Written questions by Kirkham.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to maximise UK food security in the context of climate instability.

Steps being taken to maximise food security in the context of climate instability include: An £11.8 billion allocation to deliver sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. This includes increasing spend on nature-friendly farming, with Environmental Land Management Schemes to £2bn by 2028/29. £120 million in funding, starting this year, to improve productivity, trial new technologies and drive innovation across the agricultural sector. £70 million of this funding has been allocated to Farming Innovation Programme grants, supporting investment in new technologies to boost Britain’s food security. Defra investment, with the Met Office Hadley Centre, in the Food, Farming and the Natural Environment programme strengthen the evidence base on adaptation options and identify and evaluate key adaptation measures to improve agri-food sector, resilience.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan.

Defra is preparing a Sector Growth Plan for the horticulture sector, following the first meeting of the Farming and Food Partnership Board in March. Defra officials are meeting with horticulture sector experts to shape an industry-led, sector-owned plan that brings together Government and industry expertise. The plan will identify key industry challenges and opportunities to boost productivity and profitability, while cutting environmental impact, and taking into account market realities and government priorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will make it his policy to use the mandatory Adaptation Reporting Power regularly.

We are reviewing our approach to the Adaptation Reporting Power ahead of the fifth round of reporting, due 2026–2029. This work includes a synthesis of past rounds and other relevant reporting regimes, and an evaluation of the costs and benefits of the previous round. Taking these outputs into account, Defra will be consulting shortly on the approach to the next round of reporting. We will publish the supporting evidence alongside this.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will confirm whether fur falls outside of scope of the UK/EU SPS Agreement as it was not listed in the recently published UK-EU SPS Agreement - Legislation in scope document.

As part of the UK‑EU SPS Agreement currently being negotiated, the Government is making a sovereign choice in the national interest to align in some areas where it makes sense to do so, as set out in the Government’s recently published announcement on legislation in scope. The announcement reflected the UK’s current view of what is in scope and remains subject to change as negotiations progress with the EU. While those discussions are ongoing, we cannot provide a running commentary or speculate on the scope of the agreement, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has assessed the potential merits of amending the user risk mitigation advice for spot-on pet treatments to include all sources of the potential impact of short and long term exposure in households where pets are treated routinely, including on children.

Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs) undergo a product-specific user risk assessment that considers all those that may come into contact with the medicine, including adults and children. This assessment considers the identified hazards of the medicine, the likely exposure to adults and children when VMPs are used as recommended and concludes on the likely risks to humans. The identified risks are mitigated using appropriate packaging and user safety warnings on the product information supplied with the medicines. Once authorised for marketing, pharmacovigilance reporting provides further data from use of these medicines in real-world situations, and these data are used to consider any changes required to reduce identified risks, such as updating the user safety warnings. If a concern with the current mitigations is identified, then the advice can be updated.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has assessed the potential merits of asking the VMD to reduce the unrestricted use of spot-on pet treatments by re-classifying them from general sales to POM-V.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is responsible for setting legal distribution categories for veterinary medicines and must balance animal health and welfare, public health, environmental protection and access to treatment. Many flea and tick products containing fipronil and imidacloprid are currently classified as AVM‑GSL, allowing supply without professional advice. In light of environmental evidence, the VMD is undertaking an evidence‑based review of the distribution categories for these products. This includes considering whether requiring professional advice at the point of sale, through a minimum classification of NFA‑VPS, could help reduce environmental risk while maintaining access for pet owners. Further details on this review will be available in early 2026. Any future regulatory decisions will follow a transparent, consultative process and will be based on robust scientific evidence, with animal welfare remaining paramount.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the VMD has made with its roadmap to help address the presence of chemicals from pet flea and tick treatments in UK waterways.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) leads the cross‑government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group and is taking forward a programme of work to address the presence of chemicals from pet flea and tick treatments in UK waterways. In response to detections of fipronil and imidacloprid above toxicity thresholds for aquatic invertebrates, the VMD published a roadmap setting out planned actions. Progress includes holding the first PiE stakeholder workshop in Summer 2025, commissioning research on pet owner behaviours and exposure modelling, and working with environment agencies to improve monitoring data consistency. The VMD is also undertaking an evidence‑based review of the legal distribution categories for products containing these substances and contributing to international work to consider updates to environmental risk assessment approaches.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish the response to the Stage 3 consultation on managing bottom trawl fishing in 41 English marine protected areas.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for Ely and East Cambridgeshire on 13 November 2025, PQ 88509.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered requiring pet products containing pesticides that are sold off the shelf to the public to provide explicit (a) advice and (b) warnings of their potential impacts on the environment at the point of sale.

The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) is aware of stakeholder concerns regarding veterinary medicines that can be sold without a prescription and are available from general retailers (AVM-GSL distribution category) for some companion animal flea and tick products. A review of this distribution category for these products remains an option that the VMD is considering in order to assess the requirements for advice and environmental warnings at the point of sale.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the planned timescales are for the action points in the Cross-government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment Group Roadmap on addressing levels of fipronil and imidacloprid detected in UK waterways; and how she plans to measure their levels of success.

The Cross-government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group Roadmap sets out a phased approach to addressing the presence of fipronil and imidacloprid in UK waterways. It outlines three broad categories of action: immediate efforts focused on communication and education; medium-term actions centred on evidence gathering; and longer-term regulatory interventions. To ensure the roadmap remains responsive to emerging evidence and evolving priorities, the timelines have been intentionally kept broad. This flexibility is essential to allow the programme to adapt to new challenges or opportunities as they arise. While we have indicative timeframes, i.e. immediate actions are expected to show significant progress within a year, medium-term actions within five years, and longer-term actions will be shaped by the evidence gathered during the medium term, we recognise that agility is key. In particular, the longer-term regulatory actions will require careful consideration of the evidence base as it develops. Success will be measured through progress against roadmap actions, including delivery of stakeholder engagement, improved guidance, and evidence outputs. In addition, environmental monitoring, led by the relevant UK environment agencies, will track levels of fipronil and imidacloprid in surface waters over time. Collectively, these measures will help assess the effectiveness of stewardship efforts and guide future regulatory decisions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to support fishers to adopt innovative gear with proven selectivity benefits.

As a member of the UK Gear forum, Defra will continue working with the fisheries administrations and industry to promote the commercial uptake of innovative fishing gear. Together, we are exploring opportunities to overcome barriers to the adoption of more selective gear types. Defra will work with industry to explore how the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund can be used to target investment where it matters most, which could include investment in new technology and equipment to modernise our fishing fleet.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with devolved fisheries administrations on a coordinated approach to supporting the commercial uptake of innovative fishing gear.

Defra is engaging with the devolved fisheries administrations through the UK Gear Forum to identify opportunities for joint action, including potential funding routes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to implement the recommendations of the report by Seafish entitled Supporting the Commercial Uptake of Innovative Fishing Gear, published on 10 September 2025.

The results of this Defra funded report provides a useful insight into the issues and potential barriers to the adoption of more selective fishing gear. The UK fisheries administrations encourage the commercial uptake of innovative fishing gear and will work together to explore how to unlock the barriers to the take up of more selective gears, which this report can inform on. Defra remains committed to keeping the dialogue open with industry partners and our partners in the devolved Governments. Defra will continue to support the use of trials of new innovative and selective fishing gear. Where a trial clearly demonstrates that the new fishing gear is shown to minimise the wider impact on the marine environment and reduces unwanted bycatch, Defra will look to make the necessary changes to regulations to facilitate this change.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to establish a registration scheme for UK vessels to provide ring-fenced funds to tackle the issue of abandoned end of life boats.

The Government recognises that end of life recreational vessels are a source of litter and pollution when abandoned and is leading an action in the OSPAR Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter to improve the management of end-of-life recreational vessels. As part of this work, the Government commissioned research on the number of vessels reaching end-of-life across the North East Atlantic area, and on policy options to reduce the issue of marine litter from abandoned vessels. This research is being used to inform the development of best practice guidance.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help tackle the issue of abandoned boats in UK rivers.

Responsibility for operational matters on regulated rivers rests with the navigation authorities that own them and includes dealing with abandoned boats. The Government does not have a role in that. Navigation authorities have statutory powers to remove such boats when they deem it necessary and appropriate, but only statutory duties to do so where they present an environmental or navigation risk. Where there is no navigation authority for a river, responsibility for removing boats falls to riparian landowners and local authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether new Sustainable Farming Incentives will take into account the potential impacts of grazing moorland on controlling monocultures.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers and land managers to carry out actions that support the sustainable production of food and boost farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and enhancing the environment. Upland farmers play a key role in delivering sustainable food production and our environmental targets. We will provide further details about the reformed SFI offer later this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, on what evidential basis reducing the number of (a) Dartmoor ponies and (b) other livestock will effectively control overgrazing on Dartmoor.

All prospective Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme offers have been assessed for their potential impact against a range of environmental and cultural services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity indicators. These have included qualitative assessments, drawing upon expert opinion and evidence reviews, as well as quantitative assessments, drawing upon published datasets. Through the new Countryside Stewardship Hier Tier offer we will be providing payment for grazing with both cattle and ponies and making both cattle and ponies eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. We are thereby removing the competition between the two as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We have also made it clear within the new offer that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, in recognition that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances. We cannot, exclude either cattle or ponies from stocking density calculations. All livestock contribute to the overall grazing pressure exerted on moorland. On some moorland habitats (such as peatland), it is necessary to graze with low stocking densities to support habitat restoration and maintenance. If any livestock are excluded from the stocking density calculation, then over grazing would result. This would prevent us achieving desired improvements in habitat condition.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to protect Dartmoor ponies.

In Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier, now open for applications, we have removed the competition between cattle and ponies as recommended in the Dartmoor review. We provide payment for grazing with both, and both are eligible under the native breeds at risk supplement. The new offer also clarifies that ponies are exempt from stock removal requirements, recognising that removal of ponies from moorland is neither feasible nor desirable in most circumstances. The moorland offer will be subject to monitoring and evaluation. Any change in the pony population during this time will be investigated and further mitigations will be explored if necessary. In addition to monitoring the moorland offer, Defra supports conservation of livestock and equines, including the Dartmoor Pony, by monitoring populations of native breeds, with data published in the annual UK National Breed inventory. Defra also protects eligible native breeds at risk from culling during notifiable disease outbreaks.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of marine licensing on marine nature targets.

Marine licensing is an important enabler for meeting marine nature targets, including our Environment Improvement Plan targets to ensure that 70% of designated features in MPAs are in favourable condition by 2042 and the remainder in recovering condition, as well as protecting 30% of UK waters by 2030. The marine licensing regime supports the delivery of these targets through assessing the impacts of licensable activities on the environment before determining if a licence will be granted, along with determining how any impacts can be managed and mitigated where activities go ahead.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of marine licensing on (a) conservation and (b) nature restoration.

The marine licensing regime plays a key role in the protection and conservation of the marine environment. All individual licence applications are assessed in line with Marine Plans and relevant nature legislation. Marine licensing aims to facilitate the sustainable use of the marine environment so that activities can be permitted whilst minimising any environmental impacts. Specific assessments may be required as part of a licence decision, depending on the activity and location, such as a Habitats Regulations Assessment or Environmental Impact Assessment, to determine whether a plan or proposal could have impacts on the marine environment, including on protected sites and species, and how such impacts will be managed.