Written questions by Barclay.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to reopen Sandeel fisheries in UK waters.

In March 2024, and following a public consultation, the UK and Scottish Governments closed English waters of the North Sea and all Scottish Waters to sandeel fishing. The closure will shield sandeel as an essential food source for threatened seabird populations, commercially valuable fish and for marine mammals. The EU has raised a dispute that the UK’s decision to prohibit fishing for sandeel within UK waters is not compliant with the Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA). The UK is defending its decision. The hearing took place on 28th - 30th January and we are awaiting the tribunal's decision from the Permanent Court of Arbitration

Food and Rural Affairs, what the total SFI agreement uptake has been per quarter since the beginning of the launch of the 2021 pilot scheme.

The table below shows the number of Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements accepted and started per quarter since the scheme’s launch in 2021. To note that farmers can have more than one SFI Agreement. The application window was paused across Spring and early Summer in 2022. QuarterNumber of AgreementsOct 21 to Dec 21515Jan 22 to Mar 22340Apr 22 to Jun 2220Jul 22 to Sep 226Oct 22 to Dec 221144Jan 23 to Mar 23910Apr 23 to Jun 23641Jul 23 to Sep 23609Oct 23 to Dec 234044Jan 24 to Mar 249915Apr 24 to Jun 249391Jul 24 to Sep 242875Oct 24 to Dec 246122Jan 25 to Mar 254358Total40,890

Food and Rural Affairs, how much has been paid to farmers in Improving Farming Productivity grants since 4 July 2024.

The Rual Payment Agency has supported the farming and rural sector through payments under a range of grants. Since 04 July 2024, £2,403,543.46 been paid to farmers for Improving Farming Productivity grants.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish all relevant reports submitted to the Environment Agency in 2024 by the operator of the Peterborough Stanground Thistle Drive Pumping Station in compliance with their obligations under the The Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2016.

Relevant reports will be published in due course. The permit (AWCNF428/10348) requires various information and data to be submitted to the Environment Agency as follows: Annual Summary report for Storm Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) data – start & stop times. The 2023 report was submitted in 2024 () but Water Companies have until the end of February 2025 to submit 2024 data which we will make publicly available in March 2025. Annual Summary report for Storm EDM data – operational/not operational. As above.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the operator of the Peterborough Stanground Thistle Drive Pumping Station fitted an early duration monitor on the combined sewage overflow.

Peterborough Stanground Thistle Drive Pumping Station has an EDM (Event Duration Monitor) on site as this is now a legal requirement for sites that discharge storm sewage. Further information on EDM data across the UK can be found at Storm Overflow Spill Frequency and information from the Anglian Water website on EDM data for 2023 can be found here.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help protect (a) the Cambridgeshire Fens and (b) the UK from Chinese mitten crabs.

The Government takes invasive species seriously and has legislated to prevent the further introduction and spread of Chinese mitten crab. As a ‘Species of Special Concern’ it is subject to the Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019, which means that it cannot be brought into Great Britain, kept, bred, transported, sold, used or exchanged, allowed to reproduce, grown or cultivated, or released into the environment. Defra funds the Fish Heath Inspectorate to carry out work to prevent the illegal sale and spread of this species. Defra and the Environment Agency will continue to look for ways to manage this species but are currently not aware of any cost-effective or proven control methods, and there is limited scientific evidence on potential management approaches and its impacts.

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 on 30 December 2024, whether he plans to review environmental permits granted to schemes where construction has not started including the MVV Wisbech incinerator.

The statement and analysis issued by my department sets out that any new waste incineration facilities should 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. These matters are considered through the planning, rather than permitting process. It is worth noting that the analysis published identified that of the seven local authorities that sent more than 40% of collected residual waste to landfill in 2022-23 (the most recent data available), four are located in the East of England and East Midlands. My department also set out that new facilities will have to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy. To maintain confidence in the UK’s regulatory system, as well as support investment in UK infrastructure to support economic growth, it is important that modifications are not retrospectively imposed to environmental permits that have been granted in line with the established regulatory framework. However, those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) are encouraged to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities in light of the evidence we have published.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the proportion of farm holdings that are owned by a single person or entity.

In 2021, the statistical estimates for the proportion of farmers in England who have financial and legal responsibility for an agricultural holding is shown below: Financial and legal responsibility for a holdingProportion of holdingsOne person46%Two or more people who are close family members49%Two or more people who are not related1%An organisation (or a legal person)4% Sourced from the Defra June Survey of Agriculture

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of changes to Inheritance Tax announced in the Autumn Budget 2024 on levels of production of the five key crops by tonnage in the next five years.

The level of crop production is always subject to factors such as weather conditions and prevailing prices. Beyond such normal factors, the Government does not expect the inheritance tax changes to have a material impact on crop production. We have robust domestic production, which alongside stable trade routes and diverse supply chains ensures the country continues to benefit from high food security. With the largest ever investment in sustainable food production, through our Environmental Land Management schemes, we are securing long term food security.

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the number of farm holdings that are estimated to have a net value of (a) between £1,000,000 and £1,499,999, (b) between £1,500,000 and £1,999,999 and (c) over £2,000,000 in (i) England, (ii) Cambridgeshire and (iii) North East Cambridgeshire constituency.

Defra does not hold financial data for farms at holding level. Some financial information is published at a farm business level (where multiple farm holdings can constitute a single farm business). This information is based on the Farm Business Survey which only covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst the Survey captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes around 43,000 smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output). This means the statistics cannot be used to infer any statistical estimates for the whole population of farms. The published 2022/23 balance sheet statistics, which include the distribution of farms by net worth by region, are available in Table 6 of the Balance Sheets: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66d0410957321cdac841840a/fbs_balancesheetanalysis_2022_23.ods. The 2023/24 data will be published in March 2025. For the East of England, the 2022/23 data shows that 17% of Farm Business Survey farms had a net worth between £1 million and £1.49 million, and 58% had a net worth above £1.5 million. Farm business assets are not a clear guide to inheritance tax liabilities which are due on an individual’s estate at the time of their death whereas farm businesses can have multiple ownership and can be passed on as gifts before death.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data the Rural Payments Agency holds on the (a) area and (b) value of (i) farms and (ii) farmland at a (A) hereditament and (B) local authority level.

The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) does not hold data at hereditament level, or any data on values of farms or farmland. It does hold data on areas of land for businesses registered with the RPA and associated agricultural land, i.e. land registered as Arable, Pasture and Permanent Crops.

Food and Rural Affairs, what data his Department holds on the (a) area and (b) value of (i) farms and (ii) farmland at a (A) hereditament and (B) local authority level.

The Defra June Survey of Agriculture has statistical estimates of the English farmland areas at local authority level, the latest available is for 2021. Please note this survey only covers commercial holdings (defined as farms with more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables, 0.1 hectares of protected crops, 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry). Defra produces statistical estimates of the total income from farming by English county Data are only available on total fixed capital (value of land, plant and buildings) at UK level due to the calculation methodology used. Defra do not hold financial data for farms at holding level. Some financial information is published at a farm business level (where multiple farm holdings can constitute a single farm business). This information is based on the Farm Business Survey which only covers farm businesses in England with a Standard Output of more than £21,000. Whilst the Survey captures the majority of agricultural activity, it excludes around 43,000 smaller businesses (which account for 2% of output). This means the statistics cannot be used to infer any statistical estimates for the whole population of farms. The published 2022/23 balance sheet statistics, which include the distribution of farms by net worth by region, are available in Table 6 of the Balance Sheets. Please note that the data being asked for is already publicly available on the Defra Farming Statistics webpages: Food, Farming and Bio-security statistics - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of changes to the mix of waste sent for incineration since 2017 on the carbon emissions of each unit of electricity generated by incinerators compared to (a) coal, (b) gas, (c) nuclear, (d) biomass, (e) offshore wind, (f) onshore wind and (g) solar.

Defra made no assessment of the effect of changes in the mix of waste sent for incineration on the carbon emissions of each unit of electricity generated by energy recovery facilities when the Rt Hon member for North East Cambridgeshire was Secretary of State. Defra is currently undertaking a composition analysis study of residual waste treated at energy recovery facilities. This will enable us to better understand the overall composition of residual waste treated at energy recovery facilities and, in due course, can form the basis for a better understanding of the fossil carbon portion of waste sent to incineration.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the statutory target to halve residual waste on demand for waste incineration capacity.

Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of waste incineration capacity over the next (a) five, (b) 10 and (c) 20 years assuming all statutory environmental targets are met.

Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to reduce the amount of waste sent for incineration; and what estimate he has made of the volume of waste that will be incinerated in each of the next five years.

Our current use of resources has been set on a trajectory that is economically, environmentally and socially unsustainable. This Government will be creating a roadmap to correct course towards a circular economy, supporting sustainable economic growth by driving up resource efficiency and reducing our emissions and waste. As part of this we will consider the role of waste incineration, including Energy from Waste, and any implications for circularity, economic growth, and net zero.

Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the proportion of waste that will be recycled in each of the next five years.

In 2022, the Waste from Households recycling rate in England was 43.4%. Figures for 2023/24 are provisionally scheduled for publication by January 2025. We have a long-term target to halve residual waste by 2042 and we are committed to achieving a municipal recycling rate of at least 65% by 2035.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many abandoned waste sites there are; and if he will publish a list of such sites.

As of July 2024, the Environment Agency confirmed 35 abandoned waste sites in England. An abandoned site occurs if the waste management permit holder dies, or the company is wound up. Information on these sites was not published when he was Secretary of State due to data protection and ongoing investigations. This remains the case.