Written questions by Dyke.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance his Department is providing to farming businesses wishing to implement fire suppression measures on agricultural machinery.

Fire suppression equipment for agricultural machinery is not currently in scope of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund. The Fund provides grants towards the costs of equipment to improve productivity, manage slurry and improve animal health and welfare. There were 66 items of eligible productivity equipment in the latest round of Farming Equipment and Technology Fund which closed for applications on 10 July 2025. Eligible items are assessed on their productivity and environmental benefits, and the highest scoring equipment is included – a selection process carried out with industry stakeholders.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to Directive (EU) 2024/1438 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 14 May 2024 amending Council Directives 2001/110/EC relating to honey, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the divergence between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK on the regulation of honey production.

Directive 2001/110/EC relating to honey was transposed in each of the four UK nations through the relevant domestic Honey Regulations. Directive (EU) 2024/1438 creates additional requirements relating to country of origin labelling for blended honey and ensuring honey authenticity. The UK has a thriving and diverse honey market which gives consumers access to a wide range of products, from mono-floral varieties to single country origins as well as blended honeys, at a wide range of price points. Directive (EU) 2024/1438 applies in Northern Ireland under Annex 2 of the Windsor Framework. The Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland recently issued a public consultation on the transposition and enforcement of Directive 2024/1438 with respect to honey which closed on 14 May 2025. The responses are currently being assessed. At the UK-EU Summit on 19 May 2025, the UK and EU agreed work towards an UK-EU Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement (‘SPS Agreement’) to make agrifood trade with our biggest market cheaper and easier, cutting costs and red tape for British producers and retailers. The scope of the agreement remains subject to negotiation but is expected to include key marketing and compositional standards, including rules on honey. Common rules on honey would pave the way for easier and smoother trading both across the UK and with the EU.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 4.62 of HM Treasury's document entitled Spending Review 2025, published on 12 June 2025, what proportion of flood defence spending from 2026-27 to 2028-29 will be allocated to Somerset.

We’re investing £2.65 billion over two years to March 2026 to maintain, repair, and build flood defences. We’re committing a further £4.2 billion over three years from April 2026, an increase of 5% per year, as announced at Spending Review 2025. We’re consulting on proposals for reforming flood defence funding, protecting all communities including rural, coastal, and poorer areas. The list of projects to receive government funding will be consented on an annual basis through Regional Flood and Coastal Committees, with local representation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to require the (a) import and (b) sale of (i) eggs, (ii) pork and (ii) fur to meet UK animal welfare standards.

Ministers and officials meet regularly to address these important topics. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage. All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards. The Government recognises the concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to support economic growth and promote the highest standards of food production.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made a recent assessment of the potential merits of a sales ban on imported (a) eggs and (b) egg products produced on farms that use battery cages.

Ministers and officials meet regularly to address these important topics. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and will always consider whether overseas produce has an unfair advantage. All agri-food products must comply with our import requirements in order to be placed on the UK market. This includes ensuring imported meat products have been slaughtered to animal welfare standards equivalent to our domestic standards. The Government recognises the concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to support economic growth and promote the highest standards of food production.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the European Commission's document entitled Vision for Agriculture and Food, published on 19 February 2025, if he will hold discussions with animal welfare organisations on the potential merits of implementing the same regulations as proposed in the EU on (a) the phasing out the use of cages for farmed animals and (b) extending UK animal welfare standards to imported products.

This Government was elected on a mandate to introduce the most ambitious plans to improve animal welfare in a generation. The Department is engaging with key animal welfare stakeholders as part of the development of our overarching approach to animal welfare. We will be outlining more details in due course. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully. The Government shares the public’s high regard for the UK’s environmental protections, food standards and animal welfare. We will promote robust standards nationally and internationally and we have been clear we will protect farmers from being undercut by low welfare and low standards in trade deals. We await the EU Commission proposals with interest.

Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is providing those impacted by flooding following Storm Herminia.

The Environment Agency surged support at strategic, tactical and operational levels and worked with Local Resilience Forums to manage flood impacts in areas affected by Storm Hermina. There were approximately 160 properties flooded and 6000 protected. The Environment Agency routinely provides flood warning and information and maintains 250 mobile pumps, including 17 ultra-high-volume pumps which can assist with flood recovery across England. There was no activation of the flood recovery framework or Defra led support schemes as a result of flooding caused by Storm Hermina. We recognise the devastation the storms this winter have caused to those affected. The role of any Government is to protect its citizens which is why, under our Plan for Change, a record £2.65 billion will be invested over two years in better protecting 52,000 properties by March 2026. Around 1,000 projects will receive funding in 24/25 and 25/26. This Government inherited flood assets in their poorest condition on record, so we are also prioritising maintenance of existing flood defences, ensuring an additional 14,500 properties will have their expected level of protection maintained or restored.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many farmers and land managers successfully applied for capital grants for environmental land management in (a) Glastonbury and Somerton constituency and (b) England in 2024.

Between 1 January 2024 and 28 November 2024, there have been 6573 successful applications for Capital Grants under the Environmental Land Management Schemes in England in 2024. The Rural Payment Agency cannot provide constituency data at this time due to the boundary changes earlier this year.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of banning single-use food service materials for dine-in settings that have more than 20 covers.

This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics - 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. As a part of this transition, managing and reducing plastic waste will be crucial. The Government has not fully assessed the option to ban single-use food service materials for dine-in settings that have more than 20 covers. We continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encouraging reuse solutions.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of using (a) refillable and (b) returnable packaging to help support the transition to become a circular economy.

Refillable and returnable packaging is a key part of supporting the transition to a circular economy. Defra is working with WRAP to identify and analyse measures that could be used to encourage greater use of refillable and returnable packaging.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to extend the Rural England Prosperity Fund.

The Autumn Statement on 30 October confirmed Defra’s budgets for 2024-25 and 2025-26. Funding allocations for individual programmes for the next financial year will be determined in upcoming months through the department’s business planning exercise. The department is working closely with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government and will update on the Rural England Prosperity Fund in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Rural England Prosperity Fund has been spent.

Delivery of the Rural England Prosperity Fund (REPF) has been devolved to eligible local authorities. This includes assessing and approving project applications, processing payments and day-to-day monitoring. REPF funding is available from April 2023 to March 2025 and all eligible local authorities have confirmed allocations of funding for the two-year period as published. The latest data we have available for spend is for end of year 1 (March 2024) which showed that £17 million had been paid to projects and in total £71 million had been committed to completed, live or planned projects. Allocations were weighted 25% year 1 and 75% year 2 for most eligible local authorities to allow development of project pipelines and give time for eligible local authorities to use the full allocations available.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of levels of international funding needed to support new financial mechanisms that would be required under the Global Plastics Treaty.

The Government is committed to playing a leading role at the forthcoming fifth intergovernmental negotiating committee to ensure an effective plastic pollution treaty is agreed which addresses the full lifecycle of plastics. Funding will be needed from all sources, public and private, to support an effective treaty and should leverage synergies with funding to support other global environmental challenges. The level of funding will depend on the outcomes of negotiations on control measures and the associated assessments of the support required for their implementation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what position the UK will take on (a) chemical recycling and (b) a mass balance approach in negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty.

At the fifth session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee to develop a new UN Plastics Treaty, the UK will align with our domestic policy on any provisions related to chemical recycling, including mass balance. Therefore, where relevant we will recognise that chemical recycling technologies can offer a complementary route to support the transition towards a circular economy, where mechanical recycling is unfeasible or uneconomic and where this waste may otherwise be incinerated. There are no proposals in the Treaty on the mass balance approach. Through their recent consultation response following Autumn Budget, His Majesty’s Treasury confirmed acceptance of using a mass balance approach to calculate chemically recycled content in plastic packaging for the purposes of the Plastic Packaging Tax in the UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero on negotiations on the Global Plastics Treaty in South Korea.

The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 October 2024 to Question 9584 on Plastics: Treaties, what level of (a) production and (b) consumption of primary plastic polymers is sustainable.

The UK supports measures under the proposed Global Plastics Treaty to reduce the production and consumption of primary plastic polymers to sustainable levels, and the Government recognises that further work will be needed to establish what those sustainable levels are. The UK will continue to advocate for the importance of following the science, as well as supporting measures to ensure greater transparency across the plastics lifecycle, to allow the future Conferences of the Parties to make evidence-based decisions.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential environmental benefits of including (a) PET plastic bottles, (b) glass bottles and (c) metal beverage containers within the proposed deposit return scheme.

The Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers across all four nations will include single-use drinks containers from 150ml to 3 litres. In England and Northern Ireland, materials included in DRS are polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic, steel, and aluminium drink containers. Glass will not be in scope of the scheme. Across the UK, it is estimated that approximately 4 billion plastic and 2.5 billion metal drinks containers are not recycled every year – a significant amount being landfilled, littered or incinerated.Once the DRS for drinks containers is introduced, the Deposit Management Organisation will be required to reach a collection rate of 90% of DRS containers in year 3 of the scheme.Further details, including monetary analysis on the reduction of disamenity of litter, will be provided in the DRS Final Impact Assessment. This will be published when the Statutory Instrument is laid in Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an estimate of the number of (a) polyethylene terephthalate plastic bottles, (b) glass bottles and (c) metal beverage containers littered annually in the UK.

Across the UK, it is estimated that approximately 4 billion plastic and 2.5 billion metal drinks containers are not recycled every year – a significant amount being littered. Once the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers is introduced, the Deposit Management Organisation will be required to reach a collection rate of 90% of DRS containers in year 3 of the scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to support businesses in rural areas.

Rural areas offer significant potential for growth and are central to our economy. Over half a million business are registered in rural areas, with the rural economy contributing over £315 billion a year to England alone. The Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas, so that we can realise the full potential of rural business and communities. To achieve this, we are ensuring that the needs of people and businesses in rural areas are at the heart of policymaking. That starts with delivering a new deal for farmers including cutting energy prices by setting up GB energy, ensuring future trade deals are fairer for British farmers, and procuring more British produce in Government.