Defra is working as quickly as possible to assess Brazilian production systems to ensure that beef and chicken from animals treated with certain antimicrobial products are not exported to Great Britain and is keeping trade restrictions under review. The assessment will include an urgent in-country audit. Sanitary and phytosanitary trade measures must be evidence-based and proportionate in line with World Trade Organization rules.

The Department of Health and Social Care is the sponsoring department of the Food Standards Agency.

Based on the information currently available to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Trametes versicolor and Cordyceps militaris have not been consumed to a significant degree as food in the UK or EU before 15 May 1997. They are therefore likely to be considered novel foods, which must be authorised before they are placed on the market in Great Britain.

If any Food Business Operator (FBO) would like the FSA to make formal determinations on the novel food status of these two mushroom species, they can submit consultation requests (under Article 4 of assimilated Regulation 2015/2283), including the evidence required on history of consumption.

When an FBO submits an application for the authorisation of a novel food, the safety of the food is considered as part of the risk assessment stage of the process.

This Government has not received reports of any issues with the supply of diagnostic equipment or replacement components to veterinary practices in Northern Ireland.

The Horticulture Sector Plan is an independent sector led plan aiming to identify how the sector can increase productivity, profitability and strengthen the contribution of domestic production to our national food security.  The plan which remains in development draws on sector expertise to set out its priorities, a clear vision for growth and a practical pathway to delivery. Discussions on the plan between industry and government cover the wide range of matters impacting the sector, including access to water.

The Government recognises that exporters have faced additional administrative requirements since January 2021. The research project Quantifying Non-Tariff Measure on GB to EU Agri-food gathered extensive information on the costs of administrative requirements for exporters can be found here. However, it is important to stress that the costs vary substantially by business, market, consignment type, and supply chain arrangements.

In May 2025, the Government and the European Commission agreed to pursue a new Sanitary and Phytosanitary Agreement that will significantly reduce these costs and make it easier, cheaper and quicker to move food, plants, animals, and related goods across our borders.

Defra works across Government including the Cabinet Office, other Government Departments and Local Resilience Forums (LRFs) to ensure food supply is fully incorporated as part of emergency preparedness.

LRFs play a vital role in preparing for, responding to and recovering from emergencies, including incidents that may affect food supply chains. The Government supports LRF capability through national guidance, exercising, assurance and preparedness programmes, including the Local Capabilities Assessment process, which helps identify strengths and areas for improvement across England.

Defra works with industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains.

I refer the hon. Member to the information available on GOV.UK which outlines grant funding for peatland restoration and management (https://www.gov.uk/government/news/new-funding-boost-to-protect-englands-iconic-peatlands) and trees and woodland grants (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/where-to-find-grants-for-trees-and-woodland). Additionally, Environmental Land Management schemes include actions that support peatland, permanent grassland, hedgerows, woodland and mature trees.

While the Government has not undertaken a specific assessment of how the costs of dairy supply chain emissions reductions are distributed, we are committed to working with the whole food supply chain to reduce agricultural emissions to strengthen food security whilst supporting farm profitability. As part of this, we are supporting businesses to invest in their supply chains to improve resilience and sustainability, with financial benefits flowing to farmers.

While the framework for business climate reporting is a policy matter for the Department for Energy Security and Net Zero and the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, Defra is working with industry to support a consistent and robust approach to climate reporting for the food and drink sector. Our Food Data Transparency Partnership is improving comparable emissions data across the supply chain, from farms to retailers, including around Scope 3 emissions accounting.

As set out in the UK Government Resilience Action Plan, the Cabinet Office provides scrutiny of response capabilities across the UK Government through National Capabilities Assessments which take place every two to three years. Defra considers these assessments and works work the Cabinet Office, other Government departments and industry to ensure the food supply chain is fully incorporated in emergency preparedness planning.

Defra engages with Local Resilience Forums across England, including those in the South West, through established resilience and planning arrangements. This engagement supports information sharing, preparedness and response planning for a range of risks that could affect food supply and access.

This Government continues to work with resilience partners at national and local level to maintain the UK’s food resilience.

It is illegal to export livestock or horses for slaughter or fattening under the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Act 2024. This Government understands the strong sentiment that led to legislation to ban live exports for slaughter and fattening.

This Government has agreed with the EU to establish a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) area, by way of an SPS Agreement. Negotiations with the EU are ongoing so it would not be appropriate to comment on the detailed content at this stage. Throughout discussions, this Government has been clear about the importance of being able to set high animal welfare standards.

Supporting British farmers and boosting the nation’s food security are key priorities for the government. As set out in the Farming Roadmap, food security and restoring nature are not competing aims. They are, over the long term, inseparable. The most resilient farms are profitable precisely because they work with the environment, which is why Government is backing a shift towards lower input, more sustainable farming systems.

There are now 4,165 live SFI agreements and 658 live CS agreements within the West Dorset constituency. This uptake by farm businesses and land managers in the constituency is supporting them to build nature‑friendly farming systems that can sustain or enhance production while strengthening resilience and reducing input dependency.

This year's budget for Environmental Land Management (ELM) schemes is £1.9 billion. This has increased by more than fourfold since 2020, when we spent £433 million. This is rising further still, and by 2028/29, we plan to spend £2 billion on ELM schemes, making a total of £2.7 billion of investment into farming and nature.

We have also recently published our Annual Report for 2025/26, which sets out that we spent £1.8bn on ELM schemes which includes the Sustainable Farming Incentive, CS Higher Tier and ELM Capital.

This Government is progressing negotiations on the UK-EU SPS Agreement alongside preparations for its ratification and implementation. Ratification and implementation will be completed once negotiations have concluded and the required UK and EU processes are conducted. Implementation will require passing the European Partnership Bill. Defra is preparing to ensure the benefits of the deal are realised as soon as possible.

Defra is working as quickly as possible to assess Brazilian production systems to ensure that beef and chicken from animals treated with certain antimicrobial products are not exported to Great Britain and is keeping trade restrictions under review. The assessment will include an urgent in-country audit. Sanitary and phytosanitary trade measures must be evidenced-based and proportionate in line with World Trade Organization rules.

The UK has one of the toughest pet border checking regimes in the world and this Government is committed to preserving the high standards of biosecurity and animal welfare.

The Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Act 2025 gives the Government powers to prohibit the import into Great Britain of puppies and kittens under six months old and introduce measures to strengthen current enforcement mechanisms. Defra will continue to work with UK enforcement bodies as we develop these measures.

The Government recognises the significant challenges that drought conditions can pose for farmers and growers. As part of the drought support package announced on 14 August 2026, up to £15 million has been made available to support on-farm reservoir construction.

The proposed level of funding has been informed by evaluation evidence from the previous two rounds of the Water Management Grant, where applications are expected to result in around £12.5 million of grant expenditure in total. Given the previous government were unable to spend the full budget allocated to the previous rounds of the Water Management Grant, we won’t repeat that failure and as such will continue to monitor delivery and demand to ensure the grant supports practical investments that strengthen water security and farm resilience to climate change.

For farms businesses and agricultural products Defra is developing a standardised approach to carbon reporting. The work aims to establish robust methodologies and criteria for high-quality farm carbon assessments. It will improve the consistency and reliability of emissions data, enabling transparent and comparable greenhouse gas reporting for the agri-food system.

For UK territorial emissions Defra operates a world leading agricultural emissions accounting system, compliant with requirements set out by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. National emissions estimates are verified with real world measurements and modelled using science-based methodologies which are independently reviewed and publicly available.