Every parliamentary written question tabled by Neil Hudson this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 141–160 of 279 · this parliament
Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 31 October 2024 to Question 10799 on Meat: Smuggling, how much illegal meat was seized (a) from 11 October 2024 to 31 December 2024 and (b) in 2025.
Illegal meat seized figures captured as part of Defra's African Swine Fever Programme:Between 11 October 2024 – 21 December 2024, 49,912kg seized.Between 3 January 2025 – 18 April, 72,872kg seized.
If he will make an assessment of the potential impact of penalties for the illegal sale of vaping products on those sales.
Trading Standards officers currently have a range of enforcement tools at their disposal to enforce age of sale restrictions and to take a proportionate approach to enforcement that reflects the severity of the offence committed. When necessary, this includes prosecuting offenders, which can result in a court imposed fine of up to £2,500, and, in the case of repeat offences, an application for a restricted premises order or restricted sale order. £200 fixed penalty notices, introduced by the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, will complement existing sanctions and support Trading Standards to crack down on retailers selling to underage people.We will complete a post-implementation review of the measures in the Tobacco and Vapes Bill in due course.The sale and supply of single use vapes was banned on 1 June 2025. If a retailer repeatedly sells single use vapes, they can be charged with an unlimited fine, or a prison sentence of up to two years. We will work with enforcement agencies to monitor the impact and effectiveness of the ban, including the impact of the penalties.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill on the environmental impact of disposable vapes.
On 1 June the sale and supply of disposable vapes across the UK was banned, this will remove these harmful products from shelves and reduce the waste cause by their disposal. We will work closely with the Department of Health to ensure that the Tobacco and Vapes Bill continues to consider the environmental impacts of vaping.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the pub and brewing sector on the potential impact of extended producer responsibility on glass packaging since 14 May 2025.
Officials also joined a panel for the Wine and Spirit Trade Association on 21 May, and have met with the Food and Drink Federation and the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential impact of extended producer responsibility on pubs in Epping Forest constituency.
The Government has worked closely with industry, including the pub sector, throughout development of Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging. 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 split the assessment by constituency. We do not intend to do any specific analysis on pubs in the Epping Forest constituency.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to (a) amend and (b) pause the extended producer responsibility scheme to mitigate the impact on pubs.
The Producer Responsibility Obligations (Packaging and Packaging Waste) Regulations 2024 came into effect on 1 January 2025, PackUK, the Scheme Administrator has been appointed, and producers have started to accrue scheme costs from the 1 April 2025. pEPR has been subject to extensive consultation and stakeholders have had ample opportunity to understand the design of the scheme. We will be consulting on potential amendments to address the issue of dual use packaging.
Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the glass manufacturing sector on the potential impact of extended producer responsibility on glass packaging since 14 May 2025.
Officials also joined a panel for the Wine and Spirit Trade Association on 21 May, and have met with the Food and Drink Federation and the Industry Council for Packaging and the Environment.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK-EU trade deal will require the repeal of the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023.
The EU have accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. We remain committed to moving forward with the Precision Breeding Act. The EU are also looking to legislate in this area. We look forward to discussing further how we will work together on this issue.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department had discussions with the UK fisheries sector on negotiations with the EU for the UK-EU trade deal.
The deal announced on 19 May secures the continuation of current access arrangements and sees no changes in the level of EU vessel access to UK waters and no changes to the quota shares set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The UK also retains control over its waters to pursue its own sustainable fishing policies. There are areas where we’re going further and faster than the EU to protect marine life and support sustainable fisheries. That’s not changing. We are committed to the long-term sustainability and prosperity of the UK fleet and will continue to work closely with the fishing industry and coastal communities. In line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement, we strive to improve the sustainability of our fisheries, and publish annual independent assessments of our progress.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK-EU trade deal will allow the roll-out of gene editing in (a) plants, (b) crops, (c) animals and (d) birds.
The EU have accepted there will need to be a number of areas where we need to retain our own rules. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but we have been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards, support public health, and support the use of new and innovative technologies. We remain committed to moving forward with the Precision Breeding Act. The EU are also looking to legislate in this area. We look forward to discussing further how we will work together on this issue.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether increasing fishing quotas for UK fisheries was discussed during negotiations on the UK-EU trade deal.
In preparation for negotiations around the UK-EU Summit, Defra engaged with the UK fishing sector to understand their priorities. Throughout these negotiations, we made every effort to achieve the best outcome for the UK fishing industry. We have secured a deal that gives UK fisheries long-term certainty and protects the significant quota uplifts received by the UK under the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA).
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the UK-EU trade deal on the sustainability of the fisheries sector.
The deal announced on 19 May secures the continuation of current access arrangements and sees no changes in the level of EU vessel access to UK waters and no changes to the quota shares set out in the Trade and Cooperation Agreement. The UK also retains control over its waters to pursue its own sustainable fishing policies. There are areas where we’re going further and faster than the EU to protect marine life and support sustainable fisheries. That’s not changing. We are committed to the long-term sustainability and prosperity of the UK fleet and will continue to work closely with the fishing industry and coastal communities. In line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement, we strive to improve the sustainability of our fisheries, and publish annual independent assessments of our progress.
Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to include a ban on the importation of product where antibiotics have been used as growth promoters in all future international trade deals.
We have been clear that we will only ever sign trade agreements which align with the UK’s national interests, and we will always uphold our high food standards.
With reference to his Oral Statement of 8 May 2025 on Trade Negotiations, Official Report, columns 897-899, whether food imports under the UK-US Free Trade Agreement of (a) ractopamine-treated pork (b) Bovine Somatotropin-treated dairy and (c) products where antibiotics have been used as growth promoters will be prohibited.
On 8 May, the UK government announced a landmark economic deal with the United States, making the UK the first country to get an agreement with President Trump.We have agreed new reciprocal market access on beef - with UK farmers given a guaranteed quota for 13,000 metric tonnes of beef exports at a very low tariff rate. Imports of hormone treated beef will remain illegal. Our approach to this trade deal has ensured that any agricultural imports coming into the UK will meet the highest food standards.
If he will make it his policy to prohibit the import of Bovine Somatotropin-treated dairy products in trade deals.
Our approach to trade deals ensures all agri-food products must comply with our sanitary and phytosanitary standards and wider import requirements to be placed on the UK market. There is no import ban in the UK on dairy products from cows treated with bovine somatotropin, however consignments must be accompanied by animal and public health certification and come from approved countries and establishments. We will not change this in any trade deal.The UK prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones, beta-agonists such as ractopamine and anything other than potable water to decontaminate poultry carcasses in both domestic production and imported meat products.We will continue to maintain our existing high standards for animal health and food hygiene, ensuring that imported products comply with our import requirements.
If he will make it his policy to prohibit the import of ractopamine-treated pork in trade deals.
Our approach to trade deals ensures all agri-food products must comply with our sanitary and phytosanitary standards and wider import requirements to be placed on the UK market. There is no import ban in the UK on dairy products from cows treated with bovine somatotropin, however consignments must be accompanied by animal and public health certification and come from approved countries and establishments. We will not change this in any trade deal.The UK prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones, beta-agonists such as ractopamine and anything other than potable water to decontaminate poultry carcasses in both domestic production and imported meat products.We will continue to maintain our existing high standards for animal health and food hygiene, ensuring that imported products comply with our import requirements.
If he will make it his policy to prohibit the import of hormone-treated beef in trade deals.
Our approach to trade deals ensures all agri-food products must comply with our sanitary and phytosanitary standards and wider import requirements to be placed on the UK market. There is no import ban in the UK on dairy products from cows treated with bovine somatotropin, however consignments must be accompanied by animal and public health certification and come from approved countries and establishments. We will not change this in any trade deal.The UK prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones, beta-agonists such as ractopamine and anything other than potable water to decontaminate poultry carcasses in both domestic production and imported meat products.We will continue to maintain our existing high standards for animal health and food hygiene, ensuring that imported products comply with our import requirements.
If he will make it his policy to prohibit the import of chlorine-washed poultry in trade deals.
Our approach to trade deals ensures all agri-food products must comply with our sanitary and phytosanitary standards and wider import requirements to be placed on the UK market. There is no import ban in the UK on dairy products from cows treated with bovine somatotropin, however consignments must be accompanied by animal and public health certification and come from approved countries and establishments. We will not change this in any trade deal.The UK prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones, beta-agonists such as ractopamine and anything other than potable water to decontaminate poultry carcasses in both domestic production and imported meat products.We will continue to maintain our existing high standards for animal health and food hygiene, ensuring that imported products comply with our import requirements.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of rainfall patterns in 2025 on domestic food production.
The UK has a resilient food supply chain that has frequently demonstrated its ability to adapt when required. The Met Office’s 3-month weather outlook for May, June and July indicates near average rainfall is most likely for the UK but with a slightly higher than normal chance of wet weather. Defra is aware of the current concerns around the ongoing dry conditions. However, it is too early to understand the impact of this period of dry weather on livestock, horticulture and crop plantings and the subsequent impact this may have on yield and quality later in the year at harvest time. We continue to engage and work closely with the industry and to monitor the weather impacts on domestic food production, through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group (UKAMMG), which was established by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market across all key agricultural commodities.
Food and Rural Affairs, what proposals he plans bring forward to enforce the ban on live exports to slaughter under the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024 specifically for Equidae.
I refer the Honourable Member to the answer I gave on 11 April 2025 to PQ 43550 and 43549.