Written questions by Swann.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has (a) taken recent steps towards and (b) had discussions with the Northern Ireland Executive on a legislative ban on the sale of aversive training tools for domestic animals in Northern Ireland.

Animal welfare is a devolved matter; responsibility for animal welfare policy in Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive. Defra has regular discussions on animal welfare matters with the Northern Ireland Executive. In England, Defra’s Code of Practice for the welfare of dogs supports positive reward training techniques for dogs. As set out in the Animal Welfare Strategy for England, we will consult on whether to ban the use of electric shock collars later in this Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what conditions are necessary to import juvenile trout from fish farms in Northern Ireland for stocking purposes in rivers, lakes or fish farms in i) England or ii) Scotland.

Movements into GB from Northern Ireland of live fish (including eggs and gametes) that are susceptible to or vectors for listed aquatic animal diseases must be accompanied by an animal health certificate issued by thecompetent authority in the place of origin. The certificate must confirm that the animals or goods meet the animal health requirements for entry into Great Britain. Certificate GBHC674 sets out the requirements for placing on the market aquaculture animals from Northern Ireland and the Crown Dependences into GB for farming, ornamental use, relaying or depuration, put and take fisheries and other purposes, this includes juvenile trout from fish farms in Northern Ireland moving to fisheries in GB for stocking purposes. Notification to the relevant Fish Health Inspectorate (FHI) (Cefas FHI in England and Wales; Marine Scotland FHI in Scotland) is required at least 24 hours before importing live fish. As required by The Aquatic Animal Health (England and Wales) Regulations 2009 and The Aquatic Animal Health (Scotland) Regulations 2009 the destination premises must also be authorised by the relevant FHI. Further guidance on movements of fish into Great Britain from Northern Ireland has been published on GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward reforms to the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966.

The consultation on reform of the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1966 opened on 28 January and is due to close on 25 March. The Government is committed to responding within 12 weeks of a consultation closing. Defra are looking at bringing in new legislation, when Parliamentary time allows.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of amending the closed season for periwinkle gathering in inter-tidal areas in England.

No national assessment has been made of the merits of amending closed seasons for periwinkle gathering. The management of inshore fisheries in England, including the gathering of periwinkles in inter‑tidal areas, is the responsibility of the ten Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCAs). IFCAs are committees of local Government. IFCAs have powers to introduce local byelaws, including seasonal restrictions, to ensure the sustainable management of species within their districts.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken in response to recent reports of Blue Tongue Disease being detected in Northern Ireland.

Disease control is a devolved matter and it is for the Devolved Governments to assess the disease risks and impacts in relation to their national herds, alongside the impacts of controls, and respond accordingly. Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments with the aim of providing, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK. Following the first suspected bluetongue case in Northern Ireland on 28 November 2025, Defra is working with the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs to review policy regarding movement of bluetongue susceptible animals between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Farming Profitability Review, which stakeholders in Northern Ireland gave evidence to the Review.

Under the Terms of Reference, Baroness Batters’s Farming Profitability Review is an England-only review. Baroness Batters wrote an open letter to stakeholders and received responses from organisations that represent farmers in Northern Ireland. This included Northern Ireland-specific organisations, and organisations covering the whole of the UK. The department is considering her recommendations carefully.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 85623 on Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination, for what reason Northern Ireland was not included in the marketing authorisation.

To maintain Northern Ireland’s full access to the EU’s single market, from 1 January 2026, the movement of veterinary medicines into Northern Ireland must comply with relevant EU rules under the Windsor Framework. This includes the current EU-wide prohibition on the use of the bovine tuberculosis vaccine in cattle.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether the cattle vaccine against bovine tuberculosis undergoing Phase 3 trials by the Animal and Plant Health Agency will be available in Northern Ireland.

The field trials and the cattle vaccine will not be available in Northern Ireland. Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency are only seeking marketing authorisation in Great Britain at this stage.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help her counterpart in Northern Ireland tackle Asian hornets.

Defra and staff from the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) have worked closely with officials from Northern Ireland to help them prepare and publish a contingency plan for action against Asian hornets. A sighting of Asian hornet was reported on 10th October close to Dundonald in Northern Ireland. Inspectors from the APHA National Bee Unit and the APHA Non-Native Species Inspectorate have drawn on their extensive experience and provided support to officials in Northern Ireland about deployment of the contingency plan to find and destroy a nest.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the EU-Mercosur Association Agreement on food (a) production, (b) supply and (c) security.

The EU-Mercosur trade agreement has not been signed yet and is a matter for the EU. We do not expect that it will impact UK food production, supply or security.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to tackle illegal dog fighting in the last two years.

Dog fighting is illegal under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Defra advises members of the public who have evidence of cruelty to animals to report it to the relevant local authority. They have powers under the 2006 Act to investigate allegations of cruelty, poor welfare, or neglect of animals. Since The Online Safety Act 2023 came into force in March 2025, social media firms must remove online content facilitating animal torture, including the promotion of, or footage depicting, illegal dog fighting.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the value for money of funding the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs.

Encouraging more young people into farming and land-based careers is vital to ensure a skilled workforce is in place and the longer-term viability of the sector. Defra works closely with the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC). Defra provides funding of up to £30,000 per year for specific project-based activity which supports skills development and training. My officials continue to work very closely with the NFYFC to deliver the 2025-26 grant to ensure value for money.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department has provided to the National Federation of Young Farmers Clubs in each of the last five years.

In each of the last five financial years, Defra has provided the National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs (NFYFC) with the following amounts of funding:Financial YearFunding Amount2020/21£30,00021/22£30,00022/23£31,00023/24£27,545.9324/25£29,982.93

Food and Rural Affairs, he will list the programmes his Department (a) provides and (b) supports to tackle (i) isolation, (ii) social exclusion and (iii) mental health well-being for rural young people.

In 2025-26, Defra is providing £1.712 million to support local actions that address the needs of rural communities, some of which is used to support actions to tackle rural isolation, social exclusion and the mental health and well-being needs of young people in rural areas. Since May 2024, Defra has funded the Farmer Welfare Grant, providing £500k to support projects that improve the mental health and wellbeing of farmers in England. One recipient of the grant, the Lincolnshire Rural Support Network (LRSN), is using its funds to deliver support to young farmers. Their support includes Installing an LRSN volunteer link worker into every Young Farmers Club in Lincolnshire; Formal Mental health and wellbeing awareness raising sessions delivered to 16 Young Farmers Clubs, Impact Group, and Riseholme College; and Recruitment and integration of two Emotional Wellbeing Workers into the Young Farmers Clubs and Riseholme Agricultural college. The Government is committed to increasing access to nature for all, especially young people, and recognises the importance for young people’s health and wellbeing. In 2024, Defra invested £4.45 million in a second phase of the Generation Green programme, enabling over 25,000 disadvantaged children and young people to experience the natural environment. Defra also leads a cross-Government Children and Nature Working Group to share best practices on improving outcomes for young people through nature. The £16 million Access for All programme has funded inclusive facilities like pedal and play areas for young people. Green Social Prescribing and wider nature-based activities have been shown to improve mental health in both adults and young people. Natural England works at a national and local level to embed Green Social Prescribing into NHS health services. Natural England’s Green Infrastructure Framework is a strategic tool which provides local authorities with principles, standards, guidance, and data to improve the lives of people and communities through nature, including access to nature, improving health and wellbeing, and building climate resilience. This includes providing comprehensive geospatial data on the quality of green and blue space, index of multiple deprivation and health, enabling local authorities to target action where its most needed.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he is taking steps to introduce Equine Establishment Numbers for (a) horse and (b) other equine-based establishments.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The SPS agreement, outlined at the UK-EU Leader’s Summit on 19 May 2025, will establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, aimed at facilitating the safe and efficient movement of trade. The SPS Agreement will cover sanitary rules and the regulation of live animals, including animal health conditions governing the movement and importation of Equidae. The SPS Agreement is built on a commitment for the UK to regulate consistently with the EU on specific SPS rules. Defra is currently working to establish what implementation of the SPS Agreement will involve for equines.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 April 2025 to Question 42062 on Bees: Conservation, whether he has received a request from the Northern Irish Minister of Agriculture for mutual assistance with bee inspecting.

It is confirmed that no request from the Northern Irish Minister of Agriculture for mutual assistance with bee inspecting has been received by APHA’s National Bee Unit.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs’ letter of 8 April 2025 to Northern Ireland Executive colleagues, what assessment he has made of the implications for his Department’s policies of the (a) additional confirmed cases in Hungary and (b) advent of confirmed cases in Slovakia of Foot and Mouth disease.

Although I was not an addressee of the letter mentioned and therefore cannot reference it directly, this Government will be decisive and take the necessary action to ensure the UK’s biosecurity measures protect our farms from the risk posed by Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD). We’ve stepped up measures to prevent the incursion of FMD following the spread of cases in Hungary and Slovakia, including a case close to Slovakia’s border with Austria. The Government immediately implemented restrictions on broad categories of products ranging from fresh milk, dairy products, meat from susceptible animals to hay and straw from Hungary, Slovakia and Austria to Great Britain to protect the UK’s freedom from FMD, in addition to restrictions already in place for equivalent exports from Germany to Great Britain following a separate outbreak of FMD in Germany in January. In line with the requirement to recognise regionalisation, these imports are also prohibited into Northern Ireland from the disease control zones in force surrounding each of the infected premises in the EU. We continue to review the situation, working with our disease experts and EU counterparts. Livestock keepers are urged to be extra vigilant and report any suspicion of FMD or other notifiable disease immediately to the Animal and Plant Health Agency in Great Britain and to the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many inspectors his Department has trained to (a) inspect and (b) assess the health of (i) bees and (ii) their hives.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit has 50 trained inspectors which includes the National Bee Inspector and 8 Regional Bee Inspectors. All of these inspectors are trained to inspect and assess the health of bees and the hives in England and Wales.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the French Government's Third National Climate Adaptation Plan.

The UK approach to managing climate risks is set out by the Climate Change Act 2008 and involves a Climate Change Risk Assessment and National Adaptation Programme. Similar to the French approach our National Adaptation Programme is developed on a 5 yearly cycle, outlining national-level measures that aim to address the impacts of climate change, and is based on planning adaptation against a longer-term climate change scenario. The most recent National Adaptation Programme was published in 2023 and covered five sectors, infrastructure, natural environment, health, communities and built environment, business and industry and international dimensions, and 61 climate risks all owned and managed by specific government departments. We are managing the National Adaptation Programme as an ongoing programme of delivery against climate risks and are considering a range of options to achieve this and will set out our refreshed approach in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 5 March 2025 to Question 34165 on Food and Livestock: Transport, how many times the Border Control Post has contacted people responsible for a load in relation to (a) concerns and (b) concerns about non-attendance in each of the last twelve months.

Due to the intelligence led and dynamic nature of our biosecurity controls, and to ensure operations are not impacted, we are unable to share this data.