Written questions by Perteghella.

Food and Rural Affairs, what collaborative frameworks are in place between her Department, law enforcement agencies, and local authorities to support the effective implementation and enforcement of digital wa

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what weight is given to environmental harm when determining penalties for waste crime.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what penalties are currently in place for waste crime; and what assessment she has made of the adequacy of those penalties in reflecting the full environmental and social impacts of su

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, how the Digital Waste Tracking system will be designed to identify the point at which waste becomes unaccounted for, leading to incidents of large-scale fly-tipping; and what safeguard

Once fully implemented, the digital waste tracking service will require certain information about waste movements to be entered before the movement, followed by confirmation that a waste carrier has collected it and confirmation that it has been received ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with police forces on using digital waste tracking data to investigate and disrupt criminal groups operating outside the regulated waste sector, particular

The Environment Agency (EA) is working with their internal compliance and enforcement teams and external partners to ensure we maximise the potential of Digital Waste Tracking to tackle waste crime. They are developing a range of measures that cover preve...

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made with her Cabinet colleagues of the prevalence of wildlife fatalities in urban drainage systems; and what assessment her Department has made of the potential

In June 2025, Government introduced new national standards, making clear how sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) should be designed and maintained. Standard 6 dictates SuDS should maximise biodiversity benefits. Defra has not made a central estimate of wi...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether steps will be taken to increase transparency in reporting on the allocation of revenue across infrastructure investment, executive remuneration, shareholder returns and custome

We have already taken steps to increase transparency of water company finances. Under the Water (Special Measures) Act, water companies are required to ensure the public has access to clear and concise information on their finances. In March 2026, Ofwat p...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect the health of people using inland waters for recreation.

The Government will bring forward legislation through the Clean Water Bill, announced in the King’s Speech on 13 May, to deliver major reforms to the water system. Public health will be at the heart of these reforms, alongside measures to strengthen regul...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to improve access to inland waters for responsible recreational users.

The Government recognises the importance of providing access to the outdoors for people’s health and wellbeing and encourages safe and responsible access to the countryside through the Countryside Code and support for nationwide water safety campaigns. Pu...

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, 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, 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, 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, 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, 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.