Every parliamentary written question tabled by Roz Savage this session, with the full answer and department. Back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 80 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of increased agricultural fuel costs on (a) UK food prices and (b) food security.
It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of introducing temporary financial support for farmers in England to offset increased fuel costs.
The Government is conscious of the increases to prices of red diesel and other fuel influenced by the continued instability in the Middle East. The Competition and Markets Authority has been asked to look into industry concerns about red diesel prices, including price transparency. The Government are determined to help keep costs down for our farmers. Red diesel continues to benefit from an 80% tax discount - saving farmers almost £300 million a year. The Government’s commitment to farming and food security is steadfast, which is why it has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support farmers in England with fuel costs in 2026.
The Government is conscious of the increases to prices of red diesel and other fuel influenced by the continued instability in the Middle East. The Competition and Markets Authority has been asked to look into industry concerns about red diesel prices, including price transparency. The Government are determined to help keep costs down for our farmers. Red diesel continues to benefit from an 80% tax discount - saving farmers almost £300 million a year. The Government’s commitment to farming and food security is steadfast, which is why it has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to introduce any short-term financial support for farmers to mitigate rising fuel costs in 2026.
The Government is conscious of the increases to prices of red diesel and other fuel influenced by the continued instability in the Middle East. The Competition and Markets Authority has been asked to look into industry concerns about red diesel prices, including price transparency. The Government are determined to help keep costs down for our farmers. Red diesel continues to benefit from an 80% tax discount - saving farmers almost £300 million a year. The Government’s commitment to farming and food security is steadfast, which is why it has allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with HM Treasury on targeted relief or subsidies for agricultural fuel use.
The Government is determined to help keep costs down for farmers. Red diesel continues to benefit from an 80% tax discount - saving farmers almost £300 million a year – and continue to provide £11.8 billion to support sustainable farming and food production. There is a commitment across Government to ensure that this market functions fairly and the Government will continue discussions with industry leaders, including the NFU and farming stakeholders. The Government stands ready to act swiftly and appropriately to support our farming industry and protect food security.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of fuel costs on the financial viability of farms during the spring planting and silage-making season.
The Government is conscious of the increases to prices of red diesel/gasoil, influenced by the continued instability in the Middle East. The Competition and Markets Authority has been asked to look into industry concerns about red diesel prices, including price transparency. The Government are determined to help keep costs down for our farmers. Red diesel continues to benefit from an 80% tax discount - saving farmers almost £300 million a year. Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors UK agricultural markets throughout the year, including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure that households are not charged higher assessed water tariffs where a water meter cannot be installed due to infrastructure limitations beyond the customer’s control.
On water metering, individual water companies are responsible for deciding how best to manage water demand, including their approach to metering. Customers charged on an unmeasured basis are typically charged by reference to the rateable value of the property. Where a meter cannot be installed, customers are instead offered an assessed charge based on one of the following: the number of bedrooms, the type of property, the number of people living in a property or the company’s average metered bill. Additional information about unmeasured charging can be found on the Ofwat website.
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase the level of accountability for water companies that fail to resolve billing disputes raised by hon. Members on behalf of constituents.
To rebuild trust It is vital that customers have assurance that their complaints will be resolved. That is why we will establish an independent, impartial, and accredited Water Ombudsman to ensure customer complaints and disputes are taken seriously and are resolved.Alongside this, the Government is looking at strengthening the consumer advocacy function to provide a stronger voice for customers.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the operational capacity of Ampney St Peter Sewage Treatment Works in Gloucestershire.
Water companies must ensure that their infrastructure has sufficient capacity to manage demand. Water companies are investing over £11bn in PR24, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales over the next five years. For England, this equates to over £10bn to improve almost 2,500 storm overflows.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of sewage treatment infrastructure capacity when planning authorities consider new housing developments in areas where sewage treatment works have recorded frequent storm overflow discharges.
The Government has recently consulted on a new National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) that includes clearer, ‘rules based’ policies for decision-making and plan-making. The consultation included policies that will support the development and operation of energy and water infrastructure that meets the needs of existing and future development. These policies emphasise the need for early engagement between relevant plan-making authorities, utility providers, regulators, and network operators. This will ensure that development plans align with the capacity and future requirements of water infrastructure, and support the delivery of water supply, drainage, and wastewater infrastructure. The consultation seeking views on a revised version of the NPPF closed on 10 March. Following analysis of the responses received, we will publish the final version in summer 2026. Shifting the focus towards ‘pre-pipe’ solutions such as rainwater management and tackling sewer misuse will be key to reducing sewage discharges from storm overflows.
Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department provides to water companies and planning authorities on determining when sewage treatment works have sufficient capacity to accommodate additional development.
Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewerage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of statutory Water Resources Management Plans, and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). The decision on whether to approve a development lies with the relevant Local Planning Authority, in line with guidance such as the National Planning Policy Framework. Sewerage undertakers must ensure that they have planned infrastructure need to meet both existing demand, and planned levels of household and non-household growth, as informed by local development plans and relevant modelling. In May 2025, Defra published guidance for the next round of DWMPs instructing sewerage undertakers on how they should prepare their statutory plans, setting out how they intend to manage and develop their infrastructure to meet current and future demand.
Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to help ensure that development is not approved where wastewater infrastructure capacity is insufficient.
Water companies are under a statutory duty to provide new water and sewerage connections to residential properties, as well as planning to meet the needs of growth as part of statutory Water Resources Management Plans, and Drainage and Wastewater Management Plans (DWMPs). The decision on whether to approve a development lies with the relevant Local Planning Authority, in line with guidance such as the National Planning Policy Framework. Sewerage undertakers must ensure that they have planned infrastructure need to meet both existing demand, and planned levels of household and non-household growth, as informed by local development plans and relevant modelling. In May 2025, Defra published guidance for the next round of DWMPs instructing sewerage undertakers on how they should prepare their statutory plans, setting out how they intend to manage and develop their infrastructure to meet current and future demand.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the public's understanding of increasing climate change and biodiversity loss; and what steps she is taking to help raise public awareness.
Government works with the cultural and heritage sector through the National Adaptation Programme to understand and address the impacts of climate change on the UK’s cultural heritage, including supporting heritage sites to assess physical risks such as flooding, coastal erosion and overheating The Met Office supports public understanding of how climate change affects biodiversity by publishing accessible blogs and media content, and by working with partners such as The Wildlife Trusts and NatureScot to explain impacts on ecosystems in the UK and globally. [metoffice.gov.uk], [metoffice.gov.uk], [nature.scot] Met Office science and communications also highlight practical risks to nature from a warming climate, including rising threats from pests and diseases and shifting species distributions. This work links climate science with biodiversity protection and supports wider public awareness, including through engagement with international processes such as IPBES. The Amazon: a hot spot for biodiversity and climate regulation - Met Office Natural England works to build the evidence base on climate change in the context of biodiversity loss and provides advice to national and local government and professionals working in conservation and land management. The Climate Change Adaptation Manual - NE751 and Carbon Storage and Sequestration by Habitat 2021 - NERR094 illustrate this.
Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department plans to publish the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science report on the number of Total Allowable Catches that follow scientific advice.
Defra has published annual reports from the Centre for Environment, Fisheries, and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) setting out the number of Total Allowable Catches of internationally shared stocks that follow scientific advice for UK fishing opportunities since 2020. Defra will continue to track and publish progress of the UK’s approach to sustainable fisheries management.
Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential impact of overfishing on costs to the fishing industry.
The Government is committed to maintaining or restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This aligns with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with international partners to set annual catch limits for shared stocks, using the best available scientific advice and balancing this with social and economic factors, including the risks of overfishing. If catch limits are exceeded in a quota year, deductions can be applied the following year. Since 2021, the Department of Environment Food and Rural Affairs has published a report assessing the outcomes of annual fishing negotiations. The 2025 report can be found at the following link: Economic outcomes of negotiations for UK fishing opportunities 2025 - GOV.UK. As it covers negotiated outcomes rather than actual catches, it does not assess industry costs from exceeding limits.
Food and Rural Affairs, which sites she plans to designate as high seas marine protected areas.
Under the Biodiversity Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) Agreement, the Conference of the Parties can establish area-based management tools (ABMTs), including marine protected areas, in areas beyond national jurisdiction. Once we have ratified the Agreement, as a Party the UK will be able to participate fully in decisions on the establishment of such tools. The UK has been working proactively to support global efforts to consider where future ABMTs under the Agreement may be proposed, including through the publication of Defra-funded research which produced a shortlist of ABMTs that could be considered for development into future proposals. The UK has a long-standing interest in the Sargasso Sea, with Bermuda – an overseas territory – being the only land territory within it. Together with the Government of Bermuda, we support science-led conservation of the Sargasso Sea, including as signatories to the Hamilton Declaration (2014) which established the Sargasso Sea Commission. We have recently circulated (to BBNJ signatories) a draft Hamilton II Declaration, which acknowledges the global importance of conserving the Sargasso Sea and provides a mechanism to signal political support for developing a collective ABMT proposal under the BBNJ Agreement. Separate to the BBNJ Agreement, as a Contracting Party to the Oslo and Paris Convention (OSPAR) the UK works collaboratively with the other 15 Contracting Parties to designate marine protected areas in areas beyond national jurisdiction in the OSPAR maritime area.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many reports of marine mammal bycatch were made by fishermen in the last three years.
Marine mammal bycatch is required to be reported under the Marine Mammal Protection Act to continue to export fisheries products to the United States (US), and to assist conservation efforts in mitigating marine mammal bycatch. According to the Marine Management Organisation, fishermen made a total of 40 reports of marine mammal bycatch across the last three years from 2023 to 2025.
Food and Rural Affairs, how many infraction notices have been issued for illegal discarding in the fishing sector in the last three years.
In England, the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) has issued a total of 34 infraction notices for illegal discarding or for incorrectly recording discards in logbooks in the years 2023-2026. Information on infraction notices or inspection activity undertaken by the Scottish, Welsh, or Northern Irish authorities in the waters for which they are responsible can be obtained directly from the respective devolved Governments.
Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department incorporates discard estimates into the setting of total allowable catches in the fishing industry.
Total Allowable Catches (TACs) are set through a process bringing together science, economics, stakeholder input, and discards information. For most TACs, scientific bodies, e.g. the International Committee for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), provide scientific advice on how much fish can be harvested (catch advice) to achieve agreed sustainability objectives. Where data availability allows, ICES assessments of fish stocks incorporate discarding estimates into the catch advice, and where this occurs, the allocated TACs represent all components of the catch, including discards. Under the Landing Obligation, legal discarding is permitted for specific stocks under defined circumstances. For these, the UK applies deductions from its TACs prior to their allocation, using estimates of discarding levels to account for expected legal discards. Defra is reforming discards management in England, which includes developing an approach to account for total catches, discards as well as landings, against quota.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Voluntary Code of Practice for Food on the Go in reducing litter; and whether she made an assessment of the potential merits of (a) reviewing and (b) strengthening the Code, including through statutory measures.
No assessment has been made of the code of practice. Councils and others have powers to tackle persistent, unreasonable behaviour that is having a negative effect on a community’s quality of life. They can issue Community Protection Notices which can be used to require the owner of premises, such as fast-food outlets, to take certain actions to tackle litter created by their activities. To support local councils to make good use of their powers for littering and related offences we have laid new Statutory Guidance: Litter enforcement powers: when and how to use them in Parliament. Local authorities will need to have regard to this guidance when using their powers. Guidance published by the Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government clarifies the powers available to councils to ensure new hot food takeaways do not increase the impact of litter on local communities. The guidance gives councils advice on what rules they can enforce when new takeaways open, such as ensuring they install more bins and anti-litter signs around shops or have staff members pick up litter regularly.