Ben Goldsborough MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
How these years work
Our reporting years run from 4 July to 3 July, starting with the 2024 general election. They are not official parliamentary sessions. Office costs keep IPSA’s April–March financial years. Records may cover only part of a year; a missing record does not mean no work was done.
Read what this MP said, asked and contributed in Parliament.
26 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Genetically Modified Organisms: PlantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 7651More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 27 May 2026 to Questions 2585 and 2586, on what date will a National Listing system recognising precision bred seeds be available.
Answer: On 9 March, this Government published the legislation expected to be in scope of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) Agreement currently being negotiated with the EU. This includes legislation relating to plant varieties and seeds. As negotiations are on...
Answered 16 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordGenetically Modified Organisms: PlantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2586More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Department will set out a date by which the sale of precision bred seeds will be made legal.
Answer: A consultation was held from 14 February to 17 April 2025 seeking feedback on a proposed plant varieties and seed framework for precision bred plant varieties. The proposal included a Precision Bred Plant Varieties List for England. The main agricultural ...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordGenetically Modified Organisms: PlantsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 18 May 2026AnsweredUIN 2585More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Department has to implement a National Listing system to recognise precision bred seeds.
Answer: A consultation was held from 14 February to 17 April 2025 seeking feedback on a proposed plant varieties and seed framework for precision bred plant varieties. The proposal included a Precision Bred Plant Varieties List for England. The main agricultural ...
Answered 27 May 2026
Original Parliament recordCompost: PeatDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 12 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120479More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department will make an economic and environmental impact assessment on the alternatives to peat-free growing media.
Answer: This question has been interpreted as whether Defra will make an economic and environmental impact assessment on peat-free alternatives in growing media. This Government is committed to protecting our nature-rich habitats, including peat bogs and to this ...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Products: Import ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99362More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 80333 if she will take steps to help increase the audience reach of her Department's digital communications on risks of personal i
Answer: Biosecurity is a priority for this Government. To protect UK farmers and animals from serious diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease and African Swine Fever, we used the Christmas period as an opportunity to remind the public about the personal imports ban...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordAfrican Swine Fever and Foot and Mouth Disease: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 11 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99361More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2025 to Question 80333, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of funding public awareness campaigns, including advertisements at a
Answer: Biosecurity is a priority for this Government. To protect UK farmers and animals from serious diseases like Foot and Mouth Disease and African Swine Fever, we used the Christmas period as an opportunity to remind the public about the personal imports ban...
Answered 13 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordBluetongue Disease: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 16 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82849More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to produce a National Bluetongue Strategy.
Answer: Disease control is a devolved matter. Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments to provide, where possible, a consistent and coordinated response across the UK. The disease control measures we deploy for incidents of bluetongue in Great Britain ar...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordDover Port Health Authority: StaffDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80342More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff have been employed by the Dover Port Health Authority in each of the last 20 years.
Answer: Defra does not hold this information. Dover District Council is designated as port health authority for the Port of Dover.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Products: Import ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80341More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) increasing levels of funding and (b) widening the responsibilities for the Border Force to include animal products origina
Answer: Border Force is funded by Home Office. Defra has committed £3.1 million for Dover Port Health Authority to work in partnership with Border Force in seizing meat smuggled via the Port of Dover in 2025/26, additional to over £9 million of funding provided t...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAnimal Products: Origin MarkingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80340More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of transferring Products of Animal Origin enforcement (a) powers and (b) funding to port health authorities.
Answer: The Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 designate port health authorities in England, as enforcement authorities for animal products. Defra has committed £3.1 million for Dover Port Health Authority to work in partnership with Border Fo...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordImport ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80339More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment with the Home Secretary of the potential merits of giving port health authorities stop, search and seize powers.
Answer: The Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 already give port health authorities in England, search and seize powers in relation to animal products.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: Import ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80338More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to concentrate the responsibility for tackling illegal meat imports into fewer bodies.
Answer: Border Force is responsible for enforcing the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 in England in relation to animal products in any place, other than Border Control Posts, where goods are subject to customs supervision. Defra is consider...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordImport ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80337More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to produce a digital tool for travellers to identify what they can bring into Great Britain.
Answer: Defra is considering this recommendation in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on meat smuggling.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordImport ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80336More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has considered compelling airports to display information communicating (a) the emergency ban on personal imports and (b) biosecurity threats from illegal import
Answer: International passenger transport operators, including airport operators, have certain responsibilities for drawing their customers’ attention to rules for personal imports. Defra is considering the recommendations in the Environment, Food and Rural Affai...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordImport Controls: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80335More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to establish a permanent personal import policy for goods entering Great Britain from the EU.
Answer: Defra keeps the rules for personal imports of meat and dairy products from the EU under review. Defra is considering the recommendations in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on meat smuggling.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordImport Controls: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80334More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on (a) biosecurity arrangements and (b) the illegal importation of food products.
Answer: The biosecurity arrangements and regulatory frameworks for imports are no longer the same as when we were in the EU. Since leaving the EU, we have put in place sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) rules for importing food products from the EU into Great Brita...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordImport Controls: PublicityDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80333More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding her Department has provided for (a) biosecurity and (b) food importation public awareness campaigns in each of the last 10 calendar years.
Answer: Marketing and campaign activity is based on need and in-year circumstances. The vast majority of communications is delivered through no-cost communications channels owned by the department (such as outreach to partner organisations, webinars or content po...
Answered 4 Nov 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: Origin MarkingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80332More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help tackle the sale of foreign meat labelled as being of British origin.
Answer: The fundamental principles of our food labelling rules are that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable consumers to make informed decisions. Food from elsewhere in the world that is simply re-packaged in the UK, without any ...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: SmugglingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to tackle illegal meat imports through passenger routes.
Answer: Border Force is responsible for enforcing the Trade in Animals and Related Products Regulations 2011 in England in relation to animal products in any place, other than Border Control Posts, where goods are subject to customs supervision. Defra is consider...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: SmugglingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department plans to establish a taskforce for illegal imports of products of animal origin.
Answer: Defra is considering this recommendation in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on meat smuggling.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: SmugglingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80329More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help increase rates of prosecution for smuggling meat into Great Britain.
Answer: Enforcement authorities are responsible for deciding whether to prosecute. Defra is considering the recommendations in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on meat smuggling.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordMeat: SmugglingDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80328More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to estimate the amount of illegal meat that enters Great Britain.
Answer: The Animal and Plant Health Agency has a project aiming to improve estimates of illegal meat imports. Defra is considering the recommendations in the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report on meat smuggling.
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBluetongue Disease: VaccinationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80327More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to reduce the cost of bluetongue vaccinations for farmers.
Answer: Vaccine pricing is a commercial decision, which is the responsibility of manufacturers, wholesalers and veterinarians. Defra has worked closely with manufacturers to ensure that safe and effective vaccine is available for use in the UK, and to overcome su...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordBluetongue Disease: VaccinationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 80326More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to increase the uptake of bluetongue vaccinations.
Answer: In response to emerging disease, Defra’s Secretary of State permitted the use of 3 bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV-3) vaccines within the United Kingdom in September 2024, subject to licence. By working closely with manufacturers, Defra has ensured that safe a...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordAvian Influenza: Disease ControlDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 77330More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the readiness of (a) her Department and (b) the Animal and Plant Health Agency for any potential increase in the number of Avian Influenza cases in the
Answer: APHA regularly monitors the prevalence and spread of avian influenza, supported by epidemiological modelling, during critical disease transmission periods. This information is used to help with scenario planning and the allocation of resource. APHA also k...
Answered 16 Oct 2025
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4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026. One record per UIN and tabled date; the named department is not a measure of answer quality.
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