Written questions by Dyke.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in interpretation by local authorities of requirements for farmed reindeer licensing on farm business viability.

Licences for reindeer in England may be required where they are exhibited to the public. The type of licence needed will depend on the nature of the display (permanent or temporary) and whether the reindeer are being exhibited as part of a business. There are also licensing requirements for keeping certain species of reindeer regarded as dangerous, where they are kept outside of a licensed zoo or pet shop. Licensing decisions are a matter for each local authority, who can decide on the most appropriate type of licence or licences depending on the circumstances of each individual collection.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the classification of farmed reindeers as zoo animals.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance and reassurance they have offered to local authorities in interpreting the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027 in regard to farmed reindeers.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration they have made to adding exemption guidance to farmed reindeer in the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027.

The Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, published in May 2025, apply to all zoos in Great Britain licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act). The 1981 Act provides for exemptions or dispensations for small collections depending on the number and types of animals kept. A collection consisting of just a small number of reindeer (no more than 50) can already apply for a dispensation which can help reduce zoo licensing inspection costs.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many flooded homes there were in the last year by region.

The table below represents properties flooded in Environment Agency (EA) Operational Areas from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. This information has been collated by EA Area teams and is based on information received from the public, flood partners and EA staff during national flood events. All figures are estimates and are subject to change as information is collated and updated, and records may differ from previously reported totals. Further impacts can sometimes be reported through recovery work with communities. The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government may hold further detail about properties flooded during this time from Lead Local Flood Authorities. EA Operational AreaProperties Flooded 1 April 2025– 31 March 2026Cumbria and Lancashire24Devon, Cornwall & Isles of Scilly122East Anglia (Cambridgeshire & Bedfordshire)2East Anglia (Essex, Norfolk, Suffolk)5East Midlands3Greater Manchester Merseyside1Hertfordshire & North London1Kent & South London23Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire North East Solent and South Downs17Thames9West Midlands (Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Gloucestershire)22West Midlands (Staffordshire, Warwickshire, West Mids)10Wessex279Yorkshire (YOR)22Total   540

Food and Rural Affairs, what conversations they have had with local authorities on the interpretation of the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of British grown cauliflower and other brassicas in spring 2026.

The UK’s food security is built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors and assess UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments. This includes consideration of the adequacy of the supply of both domestically grown cauliflower and brassicas, and where necessary, imports.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the volume of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser held in storage in the UK.

The UK is not facing an immediate fertiliser supply issue, but price rises have been felt immediately. The UK imported below 1% of its fertilisers directly from the Gulf region in 2025 and so direct imports from the region are negligible. Fertiliser delivery by suppliers is based on orders placed by farmers according to the crops planned to be grown, with typically no long-term storage of fertiliser. Defra is in contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply to the UK. Through its close relationships with industry, the Government remains ready to support businesses as effectively as possible in these challenging times.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Iran conflict on the supply of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.

Some of the UK’s trade partners import fertilisers from the Middle East, either for onward shipment to the UK or for production inputs, creating indirect dependencies. Defra is in close contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply to the UK.There is no immediate risk to UK supply. However, the fertiliser market is a global market, and the market price in the UK is strongly influenced by international prices for fertiliser and by the value of the pound. The Government is aware of the current price increase for fertiliser and remains ready to support businesses as effectively as possible in these challenging times.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of days of supply of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser available based on storage levels and usage rates.

The UK is not facing an immediate fertiliser supply issue, but price rises have been felt immediately. The UK imported below 1% of its fertilisers directly from the Gulf region in 2025 and so direct imports from the region are negligible. Fertiliser delivery by suppliers is based on orders placed by farmers according to the crops planned to be grown, with typically no long-term storage of fertiliser. Defra is in contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply to the UK. Through its close relationships with industry, the Government remains ready to support businesses as effectively as possible in these challenging times.

Food and Rural Affairs, how glass containers subject to a 0p deposit under the Deposit Return Scheme in Wales between 2027-2031 will be identified as (a) separate to packaging obligated for Extended Producer Responsibility in the rest of the UK.

Following the launch of the DRS in Wales in October 2027, glass drinks in scope of DRS sold into Wales will fall out of the packaging EPR system and no longer have household recycling fee obligations. Instead, they will be captured by the Welsh Government’s DRS regulations. PackUK is working closely with the Welsh Government to confirm processes and enable producers to report materials into the correct scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Welsh Deposit Return Scheme adopting (a) a unique exemption threshold for single-use glass of 25 tonnes and (b) not including (i) turnover in exemption thresholds or (ii) alignment with the Low Volume Exemption on (A)UK interoperability and (B) producers.

We have not carried out an impact assessment on Welsh Government devolved policy.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether conditions of appointment were included for the UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd to ensure that small producers were adequately represented on its board.

The UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO)’s board structure includes representation from a small producer. In addition, as part of the UK DMO’s Conditions of Appointment, the DMO’s Advisory Group must include representation of small scheme producers. The DMO Board must seek the views of the Advisory Group before adopting any decision relating to matters on which the UK DMO is required to consult under the Regulations and must take those views into account in its decision making.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will hold discussions with the UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd on its definition of a small producer for representation on its board; and what information her Department holds on whether this is the same definition that the Government uses.

The UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) is an independent body and appoint their own board.

Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's planned timeframe is to (a) consult on and (b) legislate for additional criteria for the exemption of non-household waste from Extended Producer Responsibility disposal fees and obligations.

We are continuing to work with stakeholders on the treatment of dual-use packaging and packaging that is unlikely to enter the household waste stream. There is no date set for consultation or legislation at this stage for any additional criteria for exemption from packaging Extended Producer Responsibility disposal fee obligations. Any future changes would need to be workable, enforceable, and protect the operational integrity of the scheme across all business models.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department asked the Office for the Internal Market for advice on the potential impact of agreeing to the Welsh Government's exclusion from the internal market for single-use glass containers in the Deposit Return Scheme in Wales.

The UK Government did not refer the Welsh Government's proposal for a UKIM exclusion for its Deposit Return Scheme to the Office for Internal Market (OIM) for advice. As part of our commitments in the review of the UK Internal Market Act in 2025, the UK Government is working with devolved Governments to implement a system for joint referrals by all Governments to the OIM for advice, earlier in policy development and to inform the decision-making process.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with Cabinet colleagues on the potential impact of the arrangements for excluding non-household waste from Extended Producer Responsibility disposal fees and obligation on businesses.

The Secretary of State has discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, including packaging Extended Producer Responsibility’s impact on businesses. We are aware of industry concerns about producers being charged disposal fees for packaging that is disposed of through commercial waste streams, and we continue to work with stakeholders to find an approach that balances those concerns with the operational integrity of the scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether single use glass containers sold in Wales before October 2027 will be exempt from disposal costs fees under Extended Producer Responsibility.

Glass drinks containers across the UK, including in Wales, are subject to packaging Extended Producer Responsibility data reporting, disposal fees and recycling obligations. The temporary exemption from disposal fees before the Deposit Return Scheme goes live in 2027 applies to steel, aluminium, and PET plastic drinks containers.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many instances of fly tipping have been recorded on the public forest estate in each of the last 10 years.

Forestry England and Forestry Commission are required to report operational waste volumes by category under the Greening Government Commitments (GGC) to Defra. There is no requirement to record or report the number of fly-tipping incidents. Due to the size of our estate and available resources, it has historically proven impractical to systematically record all instances of fly tipping. Forestry England does not therefore hold complete historical records for the period requested. The number of instances that have been recorded across the public forest estate are as follows: 2016-17: 18 instances2017-18: 11 instances2018-19: 111 instances2019-20: 88 instances2020-21: 164 instances2021-22: 116 instances2022-23: 76 instances2023-24: 683 instances2024-25: 57 instances2025-26: 53 instances Since 2023-24 Forestry England has put in place additional mechanisms to record collected waste categorised as fly tip through our national waste contract with Green Zone. This has been recorded in tonnes, rather than as individual instances. Reported data for the past three financial years: 2023-24: 218.98 tonnes2024-25: 181.01 tonnes2025-26: 178.62 tonnes

Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an estimate of the volume of sewage discharged at Baltonsborough Pumping Station in Somerset in the past year.

Water companies are required to submit data to the Environment Agency (EA) showing the duration of discharges. The EA uses this information to target its regulatory work and to drive improvements to assets and parts of the sewerage networks where they are most critical. Water companies have not submitted 2025 data yet; they will do so by the end of this month.