Every parliamentary written question tabled by James McMurdock this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 175 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to review regulations under the Animal (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.
I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire, Pippa Heylings on 23 September 2025 PQ UIN 73101.
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 2 September 2025 to Question 69569 on Grasslands: Conservation, when she plans to start the review of irreplaceable habitats.
The Government intends to review the definition of irreplaceable habitats in due course, to ensure it remains robust.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the impact of electric shock collars on the welfare of livestock.
All livestock are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation: the Animal Welfare Act 2006 makes it an offence either to cause any captive animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for the welfare needs of the animal; and The Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 set down detailed requirements on how farmed livestock should be kept. Defra also has a series of statutory species-specific welfare codes, which farmers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with, which encourage high standards of husbandry. We have considered the Animal Welfare Committee’s opinion on the welfare implications of using virtual fencing systems on livestock, where livestock are fitted with electronic collars as part of a system for containing, monitoring and moving livestock. We are taking account of the Committee’s advice and plan to revise the Code of Practice for the welfare of cattle accordingly.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has undertaken recent research on the potential merits of opening desalination plants to help ensure the resilience of the domestic water supply.
Water companies are responsible for researching and selecting the best value water supply options to sustainably secure water supplies for their customers. Government and regulators require water companies to consider desalination alongside all other water supply and demand management options to meet future water needs, which could amount to an additional 5 billion litres per day by 2055. The latest water company Water Resources Management Plans (WRMPs) contain proposals for 9 new desalination plants. A list of significant water resources infrastructure projects that water companies propose in their WRMPs, including the desalination plants, is available on GOV.UK.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the potential impact of smoke emissions from Battery Energy Storage Systems fires on (a) the environment and (b) public health.
The Government agrees with the need to have robust measures in place to manage the risks associated with facilities that use large numbers of lithium-ion batteries. DEFRA will consult shortly on including grid-scale BESS as an activity within environmental permitting to manage the environmental and public health risks from fires at BESS sites.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure that dogs being cared for by (a) charity and (b) rescue centres are (i) spayed, (ii) neutered and (iii) microchipped.
Defra engages regularly with a range of stakeholders across the animal welfare and charity sectors, including on issues relating to rescue and rehoming practices. Under the Microchipping of Cats and Dogs (England) Regulations 2023, it is a requirement for all dogs to be microchipped by the time they are eight weeks old.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of custodial sentences for perpetrators of (a) animal abuse and (b) animal neglect.
Defra regularly meets the RSPCA and other stakeholders to discuss animal welfare issues affecting the sector including any trends in animal welfare offences. Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is an offence under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. In 2021, the maximum sentence for this offence was increased to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Sentencing decisions in individual cases are entirely a matter for our independent courts. The Sentencing Council have issued guidelines on animal cruelty which are available on its website at: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/crown-court/item/animal-cruelty/.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of creating a registration system for pet dogs.
We have no plans currently to introduce a registration system for pet dogs. Since 2016, all dogs over eight weeks old must be microchipped and registered with a compliant database. A separate registration system for pet dogs is therefore not necessary.
Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the adequacy of regulations on dog breeding licenses.
We know climate change presents challenges to the agricultural sector. The government is offering a New Deal for Farmers to help address this. We are providing farmers and land managers with the support needed to help restore nature, which is vital to safeguard our long-term food security and build resilience to climate change. In the recent spending review we committed to carrying on the transition towards paying to deliver public goods for the environment, with over £7 billion directed into nature’s recovery between 2026 and 2029. This includes environmental farming schemes (£5.9 billion), tree planting (£816 million) and peatland restoration (£85 million). To address the impacts of flooding on farmers and rural communities, we will be investing £4.2 billion over three years in flood defences across the country – an average of £1.4bn each year and a 5% increase compared to the current spending review period
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of granting permissions for shelters to allow the public to adopt stray dogs as a means to reduce the number being euthanised.
The Environmental Protection Act 1990, sets out a minimum hold period of seven days for stray dogs that are brought into shelters. After this time if the owner has not been identified, the dog may be rehomed or humanely euthanised. Under the Act, local authorities have powers in certain circumstances to transfer stray dogs to rehoming centres.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to ensure animal shelters are (a) appropriately registered and (b) operating ethically.
Rescue and rehoming establishments in England must comply with statutory welfare requirements set out in the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Defra engages regularly with stakeholders across the animal welfare sector, including on issues relating to rescue and rehoming practices.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of animal (a) abuse and (b) neglect.
Defra regularly meets the RSPCA and other stakeholders to discuss animal welfare issues affecting the sector including any trends in animal welfare offences. Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is an offence under section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. In 2021, the maximum sentence for this offence was increased to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. Sentencing decisions in individual cases are entirely a matter for our independent courts. The Sentencing Council have issued guidelines on animal cruelty which are available on its website at: https://www.sentencingcouncil.org.uk/offences/crown-court/item/animal-cruelty/.
Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number of stray dogs being euthanised in the latest period for which figures are available.
The Department does not collect data on the euthanasia of stray dogs.The obligations for dealing with stray dogs are laid down in the Environmental Protection Act 1990, and the responsibility for implementing these obligations lies with each local authority.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in levels of reports of waste crime in the East of England in the last two years.
The Environment Agency (EA) recently published new heatmaps showing the densest areas of waste crime reports in England. Through our Plan for Change, this Government will crack down on the waste cowboys, seize and crush fly-tippers’ vans, and clean up Britain. Reports of waste crime to the EA for their East Anglia area over the last 2 years are shown in the table below. QuarterNumber of suspected waste crime reports for East Anglia EA area2023/Q11822023/Q22052023/Q32512023/Q42162024/Q12472024/Q21872024/Q32132024/Q4177Total1678
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the Environment Agency in (a) investigating and (b) prosecuting incidents of large-scale waste crime.
The Environment Agency (EA) is responsible for disrupting and stopping illegal activity through tough enforcement action and prosecution. Defra works closely with the EA to ensure it is equipped to carry out its functions effectively and deliver for the public and the environment. The EA’s total budget for 2025-26 financial year has increased to £2,274 million. This includes £10 million for waste crime enforcement, and for this financial year an additional £5.6 million to tackle waste crime.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to provide long-term protections for badger populations.
The Protection of Badgers Act 1992 prohibits the deliberate killing, injuring or capturing of a wild badger and any interfering with badger setts; and The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 prohibits certain methods of control. Additionally, badger persecution is one of the seven UK wildlife crime priorities, and a UK Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group is in place. This is police led and comprises a range of members including Defra who meet regularly to tackle offences such as badger baiting which is rightly illegal in this country. The government’s view is that anyone found guilty of these offences should be subject to the full force of the law. We have also started work on a comprehensive new bovine TB eradication strategy to drive down TB rates to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods and to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament. As part of this, we have launched the first badger population survey in over a decade to estimate badger abundance and population recovery and are developing a national wildlife surveillance programme to unlock a data-driven approach to deploying TB vaccines and other eradication measures. We are also establishing a Badger Vaccinator Field Force to rapidly scale up vaccination efforts, helping to reduce TB rates and protect badgers.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle trophy hunting imports.
The Government committed to banning the import of hunting trophies in its manifesto and we will deliver on this. Defra continues to engage with relevant stakeholders to ensure that we can deliver a ban on the import of hunting trophies from species of conservation concern in the most effective way.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many prosecutions have been brought for offences related to waste crime in the last five years.
In the five years up to March 2025 the EA has brought 341 prosecutions against companies and individuals for waste crime offences.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help educate (a) the public and (b) landowners on their legal obligations in relation to badger protection.
The UK Badger Persecution Priority Delivery Group, of which Defra is a member, recently re-launched its Operation Badger initiative. Operation Badger aims to increase awareness of the many types of criminal activity such as illegal trapping, poisoning, and sett disturbance that threaten badgers and to educate and encourage reporting of suspected crimes against badgers. Advice on badger protection, legislation and planning is also available on GOV.UK.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to encourage (a) repair, (b) reuse and (c) other waste reduction measures.
This Government is committed to transitioning to a circular economy. We have convened a Circular Economy Taskforce, comprising experts from industry, academia, and civil society, to help develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. The Strategy will map our transition to a circular economy, supported by a series of roadmaps that detail the interventions that the government and others will make on a sector-by-sector basis. Defra recognises that reuse and repair are fundamental tenets of any circular economy, and a successful transition aims to eliminate waste and promote sustainability through reuse and resource efficiency. We will consider the evidence for appropriate action right across the economy as we develop the Strategy.