Written questions by Toale.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to ensure that veterinary practices are subject to effective regulation.

On 28 January, Defra launched its consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 (VSA). At present, the VSA only allows voluntary accreditation of veterinary practices, which 70% of practices have agreed to. Our consultation proposes mandatory regulation of veterinary practices where each practice would need a licence to remain open. This proposal has been co-developed with key stakeholders, including the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS). Additionally, the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) are finalising a market investigation into veterinary services for household pets – subject to the CMA’s final report, veterinary practices will need to be more transparent on pricing, make pricelists available and ensure owners are aware of their rights to get written prescriptions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to prevent low-welfare producers from evading labelling requirements.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. An underpinning rule of existing legislation is that food information, whether it be mandatory or is provided voluntarily, must not mislead. We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to introduce mandatory method of production labelling for (a) chicken and (b) other livestock products.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. An underpinning rule of existing legislation is that food information, whether it be mandatory or is provided voluntarily, must not mislead. We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure clearer information on welfare standards in food labelling.

The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. All food sold on the UK market must comply with food labelling rules, which include the requirement for specific information to be presented in a specific way. An underpinning rule of existing legislation is that food information, whether it be mandatory or is provided voluntarily, must not mislead. We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on meeting the World Health Organization's 2021 global air quality guidelines.

The Government is committed to cleaning up our air. We consider the World Health Organization's guidelines when reviewing our own targets and are making progress towards meeting them. We publish our progress against our current targets in the Air Pollution in the UK report each September, and last week we published updated statistics on air pollution concentrations in 2024 based on our monitoring data.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of poor air quality on marginalised communities.

This is an issue that Defra takes seriously, which is why we commissioned our independent Air Quality Expert Group (AQEG) to examine the evidence on air pollution disparities across different communities and regions in the UK. Their report demonstrates spatial differences in pollution emissions and concentrations, evidencing that low income and deprived communities often live in areas with higher air pollution concentrations and higher local emissions, and highlighting links between lower quality of housing and increased exposure to indoor air pollution. The report provides a number of recommendations to address this complex challenge, which the department is now considering.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made on reducing levels of (a) long-term and (b) short-term exposure to air pollution.

Long-term and short-term exposure to most air pollutants has reduced over the past 20 years. Significant reductions in annual average concentrations of nitrogen dioxide and particulate matter have been achieved over this period. More information on these can be found in our annual Air Quality Accredited Official Statistic publication: Air quality statistics - GOV.UK/

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of reducing impact risk zones around (a) sites of special scientific interest and (b) special areas of conservation to support appropriate development.

Impact Risk Zones (IRZs) are a digital geographical information tool developed by Natural England to help Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) assess the potential risks to Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) from development proposals. They also cover Habitat Sites that are underpinned by a terrestrial SSSI designation, including Special Areas of Conservation. Natural England supports the delivery of sustainable development by providing advice to LPAs on how to protect and enhance the natural environment. The IRZ tool helps LPAs know when to consult Natural England for advice and is designed to aid better spatial planning and early consideration of the risks to SSSIs to reduce delays in the planning process. Natural England is satisfied that the zones provide appropriate advice to LPAs but continues to review the evidence that underpins the IRZs to ensure it reflects the latest understanding of SSSI sensitivities.