Written questions by Heylings.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the outcomes of the 2025 Quota application mechanism trial; and whether she plans to expand this system to distribute a greater proportion of England’s fishing quota for a greater number of stocks in (a) 2026 and (b) beyond.

An assessment of the 2024 Quota Application Mechanism trial has been published online, and an assessment of the 2025 trial will be developed and published once the 2025 trial has concluded at the end of the fishing year. Applications for the 2026 trial are now open until 31 October 2025. The trial is being expanded for 2026 to potentially include 14 stocks subject to the outcome of fisheries negotiations, a significant increase from the 5 stocks included in the 2025 trial. Decisions regarding the future of trial will be taken once further assessment of the current trial has been concluded.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to strengthen enforcement capacity in UK territorial waters.

As fisheries control and enforcement is a devolved matter, each Devolved Administration is responsible for enforcement capacity in their waters. Defra is committed to maintaining a robust and adaptive enforcement system to protect English waters from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and works closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities, and other organisations to make sure the appropriate arrangements to enforce fisheries regulations are in place to protect our waters. Additionally, Defra and the MMO work actively with the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) to utilise available maritime surveillance and enforcement resources for fisheries enforcement in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and other relevant departments and agencies including from the Devolved Administrations. Although there is no direct metric for assessing compliance of fishing vessels with the vessel monitoring systems mentioned, overall performance is monitored through annual reports required under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. These reports, published online, at the GOV.UK and individual IFCA websites such as Eastern IFCA, highlight each body's contributions, successes and challenges in a wide variety of areas including enforcement.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to align fisheries management policies with the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency.

The UK Government already has robust fisheries management measures in place and has previously welcomed the broad principles underpinning the Global Charter for Fisheries Transparency. We continue to engage with the organisations who have produced the charter with a focus on tackling Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated Fishing.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to improve the traceability of UK-caught (a) fish and (b) seafood.

Seafood sold in the UK is subject to traceability requirements to ensure fish and fisheries products can be tracked from the final point of sale back to its point of origin and included in catch figures. These traceability requirements include rules on recording catches, sales, purchases and labelling of fish that is landed in the UK and placed on the market. Seafood traceability and fishing vessel activity information is further strengthened by vessel monitoring systems which are now required on all English fishing vessels and all fishing vessels of any nationality over 12 metres in length fishing in English waters. These devices track a vessel’s location, speed and heading in real time, providing evidence about vessel activity and where seafood is being caught, providing enforcement agencies a view of fishing.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of compliance of fishing vessels with (a) AIS, (b)VMS and (c) iVMS; what steps he is taken ensure there is full compliance with these systems; and what steps he is taking to provide additional resource to strengthen enforcement efforts.

As fisheries control and enforcement is a devolved matter, each Devolved Administration is responsible for enforcement capacity in their waters. Defra is committed to maintaining a robust and adaptive enforcement system to protect English waters from illegal, unreported, and unregulated fishing, and works closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO), Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities, and other organisations to make sure the appropriate arrangements to enforce fisheries regulations are in place to protect our waters. Additionally, Defra and the MMO work actively with the Joint Maritime Security Centre (JMSC) to utilise available maritime surveillance and enforcement resources for fisheries enforcement in partnership with the Ministry of Defence and other relevant departments and agencies including from the Devolved Administrations. Although there is no direct metric for assessing compliance of fishing vessels with the vessel monitoring systems mentioned, overall performance is monitored through annual reports required under the Marine and Coastal Access Act 2009. These reports, published online, at the GOV.UK and individual IFCA websites such as Eastern IFCA, highlight each body's contributions, successes and challenges in a wide variety of areas including enforcement.

Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to publish full vessel ownership, license, quota, subsidy, and sanctions information for all types of fishing vessels in a publicly accessible format.

Although fisheries control is a devolved matter, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) publish UK wide lists of licensed fishing vessels, details of fishing vessel licences and detailed quota allocations which are set out by the MMO in their annual apportionment and allocation spreadsheets. Funding provided by Defra to the fishing industry is publicly available through the Government Grants Information System.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department has taken to tackle (a) bycatch and (b) illegal discarding by vessels in the last year.

We continue our effort to minimise and, where possible, eliminate the bycatch of sensitive species. Working in partnership with industry and eNGOs we have a range of activities in place including: continuation of the long-standing Bycatch Monitoring Programme (BMP) which reports annually on bycatch rates analysed by gear type; the Cetacean Stranding Investigation Programme (CSIP) that closely monitors UK-wide cetacean strandings and conducts post-mortems on stranded marine mammals; the Clean Catch programme which recently launched a bycatch monitoring and mitigation trial; a comprehensive evidence review analysing bycatch across sensitive marine species (cetaceans, seabirds, seals, elasmobranchs); and developing a seabird bycatch mitigation action plan for England. The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) monitors discards and catches from all commercially licensed vessels in England. MMO collects this data alongside undertaking regular inspections of vessels. The Landing Obligation, introduced under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy, has not met its goals; illegal discarding still happens, and discard patterns in the English fleet haven’t changed. To improve discards management and move away from the landing obligation in England, Defra and the MMO are conducting a paper trial of ‘catch accounting’. This is a new approach that accounts for the total removal of stock compared to the current system which only logs landings.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding the Marine Management Organisation has received in each of the last five years; what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the funding on the enforcement of fishing regulations; and what assessment she has made of the value for money of this funding for taxpayers.

As set out in the Annual Report and Accounts of the Marine Management Organisation, total expenditure was £36.1 million in FY20/21, £42 million in FY21/22, £42.7 million in FY22/23, and £54 million in FY23/24. Defra works closely with the Marine Management Organisation and other organisations to make sure the appropriate arrangements to enforce fisheries regulations are in place to protect our waters. This funding enables the organisation to operate an enforcement regime of fishing regulations amongst their other duties and is provided in line with the principles of managing public money, including the Accounting Officer’s duty to ensure spending decisions represent good value for money through the accountability and assurance processes Defra has in place.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to introduce the regulations for the Animals (Low Welfare Activities Abroad) Act.

We continue to engage with stakeholders including the tourism industry and animal welfare groups to explore both legislative and non-legislative options to stop the advertising of low-welfare animal activities abroad.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help improve consumer access to minimally processed foods.

This Government is committed to ensuring that everyone has access to affordable, nutritious food. A key priority for the food strategy is to improve consumer access to healthy food, in order to give all children the best start in life and help adults live longer healthier lives.We are forming a partnership across the food system, Government and the four nations to leverage expertise, while building on existing evidence and analysis, such as Henry Dimbleby’s National Food Strategy. The food strategy is being developed in alignment with the Government’s Plan for Change and the Health and Growth missions. Through the lens of a new food strategy, there is an opportunity to deliver a healthier, fairer, more sustainable and more resilient 21st century food system that grows the economy, feeds the nation, nourishes individuals, and protects the planet, now and in the future.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential contribution of silvopastoral systems and holistic planned grazing practices to carbon sequestration and biodiversity enhancement.

All prospective Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme offers were assessed for their potential impact against a range of environmental and cultural services, including carbon sequestration and biodiversity indicators. The assessment was based on a combination of expert opinion and rapid evidence reviews and is now published. In addition, we have modelled the impact of different densities and tree species suitable for silvo-pastoral systems on carbon sequestration and a limited set of species indicators. These models have given us the capability to assess the potential impact of Environmental Land Management offers. With over 38,000 live Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) agreements, the SFI offers a wide range of actions for the management of grassland, including herbal leys, legumes in grassland and management of grassland with very low nutrient inputs. The Sustainable Farming Incentive also includes actions for planning soil, nutrient and integrated pest management, which help farmers to choose the most appropriate practices for their farm.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans for the Land Use Framework to be afforded material consideration in relevant planning policy documents.

By law, planning applications are determined in accordance with the development plan for the area, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. What constitutes a material consideration is very widely defined and it is for the local planning authority to determine what is a relevant consideration based on the circumstances of a particular case. The evidence base that underpinned the Land Use Consultation, and feedback on it, will inform the Government’s wider strategic planning agenda.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Land Use Framework will be applied retrospectively to existing Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project applications.

When the Land Use Framework is published, it will set out the evidence, data and tools needed to help safeguard our most productive agricultural land and identify the best areas for nature’s recovery. The Framework will be a guide for decision makers on how we make the most of what our diverse landscapes have to offer, and its evidence base has underpinned wider Government reform, including the Strategic Spatial Energy plan. It will not bind decision makers or prescribe land uses in specific places.

Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the final Land Use Framework following the consultation process.

The Government ran a consultation on land use in England from January to April this year. The responses to this consultation, and feedback from supporting workshops, are being analysed. These responses and outputs will inform the preparation of the Land Use Framework, which will be published in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, how the Land Use Framework and the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan will work together to inform decision-making on Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects.

The Government consulted on land use in England earlier this year, the outcomes of which will inform the publication of the Land Use Framework later this year. The analysis underpinning the Land Use Consultation for England has fed into the development of the Strategic Spatial Energy Plan’s methodology. The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and Defra will continue to work closely to ensure that the SSEP and the Land Use Framework work together cohesively alongside other sector plans.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of large-scale solar Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects on (a) long-term food production capacity and (b) the natural environment.

Defra does not collect information on the potential impacts of constructing green energy infrastructure. However, Defra does produce statistical estimates of agricultural land areas each year from the annual June Survey of Agriculture: In 2024, the utilised agricultural area (UAA) in England was 8.7 million hectares and this has remained broadly stable, only changing by around +/-1% each year over the past decade. Full breakdowns of agricultural land areas are published here Agricultural land use in England - GOV.UK In 2024, around 7,300 hectares of this land were used for solar panels (less than 0.1% of UAA). However, 50% of this land is still being used for agricultural production, such as for livestock grazing. It is recognised that solar can, when delivered in line with relevant planning policy, have a positive impact on the natural environment, and large-scale solar farms can contribute significant gains for local biodiversity with intelligent design and planning.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade on the potential environmental impact of US meat imports on UK (a) farming and (b) climate goals.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential. On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump.  This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests. This deal has created a reciprocal agreement to lower tariffs for British beef exporters to the US, while acting in the UK’s national interest by ensuring that we uphold our rigorous food standards while protecting our farmers. The agreement on beef means that around 1.5% of the UK beef market could come from the United States, and the same quantity of British beef can be exported to them. We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security and uphold our high food, animal welfare and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK-US trade deal prevents the importation of meat from low-welfare feedlots; and if he will consult animal welfare organisations on this matter.

On 8 May, the UK Government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to reach an agreement with President Trump.  This delivers on the commitment by the Prime Minister and the President on 27 February to agree an economic deal in our respective national interests. This deal has created a reciprocal agreement to lower tariffs for British beef exporters to the US, while acting in the UK’s national interest by ensuring that we uphold our rigorous food standards while protecting our farmers. We have always been clear that this Government will protect British farmers, secure our food security and uphold our high food, animal welfare and environmental standards in trade deals. That is exactly what we have done and will continue to do.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he considered a derogation for vintage firearms that cannot safely use alternatives to lead shot in the proposed lead shot ban.

The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) have now published a final opinion on their restriction proposal for lead in ammunition, informed by feedback from public consultations as well as independent scientific advice. As part of their Opinion, HSE have considered the socio-economic impacts of their proposed restriction in GB. Further information will follow in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to provide funding for agroforestry support to include (a) multi-species planting and (b) increased tree planting densities to enable woodland systems suitable for (i) pigs and (ii) poultry.

Our in-field agroforestry offers under the Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes allow flexibility for land managers to decide on tree species and densities that suit their objectives, to realise the multiple benefits that trees provide in the farming landscape. Land managers are able to establish and maintain a wide range of eligible woodland and fruit tree species, which can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/eligible-tree-species-elm-agroforestry-action. Land managers can also be paid a species diversity bonus for planting 5 or more species of tree, to help improve the resilience of agroforestry systems. Our ELM in-field agroforestry offers allow for a range of planting densities. Under the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, land managers can establish and maintain in-field agroforestry systems with an average of 30-130 trees per hectare on low sensitivity land. Our Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier offers will pay land managers to maintain in-field agroforestry systems up to an average of 400 trees her hectare.