Written questions by Farron.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will review the prohibition on exhibiting Psittaciformes alongside (a) canaries and (b) finches at licensed bird gatherings; and if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of permitting mixed‑species events.

This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only. In England the general licence for gatherings of Psittaciformes, birds of prey and racing pigeons permits a gathering including a mix of these types of birds. Defra can also exercise discretion to permit gatherings by granting specific licences for mixed species from other orders of bird such as Passeriformes (e.g. canaries and finches). For each application for a licence to hold a gathering, an individual risk assessment will be completed, and mitigating conditions will be set out in the licence. It is therefore possible, subject to licence, to hold mixed-species exhibitions of Psittaciformes alongside canaries and finches.

Food and Rural Affairs, what plans her Department has to consult (a) regional bird clubs, (b) national exhibition and (c) any other avicultural organisations on licensing changes and their potential impact on (i) breeding, (ii) rehoming and (iii) any other conservation activities.

Defra officials will continue to engage stakeholders, including regional bird clubs, organisers of the National Exhibition and other avicultural organisations about the changes to the licences for bird gatherings via stakeholder forums and individual discussions as appropriate to understand impacts to their activities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking in response to the findings of the Nature security assessment on global biodiversity loss, ecosystem collapse and national security, published on 26 January 2026.

Nature underpins our security, prosperity, and resilience, and understanding the threats we face from biodiversity loss is essential to addressing them effectively. The UK is already taking action to strengthen resilience to environmental risks at home and overseas. The Nature Security assessment is a strategic analysis designed to help government plan for potential shocks that are credible enough to warrant preparation and will inform policy and decision-making. This approach ensures the UK is equipped to anticipate and manage risks should they arise. Publishing the assessment also supports international cooperation on shared biodiversity challenges. In the UK, the Government is investing in sustainable farming, restoring peatlands, improving water quality, and protecting pollinators. The government has introduced landmark legislation to protect our oceans and is working to restore over half of all plantations on ancient woodland sites by 2030. Internationally, the UK is investing significantly in forest and ocean protection and is supporting the transition to more sustainable food and land use globally, to help ensure the future of our global supply chains. Together, these measures form part of the UK’s wider strategy to reduce the security risks of biodiversity loss, protect livelihoods, and promote global stability through nature recovery.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many full-time equivalent staff worked for the rural payments agency in each year between 2019 and 2026.

The number of full‑time equivalent (FTE) staff employed by the Rural Payments Agency is published in the public domain as part of Defra’s Monthly Workforce Management Information (MWMI) reports. This information can be accessed via the following link: : Defra: workforce management information - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to produce a white paper for a food strategy.

The food strategy is an on-going programme of work to create a healthier, more affordable, sustainable and resilient food system. The first part was the Good Food Cycle publication in July 2025, which identified for the first time the outcomes the Government want from the food system.Defra is working with the food system to consider the best way of achieving these outcomes. The department will consider the need for legislation, alongside the wide range of other policy tools that can help deliver outcomes and will seek to make space in the legislative timetable if needed.

Food and Rural Affairs, what was the total Environment Agency expenditure on waste crime in each year since 2015.

The Environment Agency (EA) is unable to track total expenditure on waste crime as waste crime is delivered by a range of multi-functional teams. The EA can only report on what is allocated, not what is spent. The table provided sets out the EA’s Grant in Aid income that has been specifically allocated to waste crime activities since 2015. Wider core grant has historically contributed to enforcement work across all EA functions but is not allocated in a way that can be specifically linked to waste crime, so is not included. YearWaste Crime Allocation2014/15£3.3m2015/16£2.4m2016/17£6.0m2017/18£6.4m2018/19£10.5m2019/20£10m2020/21£10m2021/22£10m2022/23£10m2023/24£10m2024/45£10m2025/26£12m *Plus, additional £3.6m for enforcement of new duties including extended producer responsibility.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many water outage incidents have occurred in each of the last five years.

Water companies are Category Two Responders under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) and have duties to plan for emergencies, including water outage incidents. In England, the Security and Emergency Measures Direction 2022 (SEMD) is the main legislative framework specific to water companies for emergency planning.This Government has been clear there is no excuse for poor performance, and that water companies must take seriously their role in meeting the public and regulators’ expectations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) regulates water company performance against SEMD requirements. The DWI has a range of tools to hold companies to account, including serving companies with enforcement orders.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of expanding flooding support eligibility for farmers.

The Government is funding environmental land management (ELM) schemes, which include measures to support farmers with managing flood risks or investing in natural flood management. The Government has committed to investing £11.8 billion in the farming budget over the course of this Parliament, with funding for ELM increasing from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. Data on the uptake and spend on individual actions in these schemes is regularly published and available at: Agri-environment scheme uptake data - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of the Department's budget is allocated to work on flood defences and mitigation.

Delivering on the Plan for Change, this government is investing at least £10.5 billion until 2036 to construct new flood schemes and repair existing defences, protecting communities from the devastating impacts of climate change. The proportion of Defra Group’s total budget allocated to Floods in 2025/26 is 20%. This remains the second largest area of the Defra Group budget.

Food and Rural Affairs, what contingency plans are in place for periods of water shortage and supply outages.

In England and Wales, The Security and Emergency Measures Direction 2022 (SEMD) is the main legislative framework specific to water companies for emergency planning. It requires water companies to ensure continuation of their water distribution functions during an emergency. Separate arrangements apply in Scotland and Northern Ireland. Companies are required under the SEMD framework to plan for a wide range of disruptive scenarios, including continuous monitoring of risks such as severe winter weather. In addition to SEMD requirements, companies are also incentivised under Ofwat’s performance targets regime to minimise supply interruptions and resulting customer impacts. The Drinking Water Inspectorate regulates water company performance on SEMD performance. Water companies are also Category Two Responders under the Civil Contingencies Act (2004) and have duties to plan for emergencies and cooperate with other organisations in their Local Resilience Forums in understanding risk, planning and exercising. Defra maintains regular strategic engagement with water companies on resilience planning. This includes in advance of forecast periods of severe weather. Water companies also engage with their Local Resilience Forums during responses to water outages. Defra undertakes strategic risk assessment, planning and engagement with the water sector and other government departments to regarding water outage risk.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the levels of resilience of water treatment works.

Ofwat has a legislative duty to further the resilience of water companies’ water supply and wastewater systems to enable them to meet long-term need. The Government is preparing to respond to the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission, including on asset health and resilience. Reforms outlined in this response will form the basis of a new water reform bill to be introduced during this Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what funding farmers are offered for flood management.

The Government is funding environmental land management (ELM) schemes, which include measures to support farmers with managing flood risks or investing in natural flood management. The Government has committed to investing £11.8 billion in the farming budget over the course of this Parliament, with funding for ELM increasing from £800 million in 2023/24 to £2 billion by 2028/29. Data on the uptake and spend on individual actions in these schemes is regularly published and available at: Agri-environment scheme uptake data - GOV.UK

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the number of people leaving the agricultural sector.

Defra produces statistical estimates of the number of people working on commercial [see a below] agricultural holdings in England. Defra does not monitor the numbers leaving and entering the sector separately, therefore estimates show the net change in the workforce. Estimates in the table below show a decrease of 1.9% in the agricultural workforce in England between June 2024 and 2025. Agricultural workforce in England at 1 June: 202320242025% change 2025/2024Total people working on commercial agricultural holdings292,401284,797279,493-1.9% Notes(a) Commercial holdings are those registered with the Rural Payments Agency for payments or livestock purposes and with significant levels of farming activity. Full data series for England and the UK are published here:Agricultural workforce in England at 1 June - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk) Agricultural Workforce in the United Kingdom at 1 June - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Department is taking to help tackle water scarcity.

The Government recognises the importance of having enough water through the Environment Improvement Plan – ‘Goal 3: Water - We will ensure English waters are clean, resilient and plentiful.’ Within this plan, there are stretching targets to reduce demand for water. The Government is playing its part by introducing a new mandatory water efficiency label and reviewing building standards to help people use a little less water. In addition, water companies are required to publish water resources management plans (WRMP) that set out how the companies will provide secure public water supplies for a 25-year period. The recently published 2024 WRMPs set out how water supplies would be maintained over the coming years through demand management, leakage reduction and enhancing supplies from river and groundwater sources in the time period before new strategic sources of water, such as large reservoirs, come online. The Environment Agency (EA) published the National Framework for Water Resources in June 2025, which sets out the current and future pressures on water resources and the main actions needed across government, regulators, regional groups, water companies and all sectors of use to address the challenge of water scarcity. This includes the need for joined-up planning between different water-using sectors to identify collaborative solutions for water resources. The EA is carrying this work forward, with a programme of resilience workstreams across sectors, including for public water supply, agriculture, energy, and data centres.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the flooding risk to farms; and what percentage of farms are at high flood risk.

Our new national flood risk assessment (NaFRA) shows that of the 85,000 square kilometres of agricultural land in England, over 11,000 square kilometres is in areas at risk of flooding from rivers and sea.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment the Department has made of the adequacy of water infrastructure investment in each of the last five years.

There has been historic underinvestment in the water industry. Investment has not kept pace with the challenges of an ageing infrastructure system, a rapidly growing population, and climate change. We have already announced that we will create a powerful new regulator – abolishing Ofwat and bringing together the relevant functions from the other existing regulators (the DWI, Environment Agency and Natural England) into one new body. This will ensure better join-up between infrastructure planning, investment, and delivery. These reforms will build on the step change in investment that will be delivered through Price Review 2024, which will see a £104 billion upgrade in the water sector. This investment will accelerate improvements in infrastructure to meet the challenges of the future, secure our water supply, and to meet new environmental requirements.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effectiveness of the Domestic Solid Fuel Regulations 2020.

In November 2025, we published the Post Implementation Review of the Air Quality (Domestic Solid Fuels Standards) (England) Regulations 2020, which assesses the effectiveness of the Regulations. Data suggest that the Regulations have led to consumers moving from more polluting fuels to less polluting fuels. The review concluded that this has led to a reduction in emissions of PM2.5 and SO2 with environmental and public health benefits.

Food and Rural Affairs, How many people in each of the following regions are expected to be exposed to concentrations of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) exceeding each of (a) 5 micrograms per cubic metre (ug/m3), (b) 6 ug/m3 and (c) 7 ug/m3 or more in 2030: (a) East Midlands, (b) East of England, (c) Greater London, (d) North East, (e) North West, (f) South East, (g) South West, (h) West Midlands, (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (j) England.

Defra does not publish air quality data in the form requested. The recently published Environmental Improvement Plan set out a target to reduce average exposure to PM2.5 in England by 30% by 2030 compared to the 2018 value. The emphasis of this approach is to continue reducing exposure across the whole of England.

Food and Rural Affairs, what the largest environmental risks are to public health in the UK.

There are a number of environmental risks to public health in the UK, including air pollution, noise pollution, climate change and extreme weather, emerging chemical and biological risks and water quality.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether any hotspots in zones other than the five zones identified in the Compliance Assessment Summary 2024 exceeded the nitrogen dioxide annual limit value in calendar 2024.

The localised hotspots identified through Defra’s national modelling and monitoring networks are published annually on UK Air (https://uk-air.defra.gov.uk/) as part of the national compliance assessment under the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010. Localised hotspots that have been identified by local authority-owned monitoring are published in their respective annual status reports.