Written questions by Ellis.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to support the growth of agricultural co-operatives.

The Good Food Cycle recognises the key role that co-operatives and community initiatives can play in supporting delivery of the growth, health, sustainability, and food security / resilience outcomes. As Defra develops a food strategy, the department will be considering how better to support local and place-based initiatives, to deliver the changes needed to deliver our outcomes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has been made of the performance, environmental impact, and scalability of peat-free alternatives within horticulture.

Using the Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media methodology to assess the environmental impact of different types of growing media, it has been shown that all materials have an environmental impact, but for the most part, peat-alternatives have a lower environmental impact. We have funded research which has demonstrated that peat-alternatives can perform the same or better than peat-based growing media in commercial horticulture and we are continuing to fund the Royal Horticulture Society Transition to Peat-free Fellowship, which has already demonstrated successful peat replacement in commercial horticulture for some of the previously believed more challenging plants, e.g. ericaceous. We will continue to work with the industry to understand barriers to scale up.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department's consultation outcome on fairer food labelling entitled Summary of responses and government response, updated on 12 June 2025, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Putney, Fleur Anderson, on 29 January 2026, PQ UIN 106592.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effectiveness of measures taken to raise public awareness of The Countryside Code.

The Department has not conducted a formal effectiveness assessment of action to raise awareness of the Countryside Code. However, through Natural England, we continue to promote the Code via public information campaigns, including educational outreach with schools and wider public campaigns on responsible behaviour such as keeping dogs on leads. Natural England also partnered with Shaun the Sheep as part of a 2023–25 campaign to engage children, young people, and families in learning about the Countryside Code and promoting responsible behaviour around livestock. These initiatives demonstrate our continued efforts to raise awareness of the Countryside Code and communicate its messages to the public, helping to ensure that people enjoy the countryside safely and responsibly.

Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will appoint a Minister for Rural Communities.

Ministerial appointments are a matter for the Prime Minister.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help support dairy farmers in Ribble Valley constituency.

The UK dairy sector is highly resilient and adaptable and continues to supply healthy and affordable products in spite of the many challenges it has faced in recent years. This Government recognises that food security is national security, and that it requires a resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports farmers. That is why we are introducing new deals for farmers to boost rural economic growth and strengthen food security. Ensuring fairness in supply chains is key for UK dairy farmers and supporting the sustainability of the sector. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024, which fully came into force on 9 July 2025, improve fairness and transparency, requiring dairy contracts to include clear terms on pricing, termination, and prohibiting unilateral changes.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including protections against unfair supermarket practices in the Farming Profitability Review.

Baroness Minette Batters was appointed to complete a review into barriers to profitability in English farming and present her report to the Defra Secretary of State. The review has examined how farmers can embrace innovation, improve productivity and market access, how the supply chain can support a more profitable farming sector through greater transparency, collaboration and a fairer distribution of risk, rewards and responsibility. As set out in the Terms of Reference, the recommendations of the Farming Profitability Review will inform Defra policy including the Farming Roadmap, Food Strategy and Land-use Framework.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle agricultural pollution in (a) Ribble Valley constituency and (b) Lancashire.

In 2025/26 the Ribble Catchment around Edisford Bridge was identified as a priority area for farm inspections due to a new bathing water designation. Since April this year 13 farms in the area of the new bathing water and Bashall Brook have been inspected and advice and guidance provided where non-compliance relating to the Farming Rules for Water and SSAFO Regulations (Storing silage, slurry and agricultural fuel oil - GOV.UK ) has been identified. In the wider Ribble Catchment in Lancashire, the Environment Agency has inspected 27 farms since April this year. Where advice and guidance has been given and not followed, the Environment Agency will consider enforcement in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to allocate adequate resources to support households at risk of flooding in Ribble Valley constituency.

The Environment Agency, Lead Local Flood Authorities and other stakeholders continue to work in partnership with local communities to deliver innovative and alternative flood risk management practices. This includes Natural Flood Management measures, demonstrated most notably in Ribchester with an £80,000 investment. Advice and support are given to flood action groups, and the Environment Agency continue to issue flood warnings to residents. Collectively, all these measures serve to reduce the risk of flooding for households within the Ribble Valley.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help increase local authority capacity to recycle plastics.

Defra officials have engaged extensively with local authorities and representative bodies such as the Local Government Association and the Local Authority Recycling Advisory Committee on the introduction of the Simpler Recycling reforms to both workplaces and households. Through Simpler Recycling, every household and workplace across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core waste streams: metal, glass, plastic, paper and card, food waste, and garden waste (for households only). This includes some items which are not currently widely collected for recycling, such as cartons. From 31 March 2027, this will also include kerbside plastic film collections. Alongside Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a Deposit Return Scheme, these reforms should guarantee a consistent supply of recyclable materials. This should provide certainty, increasing investor confidence and unlocking investment in waste infrastructure. We are working with the waste management sector to explore opportunities for infrastructure development and how we support them to create these conditions. We recently published a Recycling Infrastructure Capacity Analysis in partnership with WRAP, setting out the size of the investment opportunity. Those looking to invest in waste management infrastructure are encouraged to engage with the National Wealth Fund.