Written questions by Cartlidge.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce sewage discharged by water companies into rivers and estuaries in South Suffolk.

A record £104 billion of private sector investment has been secured to accelerate the cleaning up of our rivers, lakes and seas. This includes over £10 billion to improve about 2,500 storm overflows in England over the next five years. The Environment Agency has appointed new dedicated regulation and enforcement teams to further hold water companies to account. In East Anglia, these teams have carried out more than 1,700 inspections of assets since April 2025, including 72 in the South Suffolk area, pushing companies to fix faults and meet discharge rules.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 December to Question 97538 on Flood Control: South Suffolk, when her Department plans to publish plans for the additional funding at Long Melford and Glemsford.

The Environment Agency (EA) has previously confirmed £50,000 of additional investment for Long Melford and Glemsford in December 2025, which was provided through other environmental funding. That £50,000 has now been fully spent. The EA works to enhance upstream floodplains and improve wetlands have recently been completed and are expected to perform well. The EA has also provided separate MP correspondence setting out project allocations elsewhere in the South Suffolk constituency for the coming financial year. If further details are required the EA Area Director, Graham Verrier, would be happy to discuss this further.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential implications for her policies of the National Fire Chiefs Council’s 23 May 2025 consultation response that reducing preventative burns of vegetation may pose a risk to life.

Policy officials and I met with representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council (the NFCC) and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in June 2025, to discuss concerns raised in their consultation response. The officials present were those responsible for the heather and grass burning licensing scheme. Due to an administrative error no minutes were taken of the meeting. In developing the amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, the Department considered the NFCC's consultation response as well as all the other responses to the public consultation, evidence on the impacts of vegetation management on peatlands and direct engagement with NFCC and FRS. The Department continues to work to ensure that licencing arrangements support effective wildfire mitigation and that applications where there is an evidenced need for burning can be processed as quickly as possible. FRS also remain a key consultee for licence applications to reduce the impact of wildfire.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason were no minutes taken at her Department’s meeting with the National Fire Chiefs Council on 26 June 2025.

Policy officials and I met with representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council (the NFCC) and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in June 2025, to discuss concerns raised in their consultation response. The officials present were those responsible for the heather and grass burning licensing scheme. Due to an administrative error no minutes were taken of the meeting. In developing the amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, the Department considered the NFCC's consultation response as well as all the other responses to the public consultation, evidence on the impacts of vegetation management on peatlands and direct engagement with NFCC and FRS. The Department continues to work to ensure that licencing arrangements support effective wildfire mitigation and that applications where there is an evidenced need for burning can be processed as quickly as possible. FRS also remain a key consultee for licence applications to reduce the impact of wildfire.

Food and Rural Affairs, who from her Department met with the National Fire Chiefs Council on 26 June 2025.

Policy officials and I met with representatives from the National Fire Chiefs Council (the NFCC) and Fire and Rescue Services (FRS) in June 2025, to discuss concerns raised in their consultation response. The officials present were those responsible for the heather and grass burning licensing scheme. Due to an administrative error no minutes were taken of the meeting. In developing the amendments to The Heather and Grass etc. Burning (England) Regulations 2021, the Department considered the NFCC's consultation response as well as all the other responses to the public consultation, evidence on the impacts of vegetation management on peatlands and direct engagement with NFCC and FRS. The Department continues to work to ensure that licencing arrangements support effective wildfire mitigation and that applications where there is an evidenced need for burning can be processed as quickly as possible. FRS also remain a key consultee for licence applications to reduce the impact of wildfire.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to help ensure that the proposed changes to Biodiversity Net Gain requirements do not delay the development of planning applications.

The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year. An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to provide certainty for people with (a) proposals currently in the planning process and (b) planning permission already granted where Biodiversity Net Gain requirements apply.

The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year. An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential impact of proposed changes to the Biodiversity Net Gain regulations on the workload for local planning authorities.

The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year. An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the changes to Biodiversity Net Gain requirements on nature recovery in South Suffolk.

The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year. An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the evidential basis is for the proposed 0.2-hectare exemption from mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain.

The Government recently announced its intention to introduce a new 0.2 ha area exemption to ease burdens on small developers and local authorities whilst maintaining nature recovery at scale. A full consultation response is coming shortly, along with an evidence assessment. A full Impact Assessment will follow later in the year. An implementation timeline will also be published along with the consultation response, setting out when changes will take effect. Until this is confirmed, the current BNG requirement remains in place and developers and local authorities should continue to follow existing guidance and legislation when delivering BNG.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to prevent the use of cages and other confinement systems for farmed animals.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 29 April 2025 to the hon. Member for Mid Dorset and North Poole, PQ UIN 47556.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help ensure that sufficient funding for flood prevention is distributed evenly.

As part of the Plan for Change, this Government is investing at least a record £10.5 billion until 2036 – the largest flood programme in history which is projected to benefit more than 890,000 properties. The Government recently announced major changes to its flood and coastal erosion funding policy, making it quicker and easier to deliver the right flood defences in the right places by simplifying our funding rules. To secure maximum value for every pound of taxpayer funding, projects will be prioritised by their benefit-to-cost ratios. Contributions from other sources will boost a project’s prioritisation. This approach uses government funding to unlock investment from public, private and charitable sources. A minimum of 20% of FCERM investment will go to the 20% most deprived communities and a minimum of 40% to the 40% most deprived communities, ensuring deprived communities receive vital investment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure food and drink sold in the UK is labelled according to RSPCA standards.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The RSPCA Assured scheme is an animal welfare assurance initiative which sets standards which go beyond the UK’s legal baseline. It is independent from Government. While food businesses can choose whether to adopt RSPCA Assured standards and apply this label to their products, an underpinning rule of existing legislation is that food information, whether it be mandatory or is provided voluntarily, must not mislead.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to boost flood defences in South Suffolk constituency.

The Environment Agency (EA) is actively managing flood risk in South Suffolk through routine maintenance, strategic projects and provision of warnings and advice. Since April 2025, over 2,200 hours and a budget of £15,440 have been spent operating and maintaining flood risk assets such as sluices, together with targeted watercourse and vegetation management. £50,000 additional investment will take place at Long Melford and Glemsford to reduce flood risk to vulnerable properties by enhancing upstream floodplains, while also improving wetland habitats for long-term environmental benefits. Over the next five years, Suffolk County Council will implement the Sudbury Surface Water Flood Alleviation Scheme - protecting up to 21 more homes, and the EA will provide property flood resilience to many more homes across the area. EA maintenance will continue, wherever possible. as will provision of a flood warning service for residents, and advice to planning authorities to ensure new developments remain safe from flooding.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of the English countryside have been burnt by wildfires in the last twelve months; and what the cost was in terms of (a) fighting the fires, (b) loss of economic activity, (c) restoring the landscape and (d) NHS treatment of the effects of smoke pollution as a result of those wildfires.

Defra does not hold details on how many hectares of the English countryside have been burnt by wildfires in the last twelve months.MHCLG is responsible for fire policy and operations.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to ban the use of electric shock collars.

The Government is currently considering available evidence around the use of hand-controlled e-collars and their effects on the welfare of animals.  We will be outlining more detail on next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has provided to food manufacturers on local alternatives to palm oil.

The Government is committed to supporting sustainable production, trade, and use of palm oil, not reducing it. Leading by example, The Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) require in-scope public sector procurers to ensure that all palm oil (including palm kernel oil and products derived from palm oil) used for cooking and as an ingredient in food must be sustainably produced.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the levels of palm oil used in food products sold in the UK on farmers in South Suffolk.

The Government is committed to supporting sustainable production, trade, and use of palm oil, not reducing it. Leading by example, The Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) require in-scope public sector procurers to ensure that all palm oil (including palm kernel oil and products derived from palm oil) used for cooking and as an ingredient in food must be sustainably produced.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to reduce the use of palm oil in food products sold in the UK.

The Government is committed to supporting sustainable production, trade, and use of palm oil, not reducing it. Leading by example, The Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF) require in-scope public sector procurers to ensure that all palm oil (including palm kernel oil and products derived from palm oil) used for cooking and as an ingredient in food must be sustainably produced.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the sugar beet industry in South Suffolk constituency.

The Government is committed to supporting and promoting growth in the UK sugar beet industry, including in South Suffolk. For example: we are funding research into crop resilience and sustainable practices through the Farming Innovation Programme. The Government continues to work with industry stakeholders to ensure fair market conditions and is monitoring challenges faced by the industry.