Written questions by Morton.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to HCWS1230, how her Department will define small farms for the purposes of reopening the Sustainable Farming Incentive; what assessment she has made of barriers to participation for small and family-run farms under previous schemes; and how her Department will measure whether access to support has improved.

The Government will publish a precise definition of a small farm before the first application window opens in June. This is one of the details the Government will be testing with key stakeholders. As confirmed at the Oxford Farming Conference, the Government will open two Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) application windows in 2026: an initial window from June for small farms, and also those without existing Environmental Land Management agreementsa second window opening from September for all other farmers The Government will provide more detail on the new SFI offer ahead of publishing the full scheme details before the first application window opens in June.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to HCWS1230, when the Farming and Food Partnership Board will be established; what criteria will be used to ensure balanced representation across the farming and food sectors; and what role the Board will play in the development of future farming policy.

Defra is committed to resetting the relationship between the Government and food and farming sectors as a genuine partnership. More details on the timeline for establishing the new board will be made available as soon as possible.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the consistency of household waste collection services across the West Midlands.

Under Simpler Recycling, Section 45A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 (amended by the Environment Act 2021) will require all local authorities in England to make arrangements for a core set of materials to be collected for recycling from households from 31 March 2026. This includes introducing weekly food waste collections for all homes, unless a transitional arrangement applies (a transitional arrangement is where a local authority has agreed a later implementation date set in regulations). There will be additional requirements for plastic film to be collected as part of the plastic waste stream by 31 March 2027. Defra is working with local authorities to support readiness for these new obligations. To assist with this, we launched a Change Network to amplify existing information and guidance with endorsement from local authorities who are actively implementing or have recently implemented, the changes required.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government’s commitment to invest £10.5 billion in flood defences by 2036, (a) how much has been allocated to each English region to date, (b) how many of the 151 completed schemes were operational during Storm Claudia, and (c) what assessment she has made of the effect of reprioritising £108 million towards maintenance on improving the condition and reliability of existing assets.

This Government will invest at least £10.5 billion into our flood defences between April 2024 and March 2036 better protecting nearly 900,000 properties. Having benefitted from over £745 million of capital funding in 2024/25, flood defence schemes have received an indicative allocation of over £659 million for 2025/26.Some of the 151 completed flood and coastal schemes are always operational, including during Storm Claudia, due to their fixed presence. Many areas benefitted from these, often combined with other scheme or defences. Whilst it is not possible to identify them individually, all Environment Agency assets operated as expected.This Investment is ensuring that 92.9% of Environment Agency-maintained flood defence assets in high consequence systems (those that protect a large number of properties) were at required condition in October 2025. This is an increase of 0.8% since Q2 in 2024. The investment will also reduce deterioration and target repairs to assets, benefitting an additional 14,500 properties in England.

Food and Rural Affairs, when the Flood Resilience Taskforce most recently met; what recommendations it has provided to Ministers since September regarding national readiness for severe weather events; and what assessment she has made of the Taskforce’s impact on improving cross-government coordination during Storm Claudia.

The Floods Resilience Taskforce most recently met in September and held two meetings on the 8th and 15th. The Taskforce discussed actions by members to prepare for, respond to and recover from flooding during autumn and winter. This included improvements to national flood modelling and forecasting and communication of flood warnings. Taskforce members including the Environment Agency, Defra and Natural Resources Wales were in contact throughout Storm Claudia principally through using their existing emergency response arrangements. Taskforce members work on improved national flood modelling helped preparations and response, and facilitated the deployment of the FloodRe Floodmobile demonstration unit, which showcases dozens of property flood resilience measures, to Monmouthshire, to support flood affected residents. The Floods Resilience Taskforce will next meet on 18 December and will discuss learning and recommendations from Storm Claudia.

Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to her Department’s commitment to improve national flood forecasting, (a) what assessment she has made of the performance of the new flood warning system during Storm Claudia, (b) whether any delays or technical issues were recorded in the delivery of alerts to households, and (c) how the enhanced forecasting models developed by the Met Office and Environment Agency contributed to advance warning and local decision-making.

During Storm Claudia, the Environment Agency (EA) sent more than 130 flood warnings and 270 flood alerts. These reached people through text (315,000 messages), email (350,000), and automated calls (225,000). The Floodline recorded information service also handled about 1,500 calls. During Storm Claudia, there were 28 messages delayed by up to 1.5 hours because of a technical problem in the system’s infrastructure. This issue was quickly fixed. These anomalies aside, the system coped well with its first national incident, successfully delivering approximately 890,000 messages to the public. Enhanced flood-forecasting models, jointly developed by the Met Office and the EA, enabled early identification of emerging risks. Using ensemble rainfall forecasts, the Environment Agency produced national-level flood outlooks that were shared with all Category 1 and 2 responders and emergency services three days ahead of the event (13 November) through the daily Flood Guidance Statement.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she intends to issue updated guidance to local councils on maintaining minimum service levels in waste operations during periods of industrial disruption.

Defra does not plan to update guidance to local councils on prioritising services in periods of disruption in waste operations. Defra’s current guidance can be found here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/waste-collection-services-guidance-for-local-authorities/waste-collection-services-guidance-for-local-authorities.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential environmental impact of prolonged interruptions to refuse collection in Birmingham, including consequences for air quality, pest control, and neighbourhood cleanliness.

Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prolonged interruptions to refuse collection in Birmingham. The ongoing waste dispute is a local issue and rightly being dealt with by Birmingham City Council. Commissioners appointed by the Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government continue to support the Council in their recovery and improvement journey and provide regular progress reports to the Secretary of State.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of prolonged industrial disputes in local waste services on recycling rates and environmental health in affected communities.

Defra has not made an assessment of the potential impact of prolonged industrial disputes in local waste services on recycling rates and environmental health in affected.

Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme is measured by weight.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole, when the regulations were laid in parliament. This does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors; however, Defra has engaged extensively with the glass manufacturing sector to understand the impacts on them. Through modulation, more recyclable materials, such as glass, will benefit from discounted fees, from Year 2 of pEPR (2026/2027).

Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to protect UK food security.

We need a resilient and healthy food system, that works with nature and supports British farmers, fishers and food producers. As part of the Government’s Plan for Change we are delivering on the Government’s New Deal for Farmers which includes a raft of new policies and major investment to boost profits for farmers. We've allocated a record £11.8 billion to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament.

Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on assessing the potential impact of the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme on glass use.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole, when the regulations were laid in parliament. This does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors; however, Defra has engaged extensively with the glass manufacturing sector to understand the impacts on them. Through modulation, more recyclable materials, such as glass, will benefit from discounted fees, from Year 2 of pEPR (2026/2027).

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of increases in the cost of glass packaging products on their levels of usage.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole, when the regulations were laid in parliament. This does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors; however, Defra has engaged extensively with the glass manufacturing sector to understand the impacts on them. Through modulation, more recyclable materials, such as glass, will benefit from discounted fees, from Year 2 of pEPR (2026/2027).

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of solar farms on levels of food security.

Only 0.1% of land is used for solar, and half of the agricultural land generating solar power is still producing food. Solar farms are not a risk to food security and instead help play an important role in diversifying farm income and decarbonising our economy.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of the continued suspension of the Sustainable Farming Incentive on farmers.

There are currently record numbers of farmers taking part in farming schemes, including the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI). As of April 2025, they supported 885,000 hectares of arable land being farmed without insecticides; 330,000 hectares of low input grassland managed sustainably; and 85,000 kilometres of hedgerows protected and restored. We have allocated a record £11.8bn to sustainable farming and food production over this parliament. Overall farmers and land managers will benefit from an average of £2.3bn a year through the Farming and Countryside Programme. And up to £400m from additional nature schemes. Defra is working closely with farmers and industry stakeholders to design a future SFI offer that will better target SFI in an orderly way towards our priorities for food, farming and nature. Further information about the reformed SFI will be provided in due course.

Food and Rural Affairs, when she last met the farming sector to discuss the potential impact of changes to Agricultural Property Relief and Business Property Relief on farmers.

Defra Ministers and officials regularly engage with the farming sector on a wide range of issues.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the impact of the extended producer responsibility scheme on (a) glass manufacturing and (b) the jobs it supports.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole when the regulations were laid in parliament. This does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors however, my department has engaged extensively with the glass manufacturing sector to understand the impacts on them. This engagement will continue.

Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the Extended producer responsibility scheme on inflation for consumers in the (a) food and (b) retail sectors.

In autumn last year my department published an updated assessment of the impact of introducing the Extended Producer Responsibility for Packaging (pEPR) scheme on packaging producers as a whole including impact on CPI inflation and impact on consumers weekly expenditure, when the regulations were laid in parliament. We continue to work with businesses to ensure the scheme is implemented fairly and proportionately, supporting our shared aim of reducing packaging waste while limiting the impact on consumers.

Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has considered reforming the Habitat Regulations in as far as they relate to planning.

The Planning and Infrastructure Bill is nearing its final stages in Parliament. The Bill establishes a strategic alternative to the Habitats Regulations Assessment in certain circumstances, although the Regulations remain in place. These provisions will accelerate housing and infrastructure development while supporting the recovery of protected sites and species. The Government is working to improve the functioning of the Habitats Regulations,including acting on the recommendations of the Corry Review and the recent Post-Implementation Review. We will also publish updated guidance on the Habitats Regulations Assessment process. We want to ensure that the Habitats Regulations deliver certainty and efficiency for developers, while protecting our most valuable habitats and species.

Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 July 2025 to Question 65783 on landfill, what estimate she has made of the amount of waste transported from Scotland to landfill sites in England by (a) volume and (b) lorry or container load.

I have engaged with the Scottish Government on the potential impacts of their forthcoming ban on the landfilling of biodegradable municipal waste. We don’t have an estimate for the amount of waste transported from Scotland to England, but the Scottish Government has assured the department that it is not acceptable for a large amount of waste to be transported from Scotland to landfills in England and they are working closely with Scottish Local Authorities to prevent this outcome.