Written questions by Roome.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of alleged unauthorised fishing taking place in protected marine environments in UK coastal waters.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking to steps to (a) amend processes for applying for biodiversity net gain exemptions and (b) require developers to provide objective evidence that an exemption applies before it can be claimed.

The Government has announced its intention to introduce changes to biodiversity net gain (BNG), including a new area-based exemption set at 0.2 hectares. Full details will be set out in the consultation response to be published shortly. BNG applies to planning permission in England granted under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 unless exempt, and local authorities should check applications to determine if the development should be subject to the biodiversity gain condition.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help protect the South West Coast Path against storm damage.

The South West Coast Path (SWCP) is a 630 mile National Trail around the SW peninsula. As such it follows open and unprotected coast for much of its length, sections of which due to their geological make up are susceptible to coastal erosion. This has always been the case and will continue to be so. Notwithstanding, Natural England, and Defra, have a statutory duty, emanating from the Marine & Coastal Access Act 2009, to establish a long-distance walking route, the King Charles III England Coast Path (KCIIIECP), around the entire English coast. In fulfilling this duty, the line of the SWCP has been largely adopted as ‘part of’ the KCIIIECP and a new legal provision for the path to ‘roll back’ in response to geomorphological events put in place. Going forward this will ensure that the basic right to walk along the coast is not lost in an often dynamic coastal environment. Local authorities lead in planning for and managing coastal erosion. The Environment Agency (EA) has the strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change. To support those managing coastal erosion, in January 2025, the EA published new National Coastal Erosion Risk Mapping data which provides the most up to date national picture of current and future coastal erosion risk for England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her department is taking to strengthen flood resiliency around major transport routes in the South West.

Delivering on the Plan for Change, this Government is investing at least £10.5 billion until 2036 to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences, helping to avoid disruption to transport and other infrastructure damage, as well as continuing to protect communities from the devastating impacts of climate change. As published in the Flood and coastal erosion risk management (Section 18) report – in 24/25 – Wessex, and Devon, Cornwall, and the Isles of Scilly received a combined £173 million, better protecting 4,036 properties across these regions. The final list of schemes to benefit in 2026/27 is due to be published on GOV.UK in March 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure imported meat does not adversely impact disease prevention in farming and animal disease prevention zones.

Meat import controls include measures to prevent spread of animal disease such as veterinary health certification and border control post checks. On farm biosecurity plays a key role in protecting farms from exotic diseases and can mitigate the risk of spread of such diseases in the event of an outbreak. Defra is working closely with the devolved governments, the livestock industry and veterinary bodies to improve the UK’s response and raise awareness of the risks of introduction of exotic disease.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 28 January 2025 to Question 26922 on Waste Disposal: Monitoring, what progress she has made on the introduction of the Digital Waste Tracking Service.

Defra has made good progress on implementing Digital Waste Tracking. As announced in July 2025 Defra is implementing digital waste tracking through a phased approach beginning with a service for permitted waste receiving site operators. This service is now live for selected software developers and permitted waste receiving site operators to test the service and provide feedback.In spring 2026 the service will be available publicly to software developers and all permitted site operators to submit information on a voluntary basis.In April Defra plans to lay the legislation to support this first phase, and this will come into force in October 2026.The service will then be further developed to encompass full end to end waste movement information and expanded to other waste operators from April 2027.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure land management schemes are designed to support hill and upland farming.

Our Environmental Land Management schemes include a comprehensive offer to support the management of a wide range of different grassland and moorland types that exist in the English uplands. Defra works closely with farmers and industry stakeholders – for example, the Government set up an Uplands Task and Finish Group to identify solutions to issues that have been raised by upland farmers and environmental stakeholders. Defra, in partnership with Dr Hilary Cottam OBE, have been working closely with upland communities across England over the last 12 months to better understand the unique challenges and opportunities in these landscapes. This insight is being shared across Defra and next steps worked up.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to (a) support food redistribution and (b) reduce commercial food waste.

This Government recognises the environmental, economic and social benefits of preventing food waste and redistributing surplus. Defra's Food and Drink Waste Hierarchy outlines how all businesses should deal with food surplus and waste, preventing food surplus where possible and redistributing any surplus should it arise. Defra funds the UK Food and Drink Pact, a voluntary agreement with industry to tackle food waste, managed by the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP). Through the Pact, we support the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap, which provides a toolkit to help businesses identify their surplus and waste and take steps to reduce it. This approach enables food businesses to reduce their food waste, and get more surplus to redistributors where it does arise. Defra also engages a working group of supply chain and redistribution sector organisations to develop best practice and overcome barriers to redistribution. In addition, a £15 million farm surplus fund, is aiming to increase the capacity and capability of the redistribution sector to ensure more farm surplus food gets to those who need it most rather than going to waste. This shall see an extra 17,000 tonnes of food waste diverted to redistribution charities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential merits of introducing legislation similar to that introduced in France to reduce commercial food waste.

No assessment has been made of the merits of introducing legislation similar to that introduced in France to reduce commercial food waste. Defra recognises the environmental, economic and social benefits of preventing food waste and redistributing surplus. This Government has announced plans to publish a Circular Economy Strategy and is committed to transitioning to a circular economy – one that stimulates growth, reduces waste, and alleviates pressure on household bills. As this work is developed, we will consider the evidence for action and evaluate what interventions may be needed. This includes measures to prevent food waste and support surplus food redistribution.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on developing a new Pet Passport scheme between the UK and the European Union.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will be easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, you will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. The European Commission has published a draft SPS mandate for negotiations pending approval through the Council of the European Union.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to regulate levels of perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances in drinking water.

Defra continues to work closely with other Government departments, regulators and devolved administrations to assess PFAS levels, sources and risks to inform future policy and regulatory approaches. Action has already been taken to ban or restrict specific PFAS domestically and internationally. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has provided PFAS guidance to water companies since 2007, with the latest update in August 2024 and a consolidated version in March 2025. Defra and the DWI are considering regulatory updates, including making this guidance statutory.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the functions of the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator will be extended to align with those of the Grocery Code Adjudicator.

The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) is responsible for enforcing regulations developed under the Agriculture Act 2020 'Fair Dealing' powers (section 29). Regulations introduced using these powers promote fair contractual dealing and contribute to a more equitable relationship between producers and purchasers. To date, the powers have been used to create the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 and the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025. The ASCA can investigate relevant complaints and has significant powers to impose fines and/or order compensation to be paid by those found to be in breach. The ASCA also aims to be a convener across supply chains, working with both producers and purchasers to improve business relationships and behaviours around contracts. The remit of ASCA deals with those who farmers supply directly, which in most cases is not supermarkets. The ASCA therefore has a distinct role and way of working to the Groceries Code Adjudicator (GCA), which instead regulates the relationship between large retailers and their direct suppliers. The ASCA and the GCA are also in regular contact as they fulfil their respective remits, ensuring co-ordination without duplication. The Government are committed to an evidence-based approach to regulating the supply chain. The fourth statutory review of the GCA’s effectiveness was recently launched, with a public consultation open which closes on 5 August. We encourage anyone interested to respond to the review’s consultation and will carefully consider the views received. We will also conduct a statutory review into the effectiveness of the ‘Fair Dealing’ regulations in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential merits of improving regulations for non-quota species in UK waters.

The Government recognises the value and importance of non-quota species (NQS). Improving regulation to protect these stocks and secure the future of the fishing industry is a priority for this Government and part of an on-going programme of work though Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs). Following publication of six FMPs in 2023, new measures to improve regulation of NQS are being introduced. More plans to improve NQS regulation are due to be published by the end of 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the adequacy of funding for the National Park Authorities.

The government is providing £45.2 million of core funding to the 10 National Park Authorities, with a capital uplift of up to £15 million to support their contribution to protecting 30% of land by 2030. In challenging financial circumstances, this uplift in capital investment is recognition of the vital importance of national parks to government priorities. We have also extended programmes such as Farming In Protected Landscapes, providing £30 million to support projects in our National Parks and Protected Landscapes, until March 2026. In addition to investing in these important landscapes we are also working with Protected Landscapes organisations to identify additional sources of funding and foster innovation to ensure their future for generations to come.

Food and Rural Affairs, what notifications of changes to revenue grants for financial year 2025-6 have been sent to National Park Authorities (a) on and (b) since 2 April 2025.

Letters were issued to all National Park Authorities (including the Broads Authority) in early April confirming Defra’s intent to continue grant funding for the financial year 2025/26. The letters also set out the provisional revenue and capital grant allocation for each authority.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator supports (a) profitability and (b) resilience in the (i) food and (ii) farming sector.

The Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator (ASCA) is responsible for enforcing regulations developed under the Agriculture Act’s 'Fair Dealing' powers (section 29). Regulations introduced using these powers promote fair contractual dealing and contribute to a more equitable relationship between producers and buyers.To date, these powers have been used to create the Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024 and the Fair Dealing Obligations (Pigs) Regulations 2025.These regulations provide greater protection for producers by requiring fair contract terms. This includes ensuring that producers are provided with clear information about how prices are set. Although the regulations do not dictate pricing expectations or directly address profitability, they help producers make more informed decisions by fostering transparency and balance in commercial relationships.The ASCA can investigate relevant complaints and has significant powers to impose fines on and/or order compensation to be paid by those found to be in breach. The ASCA also aims to be a convener across supply chains, working with both producers and purchasers/processors to improve business relationships and behaviours around contracts.Defra has recently commissioned a review on Farm Profitability. This will provide recommendations for government and industry that will support farming profitability as part of this government’s New Deal for Farmers.The food sector is also one of the UK's 14 Critical National Infrastructure sectors, and Defra recognises the importance of the food supply chain to National Security. Further, the UK Food Security Report examines past, current, and future trends to present a full and impartial analysis of UK food security.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to implement reforms for rights of way included in the Deregulation Act 2015 to provide (a) clarity and (b) certainty for land managers.

We are reviewing the rights of way reform programme alongside our policies for delivering improved access to nature for all users.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the withdrawal of new Sustainable Farming Incentive of agreements on the rural economy.

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a 2-year period. SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package - across England, 50,000 farm businesses and over half of farmed land are already in agri-environmental schemes. The department publish regular statistics on Farm Business Income. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK. On the 11th of March 2025 we published forecasts which suggest that average Farm Business Income has risen in 2024/25 across all farm types with the exception of cereal farms.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to provide an Answer to Question 26922 on Waste Disposal: Monitoring, tabled on 28 January 2025.

An answer to Question 26922 was published on 27 February 2025. I apologise for the delay in responding to the hon. Member.

Food and Rural Affairs what progress he has made towards his Department's target of 50% of food procurement in the public sector being locally sourced.

At January’s Oxford Farming Conference, as part of the Government’s New Deal for Farmers, the Government announced a series of reforms, including, where possible, backing British produce. It was also announced that for the first time ever, the government will review food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from. This work will start right away and be a significant first step in understanding how to capitalise on the Government’s purchasing power: informing any changes to public sector food procurement policies in due course.