Written questions by Bedford.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many civil servants in their Department were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in (a) 2024 and (b) 2025.

Civil servants are appointed on merit on the basis of fair and open competition and are expected to carry out their role with dedication and a commitment to the Civil Service and its core values: integrity, honesty, objectivity and impartiality. In 2024 and 2025, a total of nine civil servants were found to have broken the Civil Service Code in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many departmental employees were on performance management plans in (a) 2023, (b) 2024, and (c) 2025.

The requested data is not held centrally in a reportable format. However, Defra is committed to thorough performance management and has in place robust processes to ensure that those who fall below the expected standards are supported to improve in a timely manner. Those who cannot improve their performance, despite this additional support, may be dismissed.

Food and Rural Affairs, what was the total value of non-contractual severance payments across the department in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the hon. Member for South Holland and The Deepings on 26 March 2026, PQ UIN 121696.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether UK pets that have an EU pet passport will continue to be able to travel to the EU under that passport, and not require an Animal Health Certificate to do so after 22 April 2026.

Pets leaving Great Britain must comply with the relevant requirements as determined by the country of destination. Defra always advises pet owners to consult with the relevant authorities in the country of destination if any pet travel requirements for movements from Great Britain are unclear. Defra understands that updated EU rules governing the non‑commercial movement of pets into the EU are scheduled to come into force on 22 April 2026. The EU has yet to publish guidance on how their updated rules will be applied and any relevant transitional arrangements. Defra is actively working to confirm the details of the new requirements with the EU and will update our guidance to pet owners on the relevant documentary requirements once the EU have confirmed their position.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Department has made of the potential regulatory implications of treating water stress and water efficiency as separate classifications; and whether her Department plans to require Ofwat to link leakage performance to water stress designations.

Defra has not made any assessment of the regulatory implications of treating water stress and water efficiency as separate classifications. The department defines serious water stress as ‘the current household demand for water is a high proportion of the current effective rainfall which is available to meet that demand; or, the future household demand for water is likely to be a high proportion of the effective rainfall which is likely to be available to meet that demand’ and water efficiency as practices that reduce the demand on potable water. The department does not plan to link leakage performance to water stress designations as we continue to drive reform in both individual areas. Defra concluded a consultation on revising the water efficiency standards in the Building Regulations in December last year. As part of our response to the consultation, Defra will be assessing how water stressed classifications are used to drive water efficiency in homes. In the Water White Paper released this month, Defra committed to enabling smart metering implementation, which includes reviewing how charging scenarios differ for water stress classified areas and the ways in which this drives water efficiency.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with representatives of the agricultural sector on the potential impact of proposed changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief on the number of farm estates in the UK.

The Government regularly and actively engages with representatives from the farming industry through regular meetings and discussions, ensuring we listen to their views, understand their concerns, and take their feedback into account. At the November 2025 budget, the Chancellor announced that any unused allowance for the 100% rate of agricultural property relief and business property relief will be transferable between spouses and civil partners from 6 April 2026. The Government has taken this action after listening to feedback from stakeholders, who have called strongly for this change to the planned reforms to reduce complexity and remove an unfairness for widows/widowers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to monitor (a) noise and (b) air pollution arising from ongoing (i) housing (ii) rail and (iii) motorway construction projects in Mid Leicestershire constituency; and what assessment she has made of the potential impacts of such projects on public health in Mid Leicestershire constituency.

Local authorities are responsible for monitoring air quality in their areas and reporting annually. Planning authorities require developers of housing, rail, and motorway projects to assess and mitigate air pollution, including dust and emissions, during construction. Similarly, noise impacts must be considered under the planning system, with strong protections in place to minimise adverse effects on health and quality of life. The Planning Practice Guidance and National Planning Policy Framework set out how noise should be addressed in both plan-making and decision-making. Under the Control of Pollution Act, local authorities must ensure that the best practicable means are used to minimise noise during construction.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to ensure that animal welfare laws are more strictly enforced on farms.

All farm animals are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation, and potential breaches of the law are taken very seriously. Any allegations of poor animal welfare are investigated by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) who conduct an immediate veterinary risk assessment (triage). APHA will take appropriate action and where necessary, inspect the farm and the livestock present within 24hrs. The local authority, as an appropriate enforcement agency, may initiate prosecution action for animal welfare offences where there is sufficient evidence.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds information on the number of dogs that have been transported from the UK to China for use as meat.

I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given on 18 June 2025 to Question 61081

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to allow pets to travel in and out of the UK in the main cabin of aircraft.

All pets travelling into Great Britain are checked for compliance with the necessary health and documentary requirements prior to entry to safeguard our biosecurity. When travelling to Great Britain by air, pets travel as manifest cargo to facilitate these checks upon arrival. The only animals that are authorised to travel in the cabin of a commercial aircraft into Great Britian are Recognised Assistance Dogs. We have no current plans to change the process by which pet cats, dogs and ferrets may enter Great Britain in aircraft. When travelling with a pet abroad, pet owners and assistance dog users should seek guidance as to whether their pet is permitted to travel in the aircraft from the relevant competent authority and airline.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department holds data on dogs being transported to China for use as meat for human consumption.

APHA, Defra’s executive agency, has data on the number of commercial and non-commercial dogs exported to China. The system does not record the purpose of movement for commercial dogs and therefore does not hold data on dogs being exported to China for use as meat for human consumption.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many permanent civil servants in his Department had their contract of employment terminated as a result of poor performance in the (a) 2022-23, (b) 2023-24 and (c) 2024-25 financial years.

We have, after careful consideration, withheld Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency and Rural Payment Agency data for the 2022-2023 and 2023-2024 financial years. This is because the numbers of employees are low, and the information constitutes personal data making it possible to identify these individuals if the information was released.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the operational effectiveness of the Environment Agency.

The Environment Agency’s (EA) principal aim is to protect or enhance the environment and contribute to sustainable development. I am grateful for all the work the EA does to keep people safe during environmental and flooding emergencies to minimise serious and lasting damage to the environment and the communities it serves. The department works closely with the EA at every level to assess its performance and delivery and provide constructive challenge and support.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a centralised and digitalised ID and traceability system across the UK to prevent the illegal movement of horses and other equine species.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The Government recognises the importance of the equine sector to the UK economy and of improving equine identification and traceability. We have no current plans to implement mandatory digital identification, but we remain in close touch with the industry to look at potential improvements. Defra also regularly engages with officials in the devolved governments to discuss matters of equine identification and traceability.  Officials also share data on equines located in the UK with the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland and with the Department for Agriculture, Food and the Marine in the Republic of Ireland.  The majority of equine movements into and out of GB take place between the island of Ireland and GB.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether they have made an estimate of the potential impact of abolishing diversity, equity and inclusion roles in their Department on annual staffing costs.

Defra group is committed to enabling an inclusive and respectful culture with thriving workplaces where all colleagues are valued and treated fairly. This maximises our potential to innovate, collaborate and deliver first-class outcomes for our citizens. We work hard to ensure EDI is mainstreamed in the way we develop and deliver our work and in making sure Defra group has a diverse workforce that is fully enabled to deliver. The delivery of EDI activity and staffing requirements is decided by Departments as the employer. To support mainstreaming EDI, we continue to have a small number of dedicated EDI roles and have no plans to abolish those and therefore there is no estimate to provide on abolition of these roles. The department's EDI roles continue the Civil Service Equality, Diversity & Inclusion Expenditure guidance, published in May 2024, including that all EDI roles are appropriately situated within HR functions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress his Department has made of the potential merits of strengthening protections for cruelty against (a) dogs, (b) cats and (c) ferrets.

Causing unnecessary suffering to an animal is an offence under Section 4 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, subject to a maximum sentence of five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department has initiated a series of meetings with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of an overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more detail of plans in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is using AI software in responding to written parliamentary questions.

No, Defra has not used AI software to respond to written parliamentary questions.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing plastic straws.

The Secretary of State has not made an assessment of the potential merits of reintroducing plastic straws. However, the Department is currently conducting a post-implementation review of the Environmental Protection (Plastic Straws, Cotton Buds and Stirrers) (England) Regulations 2020 to ensure it is fit for purpose.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department has taken to reduce fly-tipping in Mid Leicestershire constituency.

Local authorities are often best placed to respond to fly-tipping. They have a range of enforcement powers which we encourage them to make good use of. In our manifesto we committed to forcing fly-tippers and vandals to clean up the mess that they have created as part of a crackdown on anti-social behaviour. We will provide further details on this commitment in due course. In the meantime, Defra will continue to chair the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group through which we work with a wide range of stakeholders, such as local authorities, to promote good practice on tackling fly-tipping. Various practical tools, including ‘how to’ guides covering key issues, are also available from their webpage at: https://www.keepbritaintidy.org/national-fly-tipping-prevention-group.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of blocked drains on flooding.

The role of any Government is to protect its citizens which is why, under our Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26. Blocked and damaged drainage infrastructure can exacerbate flooding risks. Drain and sewer blockages occur for a number of reasons, including by misuse of the sewer system. Small but significant steps in households, such as not pouring fats and oils down the plughole and not flushing wet wipes or other plastic products down the toilet can help prevent sewer flooding, and in turn mitigate surface water flooding, as well as protect rivers’ water quality. The Environment Agency has strategic overview for all flood risk in England, however, it is for Lead Local Flood Authorities to develop local interventions to reduce surface water flood risk. Local flood risks should be identified and managed as part of a local flood risk management strategy, in cooperation with local highway authorities, which are responsible for highway and gully maintenance, as well as water and sewerage companies, which have a duty to maintain their sewers, under Section 94 of the Water Industry Act 1991, to ensure their areas are effectually drained.