Written questions by Wrigley.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce cases of Badger Baiting.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the department plans to respond to written question 3633 on Climate Change: Environment Protection tabled by the hon. member for Newton Abbot on 20 May.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK’s Sanitary and Phytosanitary regime on the cost and availability of imported timber products.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to introduce greater offenses for badger baiting.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has engaged with international trading partners on equivalence and mutual recognition of timber treatment standards, particularly in relation to the (i) United S

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment they have made of the potential impact of Natural England's proposals to include Dartmoor ponies in livestock counts on the future population and conservation of Dartmo

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help reduce the levels of sea life unintended to be caught which get caught in fish lines.

Minister Hardy attended the launch of Wildlife and Countryside Link’s “Hidden in the Haul” report. The department is considering the report’s detail.To understand and address bycatch, Defra funds a range of initiatives including:The Bycatch Monitoring Pro...

Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Newton Abbot sent on 24 April 2026 with case ref MW15524.

A reply to the hon. Member is being prepared and will be issued as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of banning tail docking and castration of lambs.

As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy, the Government is committed to working with the sheep sector to implement the advice and recommendations in the Animal Welfare Committee’s Opinion on the Implications of Castration and Tail Docking for the Welfar...

Food and Rural Affairs, when the department plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. member for Newton Abbot sent on the 25th of March under case reference MW12483.

A reply to the hon. Member is being prepared and will be issued as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the potential effect of PFAS chemicals on the environment in Devon.

Defra recognises the environmental risks posed by PFAS chemicals, noting their impacts are not yet fully understood due to the large number of substances within this group. However, evidence shows that PFAS can persist in the environment and accumulate in...

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of launching a government backed screening of the 'National Emergency Briefing' to the nation.

In July 2025, the Government made the first-of-a-kind statement on the State of Climate and Nature, supported by parliamentary debate. We have since set out our priorities within the revised Environmental Improvement Plan, alongside the ‘Energising Britai...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect marine conservation areas.

Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) are protected from the point of designation by the planning and marine licensing regimes which cover activities such as dredging for aggregates and construction of offshore wind farms. Where the evidence shows this is necessa...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department will take to enforce the proposed ban on bottom trawling in marine conservation areas.

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities are responsible for enforcing fisheries restrictions within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). For example, the MMO remotely monitors the movements of all fish...

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of re-introducing the Eurasian lynx to britain.

Defra is committed to providing opportunities for the reintroduction of formerly native species where the benefits for the environment, people and the economy are clear. To maximise benefits and minimise risks, it is important that species reintroductions...

Food and Rural Affair, what steps she has taken to align the United Kingdom as a part 1 listed status with the EU in relation to pet travel into the EU.

The previous Government applied to the European Commission in February 2020 for the United Kingdom (UK) and Crown Dependencies to be listed as a ‘Part 1’ third country for the purposes of the EU pet travel scheme. However, the EU formally ‘listed’ the UK ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help support rewilding in Devon.

Rewilding projects tend to be run by environmental NGOs and private organisations. Defra’s focus is to support nature recovery through a range of mechanisms, funding and policies. While Defra does not lead on nature recovery projects directly, it supports Natural England, the Environment Agency and Forestry England in their regulatory and partnership roles at a local level – including in Devon. Examples range from local projects such as species reintroductions to catchment scale habitat and river restoration, providing benefits to people and nature.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste at the University of Exeter on bathing water monitoring and standards.

The Chief Scientist of the Environment Agency presented at the ‘Safe to Swim Forum’ meeting at the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste in September 2025 on the Environment Agency’s science relating to bathing waters. Existing practices for monitoring and classification in the UK mirror the European Commission’s Bathing Water Directive which is based on the World Health Organisation’s recommendations for management of recreational waters.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with Torbay Council on its development of a localised bathing water framework.

The Chief Scientist of the Environment Agency was present at the Centre for Resilience in Environment, Water and Waste (CREWW) ‘Safe to Swim Forum’ in September 2025, where the Director of Operations for Devon and Torbay combined County Authority presented on the economic and social importance of bathing waters in the region.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of local bathing water monitoring frameworks developed by local authorities on national policy.

The Environment Agency has an ongoing statutory duty to monitor the water quality at designated bathing water sites in England in line with the Bathing Water Regulations 2013. I would encourage any local authority that is interested in developing a local framework to share their plans with Defra officials so that Defra can understand any interaction with national legislation.