Written questions by Rosindell.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of granting RSPCA investigators statutory powers to gather evidence.

There are no current plans to expand statutory powers in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to include RSPCA inspectors. The RSPCA has strong working relationships with the Police and Local Authorities who support them in protecting animals where needed. The Government recognises the valuable work the RSPCA does to improve the welfare of animals and remains committed to working with the RSPCA, and other organisations involved in enforcement activities, so that our high animal welfare standards are maintained and offenders are subject to appropriate penalties.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to help promote the purchase of British food.

The cross-Government food strategy will restore pride in British food by ensuring a food system that backs British food, grows the economy, feeds the nation, nourishes individuals, and protects the planet, now and in the future.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to require all (a) dogs and (b) cats to be treated against tick borne diseases prior to entering the UK.

The Government takes biosecurity very seriously. Disease risk is monitored carefully and is kept under constant review. Where necessary we have the powers in legislation to introduce preventive health measures to protect animal or public health by controlling diseases or infections that are likely to be spread due to the movement of pet animals into Great Britain. We will continue to monitor and consider any further actions that may be necessary to prevent tick borne diseases as appropriate.

Food and Rural Affairs, what comparative assessment he has made of the potential impact of extended producer responsibility schemes on the finances of pubs in (a) the UK and (b) other European countries with similar schemes.

In October 2024, the Government published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the pEPR scheme on packaging producers as a whole. This impact assessment did not compare the impact of fees to international schemes. Illustrative base fee estimates for the UK are in the same order of magnitude of other countries’ fees. However, comparisons are not straightforward because of differences in waste infrastructure and waste management approaches.

Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of invoices from UK suppliers his Department paid within 10 days of receipt between September 2024 and February 2025.

The department’s prompt payment performance is published quarterly at the following website:https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/defra-prompt-payment-data-april-2015-to-march-2024 In the most recent published period, covering October, November and December 2024, 99.4% of the payments were to UK suppliers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of argon gas in the slaughter of livestock.

The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. A post implementation review of The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 is underway and should be completed this year There are long standing animal welfare concerns with high concentration carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs. We recently commissioned the Animal Welfare Committee to provide an up to date and comprehensive animal welfare assessment of the evidence on high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs and potential alternative stunning methods. We are also tracking the progress of the EU PigStun project, which is seeking to develop non-aversive stunning systems for pigs. Results from this project are expected this year. Research has shown that pigs do not avoid an environment containing high concentrations of inert gases, such as argon. However, there are practical constraints to the use of inert gas mixtures for slaughter that have restricted commercial uptake so far. These include the need to expose pigs for longer periods of time in the inert gas mixture for unconsciousness to last until death. We accept that there is a pressing need to address the welfare concerns associated with high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs and look forward to receiving the Animal Welfare Committee’s report.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to phase out the use of carbon dioxide in the slaughter of pig livestock.

The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. A post implementation review of The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 is underway and should be completed this year There are long standing animal welfare concerns with high concentration carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs. We recently commissioned the Animal Welfare Committee to provide an up to date and comprehensive animal welfare assessment of the evidence on high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs and potential alternative stunning methods. We are also tracking the progress of the EU PigStun project, which is seeking to develop non-aversive stunning systems for pigs. Results from this project are expected this year. Research has shown that pigs do not avoid an environment containing high concentrations of inert gases, such as argon. However, there are practical constraints to the use of inert gas mixtures for slaughter that have restricted commercial uptake so far. These include the need to expose pigs for longer periods of time in the inert gas mixture for unconsciousness to last until death. We accept that there is a pressing need to address the welfare concerns associated with high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs and look forward to receiving the Animal Welfare Committee’s report.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve the welfare of livestock undergoing slaughter.

The Government encourages the highest standards of animal welfare at slaughter. A post implementation review of The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 is underway and should be completed this year There are long standing animal welfare concerns with high concentration carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs. We recently commissioned the Animal Welfare Committee to provide an up to date and comprehensive animal welfare assessment of the evidence on high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs and potential alternative stunning methods. We are also tracking the progress of the EU PigStun project, which is seeking to develop non-aversive stunning systems for pigs. Results from this project are expected this year. Research has shown that pigs do not avoid an environment containing high concentrations of inert gases, such as argon. However, there are practical constraints to the use of inert gas mixtures for slaughter that have restricted commercial uptake so far. These include the need to expose pigs for longer periods of time in the inert gas mixture for unconsciousness to last until death. We accept that there is a pressing need to address the welfare concerns associated with high concentration carbon dioxide stunning of pigs and look forward to receiving the Animal Welfare Committee’s report.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to uphold welfare standards for imported livestock.

When animals are transported into Great Britain, their transportation must comply fully with legal requirements aimed at protecting their welfare. The rules relating to the commercial transportation of animals are set out in assimilated Regulation (EC) 1/2005 and The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, with equivalent domestic regulations in Wales and Scotland. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) acts as a national regulator for the welfare of animals in transport rules and is able to take regulatory action following non-compliance. This can include suspension or revocation of transporter authorisations. APHA works closely with its local authority enforcement partners to support enforcement action and prosecution of those involved in breaches of the welfare in transport legislation.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to improve biosecurity for farmed animals.

Robust measures are in place to maintain and improve our ability to understand, detect, prevent, respond and recover from outbreaks. We monitor for new and emerging threats to our biosecurity through our Veterinary Risk Group (VRG) and the Human and Animal Infections Risk Surveillance (HAIRS) Group. We are also promoting best practice while providing practical support to livestock keepers in England through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. As part of the Pathway cattle, sheep and pig keepers can apply for funded visits by their choice of vet.Alongside access to disease testing and advice on improving the health, welfare and productivity of their animals these visits are a chance to get bespoke advice on improving biosecurity that reflects the circumstances on each individual farm. We will also be opening a further application window of the Farming Equipment and Technology Fund this spring. This includes £16.7 million of funding towards the costs of a list of items that improve the health and welfare of livestock, with a range of items that can also be used to improve biosecurity on farms. When outbreaks of exotic notifiable disease do occur Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) stand up their established outbreak structures to control and eradicate disease, restore normal trade, and assist recovery.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the ban on XL Bully dogs.

Defra is continuing to engage closely with the Police, local authorities, and rescue and rehoming organisations to monitor the impacts of the XL Bully dog ban. These measures are vital to protect the public and we expect all XL Bully owners to comply with the conditions.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help increase the number of microchipped horses.

This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. It is a legal requirement in the Equine Identification (England) Regulations 2018 that all equines resident in England (except certain populations of wild or semi-wild equines on designated areas) are microchipped. The law applies retrospectively, to include older equines born before microchipping legislation was introduced and applies to equines imported to GB for more than 90 days. Enforcement of these requirements is the responsibility of Local Authorities. The Government recognises the importance of improving equine identification. Defra is engaging with industry to consider improvements to this.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle horse smuggling.

I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 9 September 2024 to PQ 2709.

Food and Rural Affairs, what percentage of the Darwin Plus budget is contributed from the Official Development Assistance budget.

For 2024-25, Official Development Assistance accounts for 30% of the programme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with zoos to enhance public education on (a) biodiversity conservation and (b) wildlife protection.

Under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981, all licensed zoos in Great Britain must promote public education and awareness in relation to the conservation of biodiversity, in particular by providing information about the species of wild animals kept in the zoo and their natural habitats.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to encourage retailers to improve labelling of products that are toxic to pets.

Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, owners and keepers of animals are responsible for ensuring their animals are provided with a suitable diet, and for protecting them from pain, suffering, injury, and illness. Animal welfare organisations offer advice on how to keep pets safe from accidental poisoning and what to do if someone suspects their pet may have been poisoned.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her international counterparts on raising animal welfare standards within (a) zoos and (b) aquariums internationally.

While the UK has a wider programme of international engagement on animal welfare, there have been no recent discussions with international counterparts on raising animal welfare standards within zoos or aquariums specifically.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with relevant authorities to reduce aviation noise pollution in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

The Government is committed to ensuring that noise is managed effectively to promote good health and minimise disruption to people’s quality of life. Defra is required to produce, consult and publish Noise Action Plans for transport noise, under the terms of the Environmental Noise (England) Regulations 2006, every five years to help manage noise. Under the Regulations airport operators are the competent authority for preparing airport Noise Action Plans. The latest Round of Airport Noise Action Plans were published in October and November 2024 by 15 Airports including London City Airport and Stansted Airport. It is up to individual airports to determine, including through public consultation, the most effective measures to implement within an action plan. Defra has worked with the Department for Transport which commissioned the Civil Aviation Authority to conduct a critical review of the efficiency and effectiveness of Noise Action Plans, for 10 Airports in the UK and Europe, in managing aviation noise around airports. The recommendations along with the final report are expected to be published in April 2025.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he has taken with relevant authorities to reduce light pollution in (a) Romford constituency and (b) England.

Defra has not had direct discussions with local authorities in Romford or elsewhere about monitoring levels of artificial light The statutory nuisance regime requires local authorities to take reasonably practicable steps to investigate complaints of artificial light emitted from premises.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will introduce legislation to ban the commercial movement of pregnant dogs.

The Government recently announced its support for the Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill, a Private Members’ Bill sponsored by Dr Danny Chambers MP. The Bill will close loopholes in the non-commercial pet travel rules that are abused by unscrupulous traders and give the government powers to prevent the supply of low-welfare pets to the United Kingdom. We will use these powers to prohibit the bringing into Great Britain of heavily pregnant dogs and cats. We are fully supportive of this Bill and would like to see it pass through both Houses as soon as Parliamentary time allows.