Written questions by Kirkham.

Food and Rural Affairs, what his timetable is for proposed reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013.

Defra and the Welsh Government have concluded a six-week consultation on proposed reforms to the Bathing Water Regulations 2013, which closed on 23 December. In this consultation, we asked for responses to three core reforms and nine technical amendments and called for evidence on two wider reforms for potential future development. We encouraged all parties to respond to the consultation to ensure a balanced and representative response. A Government response, outlining next steps, will be issued in due course following the analysis of responses.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will (a) bring forward legislative proposals to (i) formally recognise, (ii) protect and (iii) otherwise support the management of Cornish hedges and (b) provide funding for such

Certain hedgerows are protected from removal under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 if they meet specific criteria. The Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024 introduced management rules into domestic legislation to protect hedgerows on land use...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of (a) hunting with hounds and (b) trail hunting on rural communities.

This is a devolved matter with regard to Scotland and Northern Ireland; hunting with dogs is a reserved matter with respect to Wales and therefore, the information provided relates to England and Wales only. The Government is committed to banning trail hu...

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will review the use of exemptions within the Hunting Act 2004 for stag hunting.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans in a generation to improve animal welfare and that is exactly what we will do. The Government has already committed to a ban on trail hunting which will provide significant pro...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to (a) reopen and (b) create new (i) Sustainable Farming Incentives and (ii) capital grants to replace previous ones for (A) herbal lays, (B) fencing and

We have not closed the Sustainable Farming Incentive schemes, in fact there are over 60,000 live applications currently open. Due to an overwhelming demand for some capital items, applications for standalone capital grants were temporarily closed to new a...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the Farming Resilience Fund beyond March 2025, in the context of phasing out the Basic Payment Scheme.

The Farming Resilience Fund (FRF) was developed to help farmers through the early years of the Agricultural Transition, specifically to assist farm businesses to adapt to the initial reductions in the Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) by providing specialist bus...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of expanding schemes to reintroduce beavers into the wild.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Yes, assessments of the potential merits of beaver reintroductions in England have been made. Most notably, beginning in 2015, a 5-year trial for beaver wild releas...

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 October 2024 to Question 7677 on Shellfish, what his planned timeline is for making this decision.

Defra is currently reviewing Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority (IFCA’s) proposal to increase the minimum landing size of native oysters under the Fal Fishery Order 2016. A decision will be made once the review is complete.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase the minimum landing size of Fal oysters from 67 to 72mm.

The Cornwall Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority have written to the Defra asking for approval of their request to increase the minimum landing size of native oysters under the Fal Fishery Order 2016. This request and the evidence for making the ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to prevent the use of neonicotinoid pesticides in off-the-shelf pet treatments.

Whilst these substances have been authorised for pesticide use, their use in animals requires authorisation as veterinary medicinal products under a different legislative framework with differing factors coming into consideration. Parasiticides, such as t...

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that (a) vets and pet owners have access to advice on the responsible use of pet parasiticides and (b) the (i) packaging, (ii) usage guidance and (iii)

The packing for the product and supporting product literature for veterinary medicines includes information on how to use the product as well as comprehensive safety information, including environmental safety, to ensure all potential risks are clearly co...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he plans to take to reduce the levels of fipronil and imidacloprid in UK waters.

The Government and Regulators are engaging with pharmaceutical companies to improve information on use and disposal of their products to help minimise the risk to the environment and human health. The Environment Agency (EA) is also working with the Royal...