Written questions by Perteghella.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to prevent the illegal sale of XL Bully dogs on online marketplaces.

Since 31 December 2023, it has been a criminal offence to breed, sell, rehome or transfer ownership of XL Bully breed type dogs in England and Wales, including through online marketplaces. To help prevent illegal online sales, Defra endorses the Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), which works with major online platforms to identify and remove adverts that breach the law and promotes responsible and lawful pet advertising.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has provided guidance to Local Authorities on the forthcoming changes to Simpler Recycling for households.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Cannock Chase on 25 April 2025, PQ UIN 47856.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to review the operation of Musical Instrument Certificates for touring musicians following recent feedback from the sector.

The Government recently undertook a public consultation on potential reforms to the UK CITES regulatory framework and the music industry’s feedback was considered in detail as part of the Government’s response. There are currently no further plans to review the operation of Musical Instrument Certificates. The rules governing the use of Musical Instrument Certificates are set internationally under CITES and the UK will continue to advocate for rules to be updated as appropriate to reflect the needs of touring musicians.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential impact of CITES regulations on musicians travelling internationally with instruments containing protected materials.

No recent assessment has been made of the potential impact of CITES regulations on musicians travelling internationally with instruments containing protected materials. However, Defra and its agencies regularly engage with representatives of the music sector on the implementation of CITES requirements.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance is available to musicians to ensure compliance with CITES Appendix I and II species rules when travelling for performances.

Guidance to assist touring musicians in complying with CITES requirements is available at www.gov.uk/guidance/cites-imports-and-exports. Specific queries can be directed to the APHA CITES team Wildlife Licensing mailbox (wildlife.licensing@apha.gov.uk) or by calling the APHA enquiries line (03000 200 301). UK CITES Authorities also hold regular forums for CITES stakeholders including music industry representatives and unions, to provide them with support and guidance on sector-specific queries.

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will introduce a ban on the importation of foie gras into the UK during this Parliament.

The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. Foie gras production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years as it is not compatible with our animal welfare legislation. Defra is continuing to consider the evidence and options in relation to foie gras.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to publish a timetable for introducing a ban on the import of foie gras.

The Government shares the British public's high regard for animal welfare and has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. Foie gras production using force feeding has been banned in the UK for nearly 20 years as it is not compatible with our animal welfare legislation. Defra is continuing to consider the evidence and options in relation to foie gras.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking with Cabinet colleagues to help tackle organised crime networks involved in fly-tipping in rural areas.

This Government is making the necessary policy and regulatory reforms to close the loopholes being exploited by waste criminals. Key reforms include carrier, broker, dealer reform, waste permit exemption reform and the introduction of digital waste tracking. Defra believes these reforms are the best way to drive criminality out of the waste sector whether in urban or rural communities. The Government has increased the Environment Agency’s (EA) budget for waste crime enforcement by over 50% this year to £15.6 million. The EA-hosted Joint Unit for Waste Crime has nearly doubled in size thanks to our extra funding and its UK-wide partnership work with the EA, HM Revenue & Customs, National Crime Agency, the police and others continues to share intelligence, powers and resources to disrupt waste criminals. However, the Government recognises that there can be challenges in responding to rural crime. That is why the Government collaborated with the National Police Chiefs’ Councils to deliver their renewal of the Rural and Wildlife Crime Strategy, which was published in November.  The strategy, lasting until 2028, will ensure efforts to reduce crime benefit every community no matter where they live, including rural communities.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has considered treating static populations of wild birds, including swans and wildfowl that remain in defined local areas, as eligible for vaccination against avian influenza.

The use of avian influenza vaccination in kept and wild birds is controlled by legislation. Defra’s and Welsh Government’s policy on vaccination is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain and Defra’s Avian influenza (bird flu) vaccination guidance. The cross Government and industry avian influenza vaccination task force develops recommendations for the use of vaccination to prevent the spread of avian influenza in the UK. Defra and Welsh Government have no plans to vaccinate the wild bird population against avian influenza. In England, the vaccination of birds against avian influenza, except those kept in licensed zoos in England subject to authorisation by the Animal and Plant Health Agency, is not currently permitted. High standards of biosecurity, separation of poultry and other captive birds from wild birds, and careful surveillance for signs of disease remain the most effective means of controlling avian influenza. In practice, existing vaccines can only be administered via injection. This precludes widespread use in wild birds. While vaccination can reduce mortality, it is likely that some vaccinated birds would still be capable of transmitting avian influenza if they became infected.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has assessed a risk of localised extinction of swan populations as a result of outbreaks of H5N1 avian influenza in (a) England, (b) Warwickshire, and (c) Stratford-on-Avon.

Defra recognises the significant threat avian influenza poses to wild birds and the impact this is having on these important species. The Animal and Plant Health Agency undertake year-round surveillance of avian influenza in wild birds across Great Britain, reporting findings on GOV.UK and on their interactive map and dashboard. Alongside surveillance, long-term population monitoring and targeted research is crucial to understanding the impacts of avian influenza on England and Wales’s wild bird populations. While Defra has not carried out an assessment of risk of local extinction in the named areas, information on wild bird population monitoring schemes run by Government agencies and partner organisations, as well as the Defra and Welsh Government approach to avian influenza in wild birds, can be found in the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the policy reason is for limiting avian influenza vaccination to birds kept in zoological settings.

Given the role of zoos in global conservation, vaccination of zoo birds is permitted in England subject to eligibility criteria. Existing vaccines can only be administered via injection, which rules out widespread use in wild birds. While vaccination can reduce mortality, vaccinated birds may still transmit avian influenza, increasing the time needed to detect and eradicate the virus. The cross-Government and industry Avian Influenza Vaccination Taskforce develops recommendations for the use of vaccination to prevent the spread of avian influenza. In their initial report the Taskforce considered that sector specific vaccination in poultry is likely to be the most effective approach and set out a series of next steps to gather more information. A follow-up report will be published in summer 2026. Defra’s policy on the use of avian influenza vaccines, together with sector-specific guidance for zoos and other collections with a zoo licence on how to apply for authorisation to vaccinate against avian influenza, is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/avian-influenza-bird-flu-vaccination.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will formally re-establish the Advisory Committee on Packaging as a forum for (a) industry, (b) government and (c) regulators to oversee the operation of the Packaging Recovery Note system.

Defra has no plans to re-establish the Advisory Committee on Packaging in its previous form. However, as part of the forthcoming consultation on Packaging Waste Recycling Note (PRN) reforms, the department will be seeking views on how best to bring together stakeholders including industry, Government, and regulators to advise on the functioning of the PRN system.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of trends in the level of (a) private investment and (b) Government funding for (i) storm overflows, (ii) wastewater treatment and (iii) other water infrastructure.

Ofwat’s final determinations for Price Review 2024 set company expenditure for 2025–2030. This will deliver substantial and enduring improvements for customers and the environment through a £104 billion upgrade for the water sector. The £104 billion funding package is the highest level of investment in the water sector since privatisation and is set to be the second largest private sector investment programme in this parliament. Water companies are investing over £11 billion in PR24, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales over the next five years. Furthermore, £4.795 billion will be spent over the same period to reduce phosphorus pollution from treated wastewater. This represents an increase when compared to the 2022-2023 equivalent prices for Price Review 19, where overall spending was £61bn, storm overflow investment was £3.6 billion, and wastewater treatment improvements were £3.1 billion.

Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the potential impact of uncertainty about future rounds of the Landscape Recovery tier of Environmental Land Management schemes on farmers’ willingness to engage in long-term nature recovery projects.

The Government reconfirmed its commitment to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in the Autumn 2024 Spending Review. More than £2.7 billion a year will be invested in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026/27 to 2028/29. Defra wants Landscape Recovery to work for collaborative groups of farmers delivering ambitious nature recovery at the landscape scale. The Department is pleased the projects currently in the scheme involve over 1,000 land managers, many of which are farmers. As the first projects are entering the implementation phase, farmers are benefitting directly from engaging in long-term nature recovery projects.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Environmental Land Management Landscape Recovery tier continues beyond the current funding round to deliver nature recovery at landscape scale.

The Government reconfirmed its commitment to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in the Autumn 2024 Spending Review. More than £2.7 billion a year will be invested in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026/27 to 2028/29. Landscape Recovery projects that were awarded funding in rounds 1 and 2 are continuing, with the first projects moving into the delivery phase earlier this year. Landscape Recovery is integral to the delivery of Defra’s statutory environmental targets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that the Environmental Land Management Scheme Landscape Recovery tier continues beyond the current round.

The Government reconfirmed its commitment to Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes in the Autumn 2024 Spending Review. More than £2.7 billion a year will be invested in sustainable farming and nature recovery from 2026/27 to 2028/29. Landscape Recovery projects that were awarded funding in rounds 1 and 2 are continuing, with the first projects moving into the delivery phase earlier this year. Landscape Recovery is integral to the delivery of Defra’s statutory environmental targets.

Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for publication of the rapid review of the Environmental Improvement Plan.

The Government concluded a rapid review of the existing Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23) and published a statement of the rapid review’s key findings on 30 January 2025. It is our intention to publish a revised EIP in due course, which will be our long-term plan for improving the natural environment and people’s enjoyment of it.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many water bodies are classified as failing to meet good ecological status for which the latest data is available; and what steps she is taking to help improve the quality of water in water bodies.

The last full classification update was produced in 2019 when 3893 water bodies of a total of 4651 were failing to meet good ecological status in 2019. The Independent Water Commission, tasked by the Government to produce recommendations to transform how our water system works, delivered its final report 21 July 2025. This included recommendations intended to restore our rivers, lakes and seas to good health for future generations. The Government will respond to the recommendations in full via a White Paper and will introduce a new water reform bill, bringing forward root and branch reform to secure better outcomes for customers, investors and the environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that water companies are penalised for (a) repeated illegal sewage discharges and (b) other repeated breaches of environmental regulations.

We will not let companies get away with illegal activity and where breaches are found, the Environment Agency will not hesitate to hold companies to account. The Water (Special Measures) Act provides the most significant increase in enforcement powers to the regulators in a decade, giving regulators the teeth they need to take tougher action against water companies. These include new powers to enable the Environment Agency to recover costs associated with their enforcement of the water industry. A consultation has been launched to expand and strengthen the current range of financial penalties available to the Environment Agency in a bid to clamp down on more offences. Water companies who commit environmental offences could face quicker penalties of up to £500,000, under changes being considered by the government. The Environment Agency has also increased water company inspections to 10,000 per year from April 2025 as part of the Government’s wider focus to hold companies accountable and improve our water environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of reduced milling premiums on farmers.

The Department has not conducted an assessment of the impact of reduced milling premiums on farmers. However, the Government recognises that fluctuations in quality-based market premiums, including those for milling wheat can affect farm incomes and business resilience.