Written questions by Hayes.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many visits have Ministers in his Department made to farms in Lincolnshire since the announcement of proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief on 30 October 2024.

Defra ministers regularly visit farms in a range of counties and meet with farmers and the wider industry nearly every week.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support (a) South Holland District Council and (b) South Kesteven District Council in reducing fly tipping incidents.

Local authorities have a range of enforcement powers to help them tackle fly-tipping. These include prosecution, which can lead to a significant fine or even imprisonment, and powers to seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers. They can also issue a fixed penalty notice of up to £1,000 to fly-tippers and £600 to householders who pass their waste to an unlicensed waste carrier, the income from which is kept by councils and must be spent on enforcement or cleaning up fly-tipping. We encourage councils to make good use of their enforcement powers and we are currently taking steps to develop statutory guidance on fly-tipping enforcement. We have also announced a review of council powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool.In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course. In the meantime, Defra continues to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities and the Environment Agency, to share good practice on preventing fly-tipping. Various practical tools are available from their webpage which is available at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group#.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to increase the number of apprenticeship starts in his Department.

We remain committed to supporting the use of apprenticeships across all departments as part of this Government’s mission to break down barriers to opportunity. This includes supporting the Government's commitment to 2,000 digital apprenticeships through its TechTrack scheme by 2030 to improve digital skills and drive improvements and efficiency in public services. Additionally, a new cross-Government Level 3 apprenticeship programme in Business Administration, the Civil Service Career Launch Apprenticeship, will see new apprentices kickstart their careers, across various departments, starting from January 2026. In addition, Defra has a group apprenticeship strategy with a clear ambition for year-on-year growth in enrolments. There is a focus on areas where apprenticeships can support organisational priorities, career development for existing staff and addressing key skills gaps. These include:Trailblazer groups related to Asset Management Level 4 and Geoscientist Degree Level 6. Cohorts have been recruited this year, with more planned for 2026.Development of a Soils Scientist Level 7 apprenticeship with first cohorts in 2025.Development of an Environmental Practitioner degree and an Ecology MSc which are recruited to annually. Following a successful pilot of a Data Protection and Information Governance cohort in 2023, plans for recruitment of a second cohort in early 2026 have begun.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure biodiversity net gain as part of National Grid's proposals to build pylons in the Fens as part of the Grimsby to Walpole plans.

The Government's National Policy Statements for energy infrastructure encourage projects to deliver biodiversity net gain. National Grid Electricity Transmission, the developer of Grimsby to Walpole, have committed to deliver at least 10% biodiversity net gain on their construction projects.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government on long term funding solutions for the internal drainage board.

Defra officials are in regular contact with MHCLG officials regarding internal drainage boards (IDBs) and are working together, along with the IDB sector and local authorities, on a new research project. This project will review IDBs’ funding and costs, including considering whether any changes are needed to the IDB funding model. The review is expected to start this summer and will last for around a year. Once it has concluded Defra and MHCLG will consider the findings carefully.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the level of funds invested by Chinese firms in the UK water sector in the next ten years.

The Government recognises the important role of independent regulation in attracting the investment our water sector needs to deliver for both current and future consumers. We are aware there has been investment into the water sector in the UK by Chinese investors. Under Ofwat’s current processes, Ofwat are notified of acquisitions in line with water company licence conditions. Ofwat, as the independent economic regulator, protects the interests of consumers by making sure water companies carry out their statutory functions and are financially resilient as well as holding them to account on overall performance and delivery of essential services. These same standards and licence conditions apply across all water companies, regardless of whether they are owned by foreign or domestic investors.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to designate food security a critical national priority.

Food security is national security. We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers. Our Plan for Change sets out how we are focused on supporting our farmers, supporting rural economic growth and boosting Britain’s food security. Food supply is one of the UK's 14 Critical National Infrastructure sectors. Defra and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) are joint Lead Government Departments (LGDs), with Defra leading on supply and the FSA on food safety. We work closely with the Cabinet Office and other LGDs to ensure food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness, including consideration of dependencies on other sectors.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Rural Payments Agency has offered apprenticeships in each year since 2010.

The Civil Service is committed to using apprenticeships to break down barriers to opportunity, support skills development and deliver more effective public services.Defra Group, including the Rural Payments Agency, has developed a diverse apprenticeship programme, offering a range of apprenticeship standards from Level 3 (equivalent to A-Levels) to Level 7 (equivalent to Masters Level). The apprenticeship offer is used for both external recruitment and development of existing staff.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether OFWAT has offered apprenticeships in each year since 2010.

The Civil Service is committed to using apprenticeships to break down barriers to opportunity, support skills development and deliver more effective public services.OFWAT has made use of apprentices in its workforce since 2014 and recruitment data, where available, has been provided below:Employed as Degree Apprentices:QuantityApprenticeshipStart date End DateTraining provider2Operations (Technology & Infrastructure)Dec 2014Dec 2015South and City College1Professional economist (integrated degree), Level: 6Sep 2024Sep 2028The University of Kent2Project manager (integrated degree), Level: 6Oct 2024Sep 2027University of Exeter2Solicitor, Level: 7Mar 2025Feb 2027DAMAR Ltd1Professional economist (integrated degree), Level: 6Sep 2024Sep 2028The University of KentOfwat Employees who joined Apprenticeship Programmes:1Solicitor, Level: 7Sep 2024Aug 2027DAMAR Ltd1Assistant accountant, Level: 3 (Standard)Sep 2019Sep 2020Solihull College and University Centre1Professional accounting or taxation technician, Level: 4 (Standard)Dec 2020Mar 2022Solihull College and University Centre1Business Administrator, Level: 3 (Standard)Jun 2019Sep 2020QA Ltd1Coaching professional, Level: 5Feb 2022Aug 2022HTP Apprenticeship College Ltd In addition, OFWAT is recruiting for a September 2025 Degree Apprenticeship intake: 2 x Economist, 1 x Chartered Manager, 2 x L7 Solicitor Apprentices

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Forestry Commission has offered apprenticeships since 2010.

The Government is committed to using apprenticeships to break down barriers to opportunity, support skills development and deliver more effective public services. Forestry Commission developed the degree Level 6 Professional Forester Apprenticeship with University of Cumbria and Institute of Chartered Foresters which now has 74 students including 30 from the private or third sectors. The first cohort will finish their apprenticeship in September 2025. Forestry England run a Level 3 in-house apprenticeship (formerly a Level 2) which has had 112 delegates since 2013. An additional 16 delegates have undertaken non-forestry skills apprenticeships including mechanical engineering, finance, HR, visitor services and business support.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of granting protected geographical status for Lincolnshire sausages.

This would require an application and would be subject to the normal process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support farmers no longer able to apply for the Sustainable Farming Incentive.

This Government is proud to have secured the largest budget for sustainable food production in our country’s history, with £5 billion being spent to support farmers over a two-year period. Following the announcement that Defra has closed SFI for the submission of new applications, outstanding eligible applications that have been submitted will be processed. SFI is an important offer, but it is part of a wider package. We remain committed to investing in agri-environment schemes. We plan to launch the new Higher Tier scheme later this year; Capital Grants will re-open in summer 2025; we continue to move forward with Landscape Recovery; and we are increasing payment rates for Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) agreement holders to recognise their ongoing commitment to delivering environmental outcome. Funding from the farming budget also supports the provision of advice within the sector. The Farming Advice Service can assist farmers to review what advice and guidance is available to meet their business needs.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many properties received Farming Recovery Payments in (a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) can confirm that no payments were made to properties under the Farming Recovery payments in a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in (i) 2023 RPA can confirm that 1889 payments were made to properties under the Farming Recovery payments in a) South Holland and the Deepings constituency and (b) Lincolnshire in (ii) 2024.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to support recycling (a) efforts and (b) infrastructure in Lincolnshire.

We are improving recycling services across England through our upcoming Simpler Recycling reforms, which will ensure that across England, people will be able to recycle the same materials, whether at home, work or school. From 1 January 2025 the cost of managing household packaging when it becomes waste was transferred from taxpayers to producers placing that packaging material on the market. PackUK will make payments to local authorities (Approximately £1.4 billion across the UK) to cover the cost of the efficient and effective management of household packaging waste. In England, these payments will help local authorities to fund improvements to household recycling collections, enabling the consistent collection of all dry materials from every household. Additionally, through Simpler Recycling we have disbursed around £318 million of transitional funding to local authorities to support roll out of weekly food waste collections across England. In February 2025, Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) published a Recycling Infrastructure Capacity Analysis with anticipated waste arisings and associated infrastructure needs to 2035; this will support industry and decisions on investment in necessary infrastructure.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of food procured by his Department is sourced in the UK.

Defra does not hold information on where food procured by the department is sourced from. However, for the first time ever, as announced in January and starting right away, the Government will review food currently bought in the public sector and where it is bought from. This work will be a significant first step to inform any future changes to public sector food procurement policies and help make it an equal playing field for British farmers to bid into the £5 billion spent each year on public sector catering contracts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to increase the number of available sites for biodiversity net gain credits in Lincolnshire.

The national Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) register now lists 46 gain sites, covering over 1300 hectares of area habitats in England. Defra also know that there are many more BNG units available in the private market, which will be added to the register. Defra have funded the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) to support Local Planning Authorities with developing local markets, and there are also a growing number of designated responsible bodies, who are able to enter into legal agreements to enhance land for nature with landowners in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what purposes the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. Cefas has used artificial intelligence for applying computer vision and machine learning tools to automate data collection processes. This technology enables us to analyse very large quantities of images and videos that would be impossible to achieve manually. Specific applications include: Analysing real-time images of zooplankton and phytoplankton to assess the state of the marine environment.Assessing drone-captured images of beaches to determine the scale and nature of plastic pollution.Supporting fisheries stock assessments through Remote Electronic Monitoring by analysing industry-captured images of catch.Analysing video footage to identify and count Sea Pen stocks to inform their management.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to put the Government’s target for 50% of public procurement for food to be locally sourced on a statutory footing.

We are committed to opening up public sector supply chains to a wider range of companies, particularly small and medium-sized (SME) businesses, including farmers. Increasing the diversity of supply will better support local economies, increase resilience, and encourage food producers to innovate. We are considering the policy options available to deliver these aims. Any future policies will be informed by the review of the provenance of food sourced by the public sector, announced recently.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what purposes the Environment Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. The Environment Agency uses artificial intelligence for a number of purposes: We use ‘Hello Lamp Post’, an AI powered chat bot to support our work by sharing information with the public about our role, the benefits our assets provide, information specific to our flood defence projects, and to engage the public in conversations about resilience and adaptation to flooding and coastal change. We have been part of Microsoft Copilot trials investigating the role it can play in achieving productivity gains across the Environment Agency. We also have several ongoing theoretical investigations and practical pilot projects to explore further uses of AI and Machine Learning within the Environment Agency. We draw from a range of existing government guidance to inform our usage and development of AI solutions. This includes the AI playbook for UK Government, Ethics, Transparency and Accountability Framework, the Data Ethics Framework, the AI Opportunities Action Plan and the Algorithmic Transparency Recording Standard. We also have access to the Government Digital Service, part of the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology, for expert advice.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what purposes the Animal and Plant Health Agency has used artificial intelligence in the last 12 months.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is at the heart of the Government’s plan to kickstart an era of economic growth, transform how we deliver public services, and boost living standards for working people across the country. In the last 12 months, APHA have participated in a cross-government trial of Microsoft Co-pilot. The trial involved a small number of APHA staff using Microsoft Co Pilot to test functionality and identify opportunities for improving how services are delivered. Participants were from the project delivery profession and used the co-pilot software to summarise meeting actions, transcribe key points, and to develop presentations. The insights from these trials are being collated across Defra and are informing future years’ business planning conversations.