Written questions by Slade.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the potential merits of implementing a grading system for food labelling that rates the animal welfare standards in the food’s production.

As set out in the animal welfare strategy, the Government committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, the Government will continue working with relevant stakeholders, including the farming and food industry, scientists and NGOs to explore how improved animal welfare food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency, support farmers and promote better animal welfare.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she plans to take to help support UK (a) farmers and (b) fishers where (i) animal welfare standards and (ii) climate and nature policies contribute to higher farming costs, in the context of the cost of imported produce.

The Government has been clear that it will protect farmers in trade deals. The Government will not lower food standards and will uphold high animal welfare standards. It will create new export opportunities for our high-quality British produce. Supporting British farmers and boosting the nation’s food security are key priorities for the Government. The Government allocated £11.8 billion this Parliament to sustainable farming and food production, targeting public money where it delivers most value. In terms of wider support to the fishing industry, the Government is committed to the industry’s long-term prosperity and sustainability, which is why we launched the £360 million Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help reduce the breeding of animals who are genetically predisposed to brachycephaly.

Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 anyone breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters of puppies in a twelve-month period must have a licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet statutory animal welfare standards including a prohibition from breeding dogs if it can be reasonably expected that on the basis of their genotype, phenotype or health, this would lead to welfare problems for the mother or the puppies. As part of the Animal welfare strategy for England which was published on 22 December 2025, the Government has committed to launch a consultation on dog breeding reform. As part of our consultation, we will consider ways to improve the welfare of breeding dogs and their offspring. Separately, the strategy will see us improve our understanding of the size, scale and current management practices related to cat breeding, drawing on expertise from the sector, and consider any further steps which may improve welfare practices in the cat breeding sector.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of including measures relating to fireworks’ impact on animals in her Department’s Animal Welfare Strategy.

On 22 December, the Government published our new animal welfare strategy. This strategy sets out the UK Government’s priorities for England, focusing on the changes and improvements we aim to achieve by 2030. The Government continues to engage with businesses, consumer groups and charities to gather evidence on the issues and impacts of fireworks, including on animal welfare.

Food and Rural Affairs, if she will introduce mandatory animal welfare labelling on supermarket products in the forthcoming animal welfare strategy.

The Government's animal welfare strategy was published on 22 December 2025 and is available here on GOV.UK. As set out in the strategy, we are committed to ensuring that consumers have access to clear information on how their food was produced. To support this, we will continue working with relevant stakeholders, including the farming and food industry, scientists and NGOs to explore how improved animal welfare food labelling could provide greater consumer transparency, support farmers and promote better animal welfare.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of re-instating the pause on the building of new waste incinerators.

Determining the need and location for waste management infrastructure is a matter for the relevant planning authority. To support decision making the Government has made it clear we only back new Energy from Waste projects if they meet strict local and environmental conditions. Projects are expected to demonstrate a clearly defined domestic residual waste treatment capacity need to facilitate the diversion of residual waste away from landfill, or enable the replacement of older, less-efficient facilities. Additionally, new facilities will have to maximise efficiency and support the delivery of economic growth, net zero and the move to a circular economy. We are considering how best to reflect the approach in this statement in the new set of national policies for development management which we have committed to producing, and in updates to National Policy Statements. The Government encourages those developing energy recovery facilities (at all stages in the process) to consider forecast changes to future capacity, demand, and the Government's circular economy opportunities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of the incinerator capacity for waste destined for landfill in Dorset.

The Government publishes annual statistics related to waste collected by local authorities: Local authority collected waste management - annual results - GOV.UK. In 2023-24 Dorset Council reported sending 936 tonnes of collected waste to landfill and Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council reported sending 18,724 tonnes of collected waste to landfill. However, this does not include waste processed by private waste management companies. Our Residual Waste Infrastructure Capacity Note shows that at the end of 2024, the Southwest of England had around 1.63 million tonnes of operational and under construction energy from waste capacity whilst total residual municipal waste arisings were reported as 2.27 million tonnes. Residual waste infrastructure capacity note - GOV.UK.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of requiring water companies to demonstrate efficient land asset management before price increases are approved on customers.

Water bills are set by Ofwat who consider all aspects of company business planning through their price review process. The Government is preparing to respond to the recommendations of the Independent Water Commission, including on asset management. Reforms outlined in the government's forthcoming white paper will form the basis of a new water reform bill to be introduced early in this Parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether Ofwat records non-operational land assets held by water companies.

Information on water companies non-operational land assets is held by water companies themselves.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the CMA's decision to allow some water companies to increase bills above the rate set by OFWAT on consumers.

Redetermination is an independent process, and the decision remains subject to consultation. The CMA will publish their final decision in March 2026.We expect all water companies to put appropriate support in place for customers struggling to pay their bills and to proactively engage with their customers to ensure they know what support schemes are available and how to use them.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps with the Secretary of State for Education to reduce the usage of single-use plastics in (a) early years and (b) childcare settings.

Plastic is a very useful material that can often be the best environmental choice provided it is used and disposed of correctly. This Government is committed to moving to a circular economy for plastics – a future where we keep our resources in use for longer, waste is reduced, we accelerate the path to net zero, we see investment in critical infrastructure and green jobs, our economy prospers, and nature thrives. We currently have a number of restrictions on unnecessary single use plastic products, which apply to all, and we will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/or materials to take a systematic approach, in line with circular economy principles, to reduce the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products and encourage reuse solutions. Materials which can be and will be reused or recycled are a better option. The Department for Education is committed to reducing plastic waste and single use plastic in educational settings. It provides advice to education settings on legal requirements and alternatives to single use plastic.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of recent appointments to the Food Strategy Advisory Board on (a) animal welfare, (b) farming practices and (c) farmers in Dorset.

I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Newton Abbott, Martin Wrigley on 30 October 2025 PQ UIN 82470.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of introducing method of production labelling on (a) the economy and (b) farm incomes.

We are considering the potential role of method of production labelling reform as part of the ongoing development of the Government’s wider animal welfare strategy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of requiring Secretary of State sign-off for the cutting of firebreaks in Sites of Specific Scientific Interest during crisis situations on managing ongoing fires.

Consent for operations such as firebreaks on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) will need to be obtained from Natural England. However, when responding to an emergency, it is a “reasonable excuse” under the relevant section (section 28P(4)(b)) of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981) for a SSSI owner or occupier to undertake operations without seeking section 28E consent. Natural England must be informed of the details of the emergency itself and the operations undertaken as soon as practical after they have been carried out.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether land that is (a) owned by the National Trust and (b) a Site of Specific Scientific Interest requires Secretary of State approval before implementing proactive fire prevention methods.

Consent from the Secretary of State is not required unless the SSSI concerned is also a common, in which case some actions like fencing may require Secretary of State consent as per the Commons Act 2006. The National Trust is an owner/occupier with the same legal rights and responsibilities as other owner/occupiers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to help ensure that his Department's processes protect (a) sites of specific scientific interest and (b) other areas from wildfires.

We are committed to supporting land management practices that restore wider ecosystem health, and these can include measures to increase wildfire resilience. Natural England work with landowners/managers on a site-by-site basis, and will do so over the long-term, to ensure that measures to restore habitats (including re-wetting to build wildfire resilience) are appropriate to local conditions and site characteristics. We also support research into the causes and effects of wildfire (including the impacts and responses of habitats/species to fire) and the effectiveness of restoration measures to build wildfire resilience. We encourage all land managers to develop and adopt good quality wildfire management plans. Furthermore, we have held workshops with a wide range of land managers to inform the new Heather and Grass Management Code. This is being drafted by Natural England and will set clear standards for managing habitats including moorlands.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 10 June 2025 to Question 56471 on foie gras import controls, if he will publish a timeline for the negotiations of the proposed UK-EU common veterinary agreement; and what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including provisions that would enable the UK to impose trade restrictions on animal products in future on public morality grounds.

Our aim is to start the detailed negotiations as soon as possible, as we want to see businesses benefit from removing barriers to trade. It is too soon to comment on the details of the negotiations. However, animal welfare is a priority for this Government. We are committed to upholding our high animal welfare standards as part of wider trade policy and will use the most appropriate tools to do so.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of introducing price caps for basic foodstuffs.

Defra regularly engages with supermarkets and producers on a range of food supply matters. It is not for the Government to set retail food prices nor to comment on day-to-day commercial decisions taken by businesses. Nonetheless, we appreciate concerns about how these dynamics may affect the most vulnerable consumers and will continue to engage with industry stakeholders on these important issues. The Government’s Food Strategy, announced in December, is focused on creating a food system that delivers healthy, sustainable, and affordable food for all. We are working across the Government and with the food supply chain to help achieve better outcomes for consumers.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential impact of the amendments made in Schedule 6, Part 2, Clause 41 of the Planning and Infrastructure Bill relating to the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 on (a) the potential number of badgers killed and (b) local wildlife populations.

These amendments standardise licences for development purposes under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 with those for other species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations, 2017. This is intended to facilitate strategic-level Environmental Delivery Plans. We are legislating that all badger licences will be subject to strict tests required by the Bern Convention, which set a high bar. For licences under the Nature Restoration Fund, an overall improvement in the conservation status of badgers will be required. The impact of these provisions will depend on practical application by Natural England through EDPs or individual licences.

Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to respond to Eunomia's report entitled Sky Lanterns, Single-Use Barbecues and Helium Balloons Risks and Mitigation Options, published on 9 February 2024.

The Government is currently not planning a formal response to Eunomia's report on sky lanterns, single-use barbecues and helium balloons. This report was commissioned by the previous administration.Local authorities already have powers to apply local controls to restrict or ban the use of sky lanterns, balloons or disposable barbecues on council or public land.There are also existing powers in legislation which can be used to regulate and prohibit the lighting of fires on access land in National Landscapes and National Parks.