Written questions by Qureshi.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will commit to ending the use of the neonicotinoid acetamiprid.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of Greenpeace's report entitled Our Poisoned Land and its calls for the Government to help farmers to (a) reduce agricultural chemical use by 50% by 2030 and (b) reduce agricultural chemical use by 80% by 2040.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she intends to publish a consultation on phasing out the use of farrowing crates for sows.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce food waste in schools.

Awaiting answer.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many animal welfare inspections of game bird farms were undertaken in (a) England and (b) Wales in 2025; how many and what proportion of those visits identified the use of barren cages for breeding birds; and whether follow up inspections were carried out in those circumstances.

In 2025, there were 14 inspections of game bird farms in England and 3 in Wales. There were no non-compliances noted in relation to the birds’ housing or environment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle littering.

Local councils are responsible for keeping streets clear of litter with the role of central Government to support local action. The Pride in Place Strategy sets out how Government will support local action by bringing forward statutory enforcement guidance on both littering and fly-tipping, modernising the code of practice that outlines the cleaning standards expected of local authorities, and refreshing best practice guidance on the powers available to local authorities to force land and building owners to clean up their premises. We are introducing a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) for drinks containers due to go live in October 2027. Single-use drinks containers are some of the UK’s most commonly littered items, typically making up half of litter by volume. The Deposit Return Scheme is expected to drastically reduce litter.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 on the (a) stress and (b) injury chances of farmed chickens and turkeys.

The Government is firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare. The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Amendment) Regulations 2025 introduces new requirements prohibiting one-leg catching of laying hens, meat chickens and turkeys weighing 5kg or less in Great Britain. These birds must now be caught, lifted and carried by two legs to directly minimise welfare harm. An impact assessment (https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukia/2025/149/pdfs/ukia_20250149_en.pdf) was published alongside this legislation, which also covers the welfare impacts of different catching and handling methods.

Food and Rural Affairs, how many animal welfare inspections of game bird farms were undertaken in (a) England and (b) Wales in (i) 2022, (ii) 2023 and (iii) 2024; how many and what proportion of those visits identified the use of barren cages for breeding birds; and whether follow up inspections were carried out in those circumstances.

The total number of inspections carried out in gamebirds premises are included in the table below; of those, a total of 5 inspections disclosed non-compliances with welfare legislation however none of the non-compliances identified were due to the use of barren cages for breeding birds. There have been no gamebird inspections in Wales according to the data extrapolated for the years 2023 and 2024. CountryYearTotalCompliant with AW legislationEngland 2022982023121020241715Wales202233

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to ban the use of cages for (a) pheasants and (b) partridges for breeding.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other close confinement systems for farmed animals, including for gamebirds, is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.Defra’s Code of Practice for the Welfare of Gamebirds Reared for Sporting Purposes provides keepers with guidance on how to meet the welfare needs of their gamebirds as required by the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It recommends that barren cages for breeding pheasants and small barren cages for breeding partridges should not be used, and that any system should be appropriately enriched.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish a timetable for a public consultation on the use of (a) cages for laying hens and (b) farrowing crates for pigs.

We remain firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards. The use of cages and other closed confinement systems for farmed animals is an issue which we are currently considering very carefully.