Written questions by Shannon.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help reduce sewage in rivers.

For too long, water companies have discharged unacceptable levels of sewage into our rivers, lakes and seas. That is why we are placing water companies under special measures through the Water (Special Measures) Act, which will strengthen regulation, including delivering new powers to ban the payment of bonuses for polluting water bosses and bringing criminal charges against persistent law breakers. We are also carrying out a full review of the water sector. The Independent Water Commission, led by Sir Jon Cunliffe, will make recommendations to shape further legislation to transform how our water system works and clean up our waterways for good. A public Call for Evidence went live on 27 February for 8 weeks, with all interested parties invited to share their views. This Call for Evidence will play a key role in shaping the Commission’s thinking going forward and into the review's final recommendations to the UK and Welsh Governments. This forms the next stage in the Government’s approach to ensuring we have a sufficiently robust and stable regulatory framework to attract the investment needed to clean up our waterways, speed up infrastructure delivery to support house building and restore public confidence in the sector. As part of Price Review 24, Water companies are investing £12 billion, a record amount, to improve nearly 3,000 storm overflows across England and Wales, with OfWat requiring them to reduce spills by 45% compared to 2021 levels. The regulators will continue to take action if any illegality is identified. They have launched the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever. As part of their investigations, Ofwat has proposed fines of £168 million against three water companies. This investigation is a priority for Ofwat, and it will continue to work as quickly as possible on their investigations into all remaining companies.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking with Cabinet colleagues to support the dairy farming industry in Northern Ireland.

Dairy farming policy is a devolved matter and is therefore the responsibility of the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland. However, the UK Government is committed to tackling unfairness in the supply chain wherever it exists and works with DAERA to ensure there is a coordinated approach and farmers receive a fair price for their products. Central to this is the Government’s commitment to improving contractual practices across the agriculture industry, using the Fair Dealings powers in the Agriculture Act 2020 to increase transparency and protect farmers from unfair practices. The Fair Dealing Obligations (Milk) Regulations 2024, which came into force last year, introduced key reforms. These include mandatory written contracts outlining key terms such as termination conditions and agreed supply volumes. They also require greater transparency in milk pricing and establish robust dispute resolution procedures, strengthening trust and cooperation between buyers and sellers. The regulations are enforced by the Agricultural Supply Chain Adjudicator, who can investigate complaints from farmers who believe they have not been provided with a contract that is compliant with the Regulations, on behalf of the Secretary of State. We will continue to work with DAERA in monitoring the dairy industry to ensure these reforms deliver their intended impact, including through a future review of the effectiveness of the dairy regulations.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the condition of the water in the River Thames.

Cleaning up England’s rivers, lakes and seas is a priority for the Government. The Government has taken immediate and substantial action to address the performance of water companies who are not delivering for the environment or their customers. Significant steps are being taken to address pollution through the Water (Special Measures) Act and record investment in PR24 to enhance infrastructure, and ensure clean and sustainable water resources for future generations. As part of Price Review 24 (PR24), Thames Water will undertake a significant investment programme to improve the environment over the 2025-30 period. These investments include: £784 million to reduce the use of storm overflows and £1.2 billion to prevent nutrient pollution. At the beginning of February, the Thames Tideway Tunnel (TTT) was fully activated and is now diverting sewage flows away from the river. The TTT was the final part of the London Tideway Tunnel system which will help reduce the volume of discharges by around 95%, leaving behind a cleaner, healthier Thames. On 13 March, the Mayor of London announced plans for investment to clean up London’s rivers. The Mayor, Transport for London, Thames Tideway, London Wildlife Trust, and Thames Water announced an injection of over £1.8 billion across the next five years to protect and improve river health in London. The plans include £7 million to prevent road run-off pollution from entering waterways and help reduce flood risk.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made as assessment of the potential impact of RNA pesticides on the bee population.

Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of RNA pesticides on the bee population. At present, there are no RNA interference plant protection products (PPPs) authorised for use in GB. Should anyone wish to market an RNA interference PPP for professional use in GB, they must first submit an application to the independent regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), who would complete a thorough risk assessment before making a decision on authorisation. Any application would need to meet the data requirements outlined in GB’s PPP regulations (more information can be found on HSE’s website: Data Requirements Introduction and Index). All active substances and commercial products must show no unacceptable effects on people or wildlife. This includes an evaluation of the effect on bees; if this is failed, then no authorisation is given.

Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with his counterparts in the devolved Administrations on levels of bovine tuberculosis cases across the UK.

The Inter-ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural affairs recognise the importance of working together to tackle bovine TB. Further information about this group and its priorities can be found on GOV.UK at: Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs communiqué: 16 September 2024 - GOV.UK. Chief Veterinary Officers from all four administrations of the United Kingdom also meet regularly to discuss bovine TB, as do policy officials. These meetings provide an opportunity for each administration to update on policy developments, statistical analysis of TB prevalence in each administration, and to exchange ideas on TB control.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to tackle illegal puppy farms.

As outlined in our manifesto, the Government will bring an end to puppy farming. We are considering the most effective way to deliver this commitment and will be setting out next steps in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to help tackle bee harm.

Bee health is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Harm to honeybees can be caused by several different means including pests and diseases, invasive non-native species and poor husbandry practices by beekeepers. Defra supports a range of actions to help tackle harm. The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s National Bee Unit (NBU) deliver the Defra Bee Health Programme which includes management and control of honeybee pests and diseases. The NBU also provide free training and advice to beekeepers, including on pest and disease recognition. Defra works in partnership with beekeeping stakeholders under the Healthy Bees Plan 2030 to improve honeybee health and husbandry. Yellow-legged hornet (YLH), an invasive non-native species is a threat to pollinating insects including honeybees. There are established populations of these hornets in Europe and since 2016 there have been regular incursions into GB. Defra takes action against confirmed findings of YLH to prevent this species from becoming established.The Government is committed to ending the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that are known to carry substantial risks to pollinator populations. The recent Defra policy statement, released on 21 December, sets out plans to take forward that commitment.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the Official Controls Regulation (EU) 2017/625 on trends in the level of trade between Northern Ireland and Great Britain.

Northern Ireland goods move freely to Great Britain and are unaffected by regulation 2017/625. Regulation 2017/625 is explicitly disapplied for goods moved via the Northern Ireland Retail Movement Scheme.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of trends in the number of dairy farmers in the last ten years.

Information relating to the question on the number of UK dairy producers can be found publicly available here: (Livestock populations in the UK, Latest UK milk prices and composition of milk, Structure of the agricultural industry in England and the UK at June, Results by size of Farm in the UK) From 2021 to 2023, data on the milk production-to-supply ratio showed a stable trend, consistently remaining at 105%. This indicates the UK produces a milk surplus, exceeding domestic consumption needs. The production-to-supply ratio is generally understood as a broad measure of national self-sufficiency, indicating the ability of UK agriculture to meet consumer demand. We lack detailed farm type and labour data for the UK, however, hold this for England. While not all dairy herds are on these holdings, the majority are. Over the last decade (2014 – 2023), the number of dairy farm holdings in England decreased by 24%, while the number of agricultural workers on holdings classified as dairy farm type decreased by 15%. Although production of milk in the UK has increased in the last decade, the number of UK producers and employment on English dairy farms has fallen. Defra Officials Statistics: Agriculture in the UK 2023 Chapter 14: The food chain Defra Officials Statistics: Numbers of holdings and agricultural activity by farm type at 1 June each year in England

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the condition of water supplied by Thames Water.

Drinking Water quality in England is regulated through the Water Supply (Water Quality) Regulations. The Drinking Water Inspectorate is the enforcing regulator. The Regulations require a programme of random samples to be taken from consumers’ taps, and the results are reported to the Inspectorate. Any breaches are investigated by the company and assessed by the Inspectorate and enforcement action taken as appropriate. Thames is required to notify the Inspectorate of any unusual event which could be a risk to consumers - each event is investigated by the Inspectorate, and enforcement action taken as required. The Inspectorate assessed 61 events reported by Thames Water in 2024. Thames Water adopts a water safety planning approach to drinking water, in line with the WHO recommendations. This ensures risks are identified and mitigated before there is any impact on consumers. In 2024, the Inspectorate completed technical audits at seven sites and conducted a further desktop audit of bespoke network assets. There are currently 26 improvement notices issued by the Inspectorate to improve water quality across Thames’ asset base.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the outbreak of TB in Northern Irish farms.

Policy on bovine tuberculosis (TB) is devolved to Governments in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The Northern Ireland Administration is able to adopt specific animal health policies in certain cases which are different from the other UK Administrations, in order to achieve the aim of bovine TB eradication in Northern Ireland. Defra liaises closely with all three devolved administrations, including Northern Ireland, on matters of common interest. It is important that all four administrations can learn from our collective experiences, and we have effective arrangements in place to make sure that happens.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the safety of zoos.

The Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice (the Zoo Standards) set out, amongst other things, requirements which licensed zoos in England are expected to meet with regard to public and animal safety. Defra is currently working to update the Zoo Standards, including considering updates to public safety requirements. Updated Zoo Standards will be published shortly. Zoos must also comply with the Health and Safety at Work etc. Act 1974 which ensures the safety of staff. The British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) also publish Health & Safety Guidelines for Zoos & Aquariums which focus on the health and safety of employers, employees and the public within zoos.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of income for farmers in 2024.

The Government has committed to support farmers through a farming budget of £5 billion over two years, including £2.4 billion in 2025/26. We publish regular accredited official statistics on farm income in England and other data related to farm businesses. For example, on 14 November 2024, we published our Farm Business Income statistics (Farm business income - GOV.UK), which looked at how Farm Business Income has changed in 2023/24, including the contribution of Direct Payments and agri-environment payments to farm incomes and analysis by farm type. Farm Business Income has seen substantial year-on-year fluctuations over the past 15 years driven by a multitude of factors which include weather and market fluctuations. For most farm types, Farm Business Income in 2023/24 saw very large falls relative to exceptional highs in 2022/23. At the all-farm level and a longer-term view, the average Farm Business Income of approximately £82,000 for the agricultural transition (2021/22-2023/24) remains above the pre-transition average of approximately £58,000 (2018/19-2020/21). Further, farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance (Farming statistics evidence packs - GOV.UK). These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK, and the contribution of farm payments to farm incomes, including analysis by sector, location in England and type of land tenure. The Secretary of State discussed the department’s approach to the problem of low farming income across Britain at the Oxford Farming Conference on 9 January, and his full remarks can be found here. We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of trends in the level of avian flu across the UK in the last 12 months.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Agri-Food and Biosciences Institute (AFBI) lead Government action on animal disease control in Great Britain and Northern Ireland respectively. This includes carrying out routine surveillance of disease ri...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of job security in rural areas.

Rural policy is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. The UK Government is committed to improving the quality of life for people living and working in rural areas. To achieve this, we are ensuring that the need...

Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on how many registered farmers there are in each constituency in Northern Ireland.

This is a devolved matter and the responsibility of the Northern Ireland Executive.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of local authorities charging homeowners to dispose of garden waste.

Local authorities have had the option to charge for a garden waste collection since 1992, as per the Controlled Waste (England & Wales) Regulations [2012]. As stated in our most recently published Final Impact Assessment for Simpler Recycling, around ...

Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland on tackling fly tipping.

I have not discussed fly-tipping specifically with the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. Environmental policy making, including with respect to fly-tipping, is devolved. The Secretary of State chaired the Inter-M...

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the implementation of sustainable drainage systems to reduce flood risk.

The Government is committed to improving the implementation of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) to help mitigate flood risk and reduce the quantity of water that ends up in our drainage infrastructure. SuDS also provide filtration, amenity and biodiver...

Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with Northern Ireland Water on water quality in Northern Ireland.

Water is a devolved policy area and so engagement with Northern Ireland Water is a matter for Northern Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.