Written questions by Kirkham.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to restore the Agricultural Workers’ Board.

We currently have no plans to restore the Agricultural Wages Board.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timeframe is for making a decision on increasing the minimum landing size of Fal oysters.

Defra agreed to the proposal by the Cornwall Inshore Fisheries Conservation Authority to increase the minimum landing size of Fal oysters on 21 July 2025. Cornwall IFCA has been informed and further engagement on this issue with relevant stakeholders will take place in the coming weeks.

Food and Rural Affairs, how he plans to work with international partners to support lower-income countries in meeting Global Plastics Treaty obligations.

We recognise the importance of mobilising support for countries most in need to implement the agreement and that this is an essential element for an effective treaty to end plastic pollution. The Government supports the use of the Global Environment Facility to support the implementation of the treaty – this will avoid further fragmentation of the environmental financial architecture and to allow for synergies with funding for the related challenges of climate and nature. The UK has supported developing countries to attend the negotiations and regional consultation meetings, including through a £200,000 uplift ahead of INC-5.2, bringing the total of UK support for the treaty process to £2.2 million. The UK is also the largest donor (£20.5 million) to the Global Plastic Action Partnership (GPAP), which bring together governments, businesses, and civil society to tackle plastic pollution and increase investment in the circular economy in ODA-eligible countries. Members across GPAP’s networks have committed a total US$2.9 billion to plastic pollution initiatives as of March 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK is taking steps to align its domestic circular economy strategy with the Global Plastics Treaty's likely obligations including (a) packaging reform and (b) waste reduction targets.

The Government has set its plan for providing the direction and certainty for businesses to plan and spearhead the nation’s transition to a truly circular and future-proof economy. The first six priority sectors that the Circular Economy Taskforce will focus on have been confirmed – with chemicals & plastics one of the six. Global action is critical for our domestic and international ambitions which is why at inc 5.2, we will continue to push for ambitious measures across the whole lifecycle of the treaty. After negotiations conclude we will reflect on what this means for our domestic policy to ensure the UK continues to show leadership domestically and on the international stage.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle the health risks posed by (a) microplastics and (b) plastic-related toxins to (i) people and (ii) ecosystems.

Under the 2022/23 UK REACH Work Programme, Defra initiated a research proposal to investigate the risks of intentionally added microplastics. The evidence project has reviewed their emissions, and the risks they pose both to human health and the environment. It also included a socio-economic assessment. Defra published this report on 12 May 2025. Defra and the Welsh and Scottish Governments are considering its findings. The Environment Agency (EA) has identified areas of key research that will assist policymakers in developing targeted, proportionate, and effective interventions to minimise the impacts of microplastics on the environment. The EA continues to support the water industry and National Highways with microplastics investigations and options appraisal for minimising microplastics releases from infrastructure. Additional collaboration with academia ensures understanding of environmental risk and regulatory development is informed by strong scientific evidence.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to (a) support and (b) incentivise the adoption of (i) lower impact and (ii) highly selective fishing methods in UK waters; and whether he plans to reform the gear approval process to reduce barriers to innovation.

We strongly support the use of gear that is more selective and which lowers the environmental impacts. We have been promoting this through a number of routes, including fisheries funding, measures introduced through annual consultations and negotiations with the EU and other coastal states, and through our Fisheries Management Plan programme. The Seafish Industry Authority (“Seafish”) are currently looking at how to overcome barriers to the adoption of new gear. In order to achieve maximum conservation benefits, and to be in line with international best practice, it is crucial that any approval processes are robust and are based on the best available scientific evidence.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of a replacement to the Fruit and Vegetables Aid Scheme.

Legislation was introduced in July 2023 that prevents English Producer Organisations submitting new operational programmes and the extension of existing programmes that would end on or after 1 January 2026. This effectively closed the scheme in England.Our approach to future funding for horticulture will be considered alongside Defra’s work to simplify and rationalise agricultural grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature, and we are going further to develop a 25-year farming roadmap to make the sector more profitable in the decades to come. Horticulture will also be considered within our new food strategy, to develop a food system that unlocks the food sector’s economic potential, strengthens food security, tackles obesity so we can give our children the best start in life, and protects our planet for future generations.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to align the UK with EU regulatory protections for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances in his revised Environmental Improvement Plan.

The revised EIP, which will be published later this year, will set out action the government is taking to address environment risks from chemicals, including PFAS. We have reset our relations with our European partners, and we now need to use our strengthened relations to deliver a long-term UK-EU strategic partnership. However, it is too early to comment on the outcome of discussions linked to the UK/EU Summit that takes place on 19 May.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the new Food Strategy Advisory Board will make assessment of the merits of the association between higher consumption of ultra-processed foods and adverse health outcomes.

The Food Strategy Advisory Board will stress test ideas and provide advice to shape the outcomes the food strategy should deliver, including looking at ways of improving health outcomes.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of making (a) fipronil and (b) imidacloprid prescription-only.

Parasiticides containing imidacloprid and fipronil play a crucial role in protecting animal and human health against fleas, ticks, and the diseases they spread. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) also acknowledges concerns raised about their presence in the environment. The VMD is gathering evidence on the environmental impact of flea and tick treatments and has led in establishing the cross-government Pharmaceuticals in the Environment (PiE) Group, which has developed a roadmap to help reduce levels of fipronil and imidacloprid in UK surface waters. The immediate priority is to work with stakeholders to promote appropriate use of topical parasiticides for pets, aiming to reduce environmental impacts. Beyond this, actions focus on building our evidence base to inform future policy activities. While we continue to assess emerging evidence, we consider it essential that these treatments remain appropriately accessible to all pet owners that may need them, in order to effectively manage parasitic disease, which has implications for animal welfare and human health. Therefore, at this stage, there are no plans to restrict flea and tick treatments to prescription. Any future regulatory decisions will be based on robust scientific evidence to ensure both environmental protection and continued access to essential veterinary medicines for pet owners.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department undertook research on Extended Producer Responsibility schemes in other countries during the design of the proposed weight-related fee structure for his proposed scheme.

Defra has engaged with and sought to learn from a range of schemes in Europe and further afield in the design of our pEPR scheme, both in the development of policy and implementation of the scheme. As a result, our approach limits producers’ costs to those of efficient and effective collection systems and apportions these between materials based on the costs of their management using appropriate weight and volume-based metrics. This is in line with international good practice.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the proposed Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on the number of producers switching from glass to plastic packaging.

We have considered feedback from all material sectors, which has included including feedback from the glass sector on the risks of material switching towards plastic and fibre-based composite packaging. We have received limited evidence of decisions to investigate or implement switching. The evidence received indicates expected lead time for major products of at least one to two years to implement any decisions. We continue to engage with the glass sector on reuse which will bring environmental benefits and a reduction in EPR liabilities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of managed realignment in the shore management plan on coastal (a) businesses and (b) facilities.

We are committed to supporting coastal communities and ensuring flood and coastal erosion risk management is fit for the challenges we face now and in the future. Shoreline Management Plans (SMPs) are developed and owned by the local councils and coastal protection authorities. These provide long-term strategic plans which identify approaches for managing the flood and coastal erosion risks at every stretch of coastline. SMPs have recently been refreshed with updated action plans. This follows several years of collaborative work between the Environment Agency and coastal groups. The recently updated National Coastal Erosion Risk Map for England (NCERM) provides the most up to date national picture of current and future coastal erosion risk for England. This is based on a further ten years of coastal monitoring data, the latest climate change evidence and technical input from coastal local authorities. It will support and inform local decision making.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is considering an exemption to the new Extended Producer Responsibility for packing regulations for closed loop systems.

The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, which reform the UK’s producer responsibility system for packaging came into force on 1 January 2025. Extended Producer Responsibility is a major reform that will be iterated over several years to incentivise packaging producers to reduce their material footprint and use more recyclable packaging. We are considering further improvements to the scheme, including how to treat businesses which run closed loop recycling systems for packaging that is commonly collected by Local Authorities, and my officials are reviewing options to bring forward an offset for closed loop recycling systems at the earliest opportunity.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of changing the criteria of the proposed EPR fee tariff to a units-based metric.

The Government is not considering the adoption of a units-based metric. In accordance with the Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024, Extender Producer Responsibility disposal fees for packaging are calculated in £ per tonne of household packaging placed on the market. Producers report the packaging they supply on a weight basis, and the costs for managing different material types, such as glass, are apportioned according to relevant cost drivers for their collection and management, including the volume of the container in bins and collection vehicles. This ensures the fair apportionment of costs between material types in line with the regulations.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to publish the results of the fairer food labelling consultation.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Stoke-on-Trent Central, Gareth Snell on 23 December 2024, PQ 20692.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support she is giving to gleaning organisations as a method to help reduce on-farm food waste.

Food redistribution charities in England can apply for a new £15 million Government scheme to help get surplus food from farms to those in need. Applications are welcome from the gleaning community before the deadline of 13 March 2025. More information about the fund and supporting guidance about how to apply can be found here on the Defra eCommercial System.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether extended producer responsibility will apply to sales from January 2024 or from April 2025.

No, a producer will only be liable for pEPR fees during assessment years that run from the 1 April to 31 March, if they meet the regulations definitions of a Producer on the 1 April, or any part of that assessment year. Only when a producer meets these definitions in all or any part of assessment year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026 will they be liable for pEPR fees. Packaging placed on the market data provided by a producer in the previous calendar year (2024) will be used to determine their share of pEPR fees during the assessment year 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether Natural England plans to reintroduce beavers into the wild in 2025.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra are continuing to work with Natural England to develop our approach to beaver reintroductions and management in England. Further information on this will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the financial viability of National Landscapes.

This Government is committed to empowering Protected Landscapes to become greener, wilder, and more accessible to all. We understand the uncertainty around resourcing remains a challenge for Protected Landscapes bodies like National Landscapes. Defra business planning is ongoing and we will communicate the outcomes of this as soon as possible.