Written questions by McCarthy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that public sector food procurement meets the proposed requirement for 50% of food spend to meet higher environmental and welfare standards.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on updating Government Buying Standards relating to food procurement.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on introducing clearer country-of-origin and method-of-production food labelling to support higher animal welfare standards since the Government response to the Fairer Food Labelling consultation.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, which public bodies will be required to comply with the revised Government Buying Standards for food and catering services.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the forthcoming Circular Economy Strategy will include proposals to introduce Extended Producer Responsibility for the textiles sector.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she will bring forward regulations under the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to support stable governance for private investment in nature markets.

The Government is committed to scaling stable, high integrity markets to mobilise investment in nature recovery and sustainable farming. As detailed in the Summary of Responses to the consultation on Voluntary Carbon and Nature Market integrity, simple an...

Food and Rural Affairs, when the Circular Economy Growth Plan will be published.

This Government is committed to transitioning towards a circular economy where resources are kept in use for longer and waste is designed out. This systemic change, with investment in green jobs and vital infrastructure, builds a path to economic growth, ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the scaling up of innovative, low-cost technologies, including fungal filtration, to reduce pollutants such as E. coli, phosphorus and ni

Funding for Environmental Land Management Schemes will increase by 150% from £800 million in 23/24 to £2 billion by 28/29 and we are working actively to target this to help address water pollution, protect nature, and support thriving biodiversity across ...

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will include representation from the organic and sustainable farming sector on the Farming and Food Partnership Board.

The first meeting of the Farming and Food Partnership Board took place on 25 March 2026 with an initial membership of seven industry leads and experts. This initial group includes representation across farming and food as well as the retail and out of home markets. The first meeting considered the need for additional members ahead of the next Board meeting. The first meeting also agreed task and finish sub-groups would be useful to help deliver the Board’s mission and objectives, alongside the sector groups developing Sector Growth Plans. Defra expects the nature of these task and finish groups to emerge as the Board gets into its work plan for the coming year. These groups will provide an opportunity for a wider range of stakeholders to engage with the work of the Board, and that could include organic and sustainable farming representation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the risk that jumbo flying squid imported from fisheries in the South Pacific and Argentine shortfin squid imported from the South West Atlantic may be linked to illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and human rights abuses.

The Government is committed to tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and addressing associated human rights abuses in global seafood supply chains. The UK has robust regulations in place, including catch certification and traceability requirements, to prevent fish caught through IUU practices from entering the UK market. The Government currently has no plans to increase specific scrutiny of squid imports from China, nor have we undertaken a species‑specific risk assessment of jumbo flying squid or Argentine shortfin squid. This reflects our assessment that existing controls apply equally across relevant imports and provide appropriate safeguards proportionate to the level of risk identified. Defra will keep its approach under review. In relation to the South-West Atlantic, Defra continues to seek progress on establishing more coordinated management of high seas fishing activity through relevant international fora. The Government liaise closely with the Falklands Islands Government in relation to this.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that expertise in sustainability, agroecology, and nature friendly farming is incorporated into the development of the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan integrates expertise in sustainability, agroecology and nature friendly farming. This expertise will shape the plan’s approach to productivity, innovation and nature friendly farming, including the transition away from peat. Delivering this transition will require the appropriate primary legislative and supporting mechanisms to be in place to provide a clear and enforceable basis. The establishment of the new Farming and Food Partnership Board and its oversight of sector growth plans is a key part of that process. Following its first meeting, the Board has invited the Horticulture Expert Growers Group to work with the Fruit & Veg Coalition and the Environmental Horticulture Group and immediately begin work on the first Sector Growth Plan for the horticultural sector. This will ensure that the expertise and insights of the horticultural industry are fully considered by the Board.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the commitment to phase out the use of peat in horticulture is included in the sector growth plans for horticulture.

The Government is committed to ensuring that the Horticulture Sector Growth Plan integrates expertise in sustainability, agroecology and nature friendly farming. This expertise will shape the plan’s approach to productivity, innovation and nature friendly farming, including the transition away from peat. Delivering this transition will require the appropriate primary legislative and supporting mechanisms to be in place to provide a clear and enforceable basis. The establishment of the new Farming and Food Partnership Board and its oversight of sector growth plans is a key part of that process. Following its first meeting, the Board has invited the Horticulture Expert Growers Group to work with the Fruit & Veg Coalition and the Environmental Horticulture Group and immediately begin work on the first Sector Growth Plan for the horticultural sector. This will ensure that the expertise and insights of the horticultural industry are fully considered by the Board.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to increase scrutiny of squid imports from China.

The Government is committed to tackling illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing and addressing associated human rights abuses in global seafood supply chains. The UK has robust regulations in place, including catch certification and traceability requirements, to prevent fish caught through IUU practices from entering the UK market. The Government currently has no plans to increase specific scrutiny of squid imports from China, nor have we undertaken a species‑specific risk assessment of jumbo flying squid or Argentine shortfin squid. This reflects our assessment that existing controls apply equally across relevant imports and provide appropriate safeguards proportionate to the level of risk identified. Defra will keep its approach under review. In relation to the South-West Atlantic, Defra continues to seek progress on establishing more coordinated management of high seas fishing activity through relevant international fora. The Government liaise closely with the Falklands Islands Government in relation to this.

Food and Rural Affairs, what cross-government work her Department is undertaking to mitigate the risk of food shortages, supply chain disruption and food price inflation arising from global ecosystem collapse.

The UK has a resilient food supply chain and is equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Food security is built on supply from diverse sources, strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. Whilst the UK has a high degree of food security, the UK Food Security Report 2024 shows that food security cannot be taken for granted. Climate and geopolitical volatility have weakened aspects of food supply stability since 2021, although food availability or the quantity of food available to the UK has been maintained thanks to continued resilience in food production and the global trading system. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her department has made of the cost to local authorities of separating and incinerating waste upholstered domestic seating due to the presence of chemical flame retardants.

The Stockholm Convention on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs), to which the UK is party, requires that waste containing POPs above certain thresholds be destroyed, rather than landfilled. Research by the Environment Agency (EA) in 2021 revealed that waste upholstered domestic seating contains POP flame retardant chemicals above the legal thresholds. Local authorities are responsible for managing this waste in accordance with legal requirements, and they would hold information on their costs of doing so.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to align with EU REACH regulatory protections from chemical flame retardants.

The revised Environmental Improvement Plan, published 1 December 2025, includes a commitment to reform UK REACH, to enable protections that address chemical pollution to be applied more quickly, efficiently and in a way that is more aligned with our closest trading partners, especially the EU, by December 2028.

Food and Rural Affairs, what legislative steps she is taking to introduce regulations under section 116 and Schedule 17 of the Environment Act 2021 on forest risk commodities in commercial activity.

The UK recognises the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. The Government is carefully considering the best regulatory approach to address deforestation in UK supply chains; we will set out this approach in due course. We need to balance a range of factors, including the broader policy landscape and relevant international frameworks.

Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from businesses on clarity on forest risk commodities regulation.

We recognise the urgency of taking action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation. We also recognise that this sense of urgency and need for clarity is shared by business. This Government believes it is at its best when it works in partnership with business, civil society, trade unions, and communities. We will set out our approach to address deforestation in the UK’s supply chains in due course and engage with stakeholders on this approach.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase production of domestic fruit, vegetables, pulses and legumes to strengthen the UK’s food security, in light of the findings of the National Security Assessment on Global Ecosystems report.

The Government is committed to the horticulture sector and its role in providing fresh home‑grown produce that helps to feed the nation. In December 2025, the Secretary of State announced the Farming & Food Partnership Board in response to the independent Farming Profitability Review led by Baroness Minette Batters. The Board will bring together farming, food, retail, finance and Government to take a strategic farm‑to‑fork approach to improving farming profitability and strengthening UK food production. It will oversee sector plans aimed at boosting productivity, reducing costs and opening new markets in ways that support health and environmental goals, with the first plan focused on the horticulture sector.