course. The Government is taking action to support our FACT Dialogue commitments, working with smallholder farmers to improve sustainable practices and encourage forest-friendly businesses. For example, the Official Development Assistance funded ‘Investments in Forests and Sustainable Land Use’ programme supports the development of new business models which provide jobs and livelihoods, while protecting and restoring forests.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing Schedule 17 of the Environment Act before COP 30 in November 2025.

The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, including advocating for an international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while supporting livelihoods and economic development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of implementing Schedule 17 of the Environment Act before COP 30 in November 2025.

The UK strongly supports global efforts to protect forests, including advocating for an international commitment to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, while supporting livelihoods and economic development.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to his Department's press release entitled Government to end badger cull with new TB eradication strategy, published on 30 August 2024, what progress he has made on the TB eradication plan; and when it will be published.

We have started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB (bTB) eradication strategy to drive down bTB rates in cattle, improve farmers’ livelihoods, and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. To ensure it benefits from the latest evidence, we have reconvened a panel of experts, led by Professor Sir Charles Godfray, to independently consider independently any substantive new evidence that builds on the 2018 strategy review. The panel expects to report its findings back to Defra from late June 2025. The strategy is being co-designed with farmers, vets, scientists, and conservationists. It will consider a range of measures including boosting cattle testing, reducing the spread of disease through cattle movements, and deploying badger vaccination on a wider, landscape scale. The existing Bovine TB Partnership for England has been re-structured to form a Steering Group that is overseeing the co-design of the strategy, and topic specific Working Groups who will develop recommendations for the Steering Group. The Steering Group are aiming to develop a draft strategy for Ministers to consider by spring 2026.