Written questions by Freeman.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is his policy to align gene-editing legislation with the European Union.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government is introducing legislation to enact the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and food and feed before the end of March. The European Commission has published a proposal that is similar in aim to the Precision Breeding Act. The department is monitoring progress on the EU’s regulatory proposal closely and engaging with the European Commission when appropriate. Officials have met with EU counterparts several times to discuss England’s approach to precision breeding and the EU’s proposal on new genomic techniques, including through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee and through the UK-EU Joint Consultative Working Group Agri-food structured group.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to fully enact the provisions of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Secretary of State has recently announced that the secondary legislation necessary to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and derived food and feed in England will be laid by the end of March. Policy development for the implementation of the Act for animals is ongoing.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has discussed the UK’s gene-editing legislation with his counterparts in the European Union.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government is introducing legislation to enact the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants and food and feed before the end of March. The European Commission has published a proposal that is similar in aim to the Precision Breeding Act. The department is monitoring progress on the EU’s regulatory proposal closely and engaging with the European Commission when appropriate. Officials have met with EU counterparts several times to discuss England’s approach to precision breeding and the EU’s proposal on new genomic techniques, including through the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Committee and through the UK-EU Joint Consultative Working Group Agri-food structured group.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to use earth observation data to help support the (a) measurement, (b) monitoring and (c) setting of (i) agricultural, (ii) landfill and (iii) land use contributions to the UK's net zero emissions targets.

Remote sensing technologies have increasing potential to provide cost-effective solutions for monitoring land use changes, gas leaks, and population density. Defra is examining the feasibility of employing Earth observation techniques for the monitoring and measurement of point source greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from agriculture, landfills, and other land uses. We will continue to follow advances in this technology and investigate opportunities for its deployment, including via satellite-based Earth observation, and other remote sensing technologies such as drones and handheld equipment, which are crucial for ground truthing and establishing baseline measurements.