Every parliamentary written question tabled by Sarah Dyke this session, with the full answer and department. See how every department answers, or back to the MP page.
Showing 1–20 of 89 · Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of (a) the potential merits of creating a distinct classification of responder, separate from reactor, for non-reactor cattle that test positive
The recently published recommended Bovine TB Control Strategy for England (https://tbhub.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/2026-Recommended-Bovine-TB-Strategy.pdf) proposes facilitating wider access to privately funded ancillary bovine TB testing to suppor...
Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to make Animal and Plant Health Agency bovine tuberculosis testing data accessible with appropriate permissions and GDPR safeguards to private veter
The Animal and Plant Health Agency has an established process enabling cattle keepers to request TB testing data relating to their herds. Keepers need to complete and submit a request proforma to APHA. Keepers may then choose with whom they wish to share ...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to issue any further badger control licences under the current or any successor cull policy; and if she will make a statement on the timetable for the cess
There are currently no plans to issue further badger control licences. The government has committed to ending the badger cull by the end of this Parliament, and the 2025 culling season marked the final year of industry-led culling in England’s High Risk a...
Food and Rural Affairs, what modelling her Department has undertaken on the contribution of badger vaccination to achieving Officially Tuberculosis Free status in England by 2038.
Several modelling studies published by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) predict that badger vaccination will significantly reduce TB in badger populations, reducing onward risks to cattle. Further modelling work is ongoing to investigate this fur...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to expand circumstances in which private veterinary surgeons are permitted to use more sensitive bovine tuberculosis testing technologies in commercial set
Statutory tuberculin skin testing (SICCT) and interferon-gamma blood testing (IFNy) of cattle herds will remain the foundation of bovine tuberculosis (TB) control and will continue to be required. The recently published co-designed bovine TB Control Strat...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the badger vaccination programme on the incidence of bovine tuberculosis in cattle herds.
Multiple published studies indicate that badger vaccination is safe and can reduce TB infection and transmission in badgers. Vaccination is now being deployed across a number of large areas, including through a newly contracted Badger Vaccination Field Fo...
Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will review the definitions of Officially Tuberculosis Free (OTF), Officially Tuberculosis Free Withdrawn (OTFW) and Officially Tuberculosis Free Suspended (OTFS) her
There are no plans to review the definitions of Officially TB Free (OTF), Officially Tuberculosis Free Withdrawn (OTFW) and Officially Tuberculosis Free Suspended (OTFS) status of bovine herds in England. The recently published recommended Bovine TB Contr...
Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential impact of changes in interpretation by local authorities of requirements for farmed reindeer licensing on farm business viability.
Licences for reindeer in England may be required where they are exhibited to the public. The type of licence needed will depend on the nature of the display (permanent or temporary) and whether the reindeer are being exhibited as part of a business. There...
Food and Rural Affairs, how many flooded homes there were in the last year by region.
The table below represents properties flooded in Environment Agency (EA) Operational Areas from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026. This information has been collated by EA Area teams and is based on information received from the public, flood partners and EA ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what consideration they have made to adding exemption guidance to farmed reindeer in the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027.
The Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, published in May 2025, apply to all zoos in Great Britain licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act). The 1981 Act provides for exemptions or dispensations for small collections dependi...
Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance and reassurance they have offered to local authorities in interpreting the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027 in regard to farmed reindeers.
The Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain, published in May 2025, apply to all zoos in Great Britain licensed under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act). The new Zoo Standards contain requirements that are applicable to all licensed zoo ...
Food and Rural Affairs, what conversations they have had with local authorities on the interpretation of the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice 2027.
This Government published new Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain on 24 May 2025. The Standards will come into force from May 2027 and will replace the current 2012 Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice. One of the objective...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the adequacy of the classification of farmed reindeers as zoo animals.
For the purposes of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 (the 1981 Act), Defra considers that reindeer are not a species normally domesticated in Great Britain and therefore to be considered “wild animals”. Any establishment, including farms, where “wild animals” a...
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the supply of British grown cauliflower and other brassicas in spring 2026.
The UK’s food security is built on supply from diverse sources including strong domestic production and imports through stable trade routes. The UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group monitors and assess UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade, and recent developments. This includes consideration of the adequacy of the supply of both domestically grown cauliflower and brassicas, and where necessary, imports.
Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the number of days of supply of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser available based on storage levels and usage rates.
The UK is not facing an immediate fertiliser supply issue, but price rises have been felt immediately. The UK imported below 1% of its fertilisers directly from the Gulf region in 2025 and so direct imports from the region are negligible. Fertiliser delivery by suppliers is based on orders placed by farmers according to the crops planned to be grown, with typically no long-term storage of fertiliser. Defra is in contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply to the UK. Through its close relationships with industry, the Government remains ready to support businesses as effectively as possible in these challenging times.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Iran conflict on the supply of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser.
Some of the UK’s trade partners import fertilisers from the Middle East, either for onward shipment to the UK or for production inputs, creating indirect dependencies. Defra is in close contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply to the UK.There is no immediate risk to UK supply. However, the fertiliser market is a global market, and the market price in the UK is strongly influenced by international prices for fertiliser and by the value of the pound. The Government is aware of the current price increase for fertiliser and remains ready to support businesses as effectively as possible in these challenging times.
Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of the volume of synthetic nitrogen fertiliser held in storage in the UK.
The UK is not facing an immediate fertiliser supply issue, but price rises have been felt immediately. The UK imported below 1% of its fertilisers directly from the Gulf region in 2025 and so direct imports from the region are negligible. Fertiliser delivery by suppliers is based on orders placed by farmers according to the crops planned to be grown, with typically no long-term storage of fertiliser. Defra is in contact with domestic fertiliser suppliers and is monitoring overall supply to the UK. Through its close relationships with industry, the Government remains ready to support businesses as effectively as possible in these challenging times.
Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the Welsh Deposit Return Scheme adopting (a) a unique exemption threshold for single-use glass of 25 tonnes and (b) not including (i) turnover in exemption thresholds or (ii) alignment with the Low Volume Exemption on (A)UK interoperability and (B) producers.
We have not carried out an impact assessment on Welsh Government devolved policy.
Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department asked the Office for the Internal Market for advice on the potential impact of agreeing to the Welsh Government's exclusion from the internal market for single-use glass containers in the Deposit Return Scheme in Wales.
The UK Government did not refer the Welsh Government's proposal for a UKIM exclusion for its Deposit Return Scheme to the Office for Internal Market (OIM) for advice. As part of our commitments in the review of the UK Internal Market Act in 2025, the UK Government is working with devolved Governments to implement a system for joint referrals by all Governments to the OIM for advice, earlier in policy development and to inform the decision-making process.
Food and Rural Affairs, if she will hold discussions with the UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd on its definition of a small producer for representation on its board; and what information her Department holds on whether this is the same definition that the Government uses.
The UK Deposit Management Organisation Ltd (UK DMO) is an independent body and appoint their own board.