Written questions by Morgan.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help reduce landfill use by 2028.

We are developing policy options for the near elimination of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill, following publication of a call for evidence and a summary of responses published earlier this year. The Collection and Packaging Reforms – Simpler Recycling, Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) and a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) – will help stimulate investment in recycling services across the UK and support our ambition to recycle 65% of municipal waste by 2035. The Circular Economy Strategy for England, which we plan to publish in the coming months, will contain further proposals to reduce our reliance on landfill.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the (a) location and (b) number of animals affected by outbreaks of botulism was in each month of 2025.

Information from the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) surveillance network indicates one botulism outbreak in GB in 2025, affecting 712 cattle between August up to 8 September. The cases have been spread across Derbyshire, Essex, Northants, Pembrokeshire and Shropshire. This incident is currently being investigated by the FSA who have taken precautionary action to protect animal and public health, including the removal of an animal feed product from the market and the prevention of animals showing signs of botulism from entering the food chain. When large scale or serious incidents are reported, Defra and APHA take a One Health response and work collaboratively cross-agency to manage any threats.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that recycling labels are (a) clear and (b) readable for consumer plastic products.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. Analysis has been undertaken on the impact of recycling labels on the waste management system and we will update this analysis in our upcoming options and impact assessment for labelling regulations. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on mandating the (a) size and (b) clarity of recycling labels on consumer plastic products.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. Analysis has been undertaken on the impact of recycling labels on the waste management system and we will update this analysis in our upcoming options and impact assessment for labelling regulations. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of unclear recycling labels on the waste management system.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. Analysis has been undertaken on the impact of recycling labels on the waste management system and we will update this analysis in our upcoming options and impact assessment for labelling regulations. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on making clear recycling labels mandatory for pharmaceutical packaging.

The Government is committed to introducing mandatory recycling labelling for packaging. We are aiming to do this in 2028 once we have reviewed the potential to bring forward an approach that is consistent with the provisions being established under PPWR for the EU. The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The Secretary of State has not yet had discussions with the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care on the details of the labelling requirements as this is still to be developed following review of the EU equivalent regime.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of designating Dover Port Health Authority as the lead authority for checking for illegal meat imports at the Port of Dover.

Defra is working with the Home Office, Border Force and Dover Port Health Authority to ensure that operations around illegal meat imports are as efficient as possible. Border Force is the Government agency responsible for combatting all illegal imports.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of vehicles checked for illegally imported meat entering through the Port of Dover.

We are working with the Home Office and Border Force to ensure that operations around illegal meat imports are as efficient as possible and have invested significantly in additional operational capacity at the port of Dover (£3.1 million planned this financial year in addition to £9 million since 2022).

Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of maintaining the Dover Bastion Point facility in each year since it was first in public use.

The information requested is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be released.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the cost to the public purse was of renting the Dover Bastion Point facility in each year since it was first in public use.

The information requested is commercially sensitive and therefore cannot be released.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the adequacy of checks for illegally imported meat at the Port of Dover.

Defra is working closely with the Home Office and the Food Standards Agency to tackle this issue with the support of Border Force, Port Health Authorities and local authorities, to ensure that operations around illegal meat imports are as efficient as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of levels of resourcing for Border Force on food security.

Border Force’s resources are continually assessed to balance all pressures. Resources are deployed dynamically through intelligence and data to intervene any potential threats. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to increase the level of funding provided to Dover Port Health Authority to carry out pro-active vehicle spot checks.

Defra is providing £3.1 million to Dover Port Health Authority for the financial year 2025/26, in addition to investing over £9 million since 2022.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of Local Nature Recovery Strategy mapping on future (a) funding opportunities, (b) land development and (c) land use planning for farmers.

Local Nature Recovery Strategies (LNRS) are designed to support more strategic decision-making and investment in nature recovery. They do this by agreeing priorities for nature recovery and mapping where habitat creation or improvement could contribute most towards those. Farmers and land managers are encouraged to deliver the actions proposed on their land but are not required to do so. Developers are incentivised to deliver actions proposed in LNRSs through an uplift in the biodiversity net gain calculation. LNRSs will also provide information that can help farmers and land managers make stronger bids for funding through schemes such as Landscape Recovery, and to help them make choices about how they manage their land. Government is continuing to explore how delivery of LNRS actions might be further incentivised so that environmental targets can be met more cost effectively. LNRSs are also supporting nature recovery to be better reflected in the planning system and in development. Planning practice guidance was published in February 2025 which explains the role of LNRSs in helping planning authorities to conserve and enhance the natural environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help minimise the potential impact of bluetongue regulations on markets trading livestock on the border between England and Wales.

Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the Devolved Governments to assess the disease risks and impacts in relation to their national herds, alongside the impacts of controls, and respond accordingly. However, Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK. A key forum for this is the Animal Disease Policy Group, which is a UK-wide policy decision making group. Defra and Devolved Governments also engage closely with industry to inform policy development and implementation through the Livestock Core Group. It is encouraging to see that Wales is now joining Scotland in allowing some exemptions for pre-movement testing for cattle which have been vaccinated with a product that prevents viraemia - which will reduce costs for movements of these animals between England and Wales. Defra will keep the approach to bluetongue control under review in 2025 and are grateful for the continued engagement of Devolved Governments and industry stakeholders.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support farmers with the cost of bluetongue (a) tests and (b) vaccinations in Shropshire.

From 1 July 2025 the restricted zone (RZ) for bluetongue will be extended to include all areas of England and the current movement restrictions for live animals within England will be lifted. The bluetongue virus serotype 3 (BTV-3) Control Framework for England sought to slow the spread of disease across Great Britain through movement controls while safe and effective vaccines were developed. Given the availability now of safe and effective BTV-3 vaccines, low prevalence of severe clinical signs in affected domestic animals, and the impact restrictions have had on a very large number of keepers in England, sustaining or increasing controls on BTV-3 into the future is neither sustainable nor proportionate. Defra is not able to provide any financial assistance to farmers in Shropshire for costs associated with pre-movement tests required by the Scottish and Welsh Governments after this date. Farmers will need to make commercial decisions regarding the costs associated with moving their animals out of the All-England Restricted Zone into Scotland and Wales. Vaccination is the most suitable long-term approach to controlling disease and is consistent with the approach taken in Europe. The decision to vaccinate is a matter for farmers based on the possible impacts for their businesses. In the current situation we do not believe there is a case for mandatory vaccination, nor for the Government to provide or fund vaccination for BTV.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps with his Welsh counterpart to prevent different bluetongue regulation policies from being in place from 1 July 2025.

Disease control is a devolved matter, and it is for the Devolved Governments to assess the disease risks and impacts in relation to their national herds, alongside the impacts of controls, and respond accordingly. However, Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK. A key forum for this is the Animal Disease Policy Group, which is a UK-wide policy decision making group. Defra and Devolved Governments also engage closely with industry to inform policy development and implementation through the Livestock Core Group. It is encouraging to see that Wales is now joining Scotland in allowing some exemptions for pre-movement testing for cattle which have been vaccinated with a product that prevents viraemia - which will reduce costs for movements of these animals between England and Wales. Defra will keep the approach to bluetongue control under review in 2025 and are grateful for the continued engagement of Devolved Governments and industry stakeholders.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has updated its contingency plans following foot and mouth disease outbreaks in mainland Europe in 2025.

Defra’s approach to foot and mouth disease (FMD) control is set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England.Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) keep preparedness under continual review but have refocused efforts following the recent outbreaks of FMD in mainland Europe. To this end, the FMD Control Strategy is being reviewed and will be published on GOV.UK in due course. The Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England is reviewed annually, and the next update is due to be laid before parliament in late autumn this year.APHA, which leads Government action on animal disease control in Great Britain, is in the planning stages of a national tier 2 exercise to test and validate our response to an outbreak of FMD, scheduled for late 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential implications for its policies of foot and mouth disease outbreaks in Hungary, Slovakia and Germany in 2025.

Defra has closely monitored the 2025 foot and mouth disease (FMD) outbreaks in Hungary, Slovakia, and Germany. Following Germany’s confirmed FMD case in January, its FMD-free status was temporarily suspended but reinstated by the World Organisation for Animal Health in April after swift containment. Hungary and Slovakia reported FMD outbreaks in March 2025, prompting immediate action. Defra assessed the risk of FMD entering Great Britain from these countries as medium, citing potential spread via wild animals and human activity. As a result, the UK imposed temporary import bans on live animals and certain products from affected regions. Defra also reinforced biosecurity messaging to livestock keepers and increased disease surveillance. To strengthen long-term resilience, the UK is investing £200 million into its animal health infrastructure, including Weybridge’s national reference laboratory. Defra continues to adapt its policies in response to developments and remains committed to protecting the UK’s biosecurity and livestock sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made a recent assessment of the potential impact of a foot and mouth disease outbreak on the dairy sector.

The impacts of a reasonable worst-case scenario outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) were assessed in 2023 for the National Risk Register which is available on GOV.UK. These national risks are reviewed on a regular basis, taking into account new developments. Defra has robust contingency plans in place to manage the risk of FMD as set out in the Foot and Mouth Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England. Defra continues to adapt its policies in response to developments and remains committed to protecting the UK’s biosecurity and livestock sector. In response to the outbreaks of FMD in Europe, this includes working with Dairy UK to update the milk code of practice for FMD, which is a set of guidelines for milk hauliers, processors, and buyers to prevent the spread of FMD through milk and dairy products.