Written questions by Niblett.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much new burdens funding she plans to allocate for food waste collections; and if she will (a) allocate that funding based on costs incurred by WCAs and (b) apply the New Burdens Doctrine in full.

We have invested over £340 million to support waste collection authorities on weekly food collections. While local authorities will have the flexibility to deliver these reforms in the best way for their council areas and residents, we still expect them to take all reasonable steps to meet their statutory obligations. Previous capital and transitional funding were allocated and published by Defra. As confirmed in the outcome of the Spending Review 2025, ongoing resource funding for food waste services from 1 April 2026 will be included in the Local Government Finance Settlement, rather than as a separate new burdens grant.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ensure imported eggs are (a) salmonella free and (b) raised to the same standards as UK produced eggs.

The UK has detailed legislation on marketing standards for eggs, which also covers imported eggs, to protect our food standards.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to help ensure farmers are not out of pocket for costs incurred under AB12 supplementary feeding for farmland birds.

Under the Environmental Land Management Capital Grants scheme, AB12 aims to provide bird feed during the winter period when other food sources are scarce. It pays £732 per tonne for every 2 hectares (ha) of winter bird food and is available under Countryside Stewardship Mid Tier and Higher Tier. Feed can be purchased from a number of suppliers across the UK. The department regularly reviews payment rates.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact on sugar beet producers in England due to the decision to extend tariff-free access for raw cane sugar.

The UK relies on some imported refined sugar to meet demand, and the Government’s assessment concluded that any additional volume of raw cane imports would largely displace that imported refined sugar rather than impacting domestic production. The increase in the ATQ volume is therefore not expected to impact UK sugar beet producers and the Government continues to work closely with stakeholders to ensure policy making finely balances all considerations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure adequate skills in local authorities to develop horticulture and parks.

The Government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities, industry, further education institutions, and training providers to strengthen skills and support jobs across the farming sector, including the horticulture sector, ensuring businesses and local authorities have the expertise needed to manage and develop green spaces. In collaboration with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture we are also helping to promote the wide range of exciting opportunities the sector offers. The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support jobs in the environmental sector, particularly horticulture.

The Government is committed to working in partnership with local authorities, industry, further education institutions, and training providers to strengthen skills and support jobs across the farming sector, including the horticulture sector, ensuring businesses and local authorities have the expertise needed to manage and develop green spaces. In collaboration with the Institute for Agriculture and Horticulture we are also helping to promote the wide range of exciting opportunities the sector offers. The Spending Review 2025 provides over £5 billion of new grant funding over the next three years for local services that communities rely on. The majority of funding in the Local Government Finance Settlement is unringfenced, recognising that local leaders are best placed to identify local priorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to issue updated guidance on pet passports.

As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area, which will mean taking pets on holiday into the EU will become easier and cheaper. Instead of getting an animal health certificate each time you travel, owners will be able to get a multiuse pet passport valid for travel to the EU. We have begun negotiations with the EU on the SPS agreement, however we are not going to give a running commentary of talks. In the meantime, owners will still need an Animal Health Certificate for their dog, cat or ferret if they are travelling from Great Britain to an EU country.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to protect chalk streams.

Fixing the systemic issues in the water system is essential to address the multiple pressures facing chalk streams. Chalk streams are embedded in our plan to reform the water industry. The Government has announced an ambitious programme of reforms to clean up our rivers, lakes, and seas for good. We are tackling one of the biggest impacts on chalk streams by reducing the risk of harmful abstraction by an estimated 126 million litres daily by 2030, through the amendment of water company abstraction licences, protecting vital water flows to these fragile ecosystems. We are rebuilding the entire water network through one of the largest infrastructure projects in this country’s history with a record £104 billion investment to upgrade crumbling pipes and cut sewage spills, which will help to protect chalk streams. Our protections through the Water (Special Measures) Act will ensure chalk streams are preserved for future generations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance her Department has issued to builders on building on historic dump sites for fly ash.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK. In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK. Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued to builders when building on historic dump sites of fly ash.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK. In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK. Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance his Department has issued on sites previously used for the dumping of fly ash.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has issued the following guiding principles on how planning can deal with all forms of land contamination: Land affected by contamination - GOV.UK. In addition to this, the Environment Agency publishes guidance on land contamination risk management, which can be found here: Land contamination risk management (LCRM) - GOV.UK. Technical guidance on investigating and remediating land affected by contamination is often issued by industry as well as by Government. Much industry-led guidance can be found online, such as through the CL:AIRE Water & Land Library.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 September 2025 to Question 72246 on Litter: Fast Food, if his Department will ensure that packaging from fast food outlets is marked by the outlet with the car registration of the customer using Automatic Number Plate Recognition.

We do not intend to require fast food outlets to implement a vehicle registration number printing system for packaging. 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 latest guidance is available here: Healthy and safe communities - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring all packaging from fast food outlets is marked by the outlet with the car registration of the customer using ANPR to trace back littering to the perpetrator.

This Government has not made an assessment of the potential merits of ensuring all packaging from fast food outlets is marked by the outlet with the car registration of the customer or the use of ANPR to trace back littering to the perpetrator.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to use technology to apprehend (a) fly tippers and (b) other people dropping litter across the countryside.

Local authorities are usually best placed to respond to fly-tipping and littering problems in their area, and we encourage them to make good use of the enforcement powers at their disposal. We are conducting a review of their powers to seize and crush vehicles of suspected fly-tippers to identify how we could help councils make better use of this tool, such as by using innovative techniques like drones and mobile CCTV cameras. Defra also chairs the National Fly-Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG), through which we work with a wide range of interested parties, including local authorities, to share good practice with regards to preventing fly-tipping, including on private land. The NFTPG has developed various practical tools including best practice case studies highlighting the use of technology such as CCTV to tackle fly-tipping. These are available at: https://nftpg.com/.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to (a) develop a circular economy for historically un-recyclable waste streams, (b) tackle the composite waste burden and (c) support the recycling industry.

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. Defra recognises the importance of assessing the impacts of un-recyclable waste and as we develop our Circular Economy Strategy for England, we will consider the evidence for action and evaluate what interventions may be needed. The incoming Collection and Packaging Reforms will ensure local authorities across England collect the same materials for recycling, creating a constant feed stock. These reforms will support 21,000 jobs and stimulate £10 billion in recycling capability over the next decade.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to allow payments for farmers to grow home grown (a) pulses and (b) legumes as protein sources as SFI.

The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) pays farmers and land managers to carry out actions that support the sustainable production of food and boost farm productivity and resilience, while protecting and enhancing the environment. Within SFI there are existing actions which can support pulses and legumes. On improved grassland there is an action to add legumes to the grass. On arable land there is a companion cropping action to grow two or more crops together which can include pulses or legumes as a companion.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to provide grants to farmers for rainwater harvesting.

We are committed to supporting all farming sectors to increase levels of productivity whilst increasing their sustainability and resilience. We are looking carefully at how to position further investment and support to enable the delivery of this Government's objectives, including on water security. We plan to simplify and rationalise our grant funding, ensuring that grants deliver the most benefit for food security and nature. We will confirm any future grant rounds in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help support people affected by flooding caused inadvertently by flood relief schemes.

When building flood defences there is a legal requirement that any development cannot increase the flood risk to communities either upstream or downstream, and if an increase in risk is identified, it must be mitigated.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to his Department's press release entitled Government to crack down on waste incinerators with stricter standards for new builds, published 30 December 2024, whether incinerators rejected at the planning stage are still able to appeal.

Rights to appeal planning decisions are unaffected by the Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note and accompanying statement. The accompanying statement set out that Government will only back new Energy from Waste projects that meet strict conditions. Proposals for new facilities will have to demonstrate a clearly defined domestic residual waste treatment capacity need to facilitate the diversion of residual waste away from landfill, or enable the replacement of older, less-efficient facilities. Additionally, new facilities will have to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy. We would expect any new local and environmental conditions to carry weight in any planning appeal.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of (a) small and (b) medium farms on the economy of (i) Derbyshire and (ii) the UK.

Defra does not produce estimates of the economic contribution of farming by farm size. Total income from farming in the UK in 2023 was £7.2 billion. Regional estimates are produced at international territorial levels (ITL) 1, 2 and 3, with ITL3 being the most granular geographical breakdown. In 2023, total income from farming for the three Derbyshire ITL3 regions was £0.13 million for Derby, £11.84 million for East Derbyshire and £36.69 million for South and West Derbyshire. Full details are available here: Total income from farming in the UK - GOV.UKTotal income from farming for the regions of England - GOV.UK.