Sarah Champion MP: written questions
4 Jul 2025–3 Jul 2026
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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.
19 published records · newest first.
Written questions
Beavers: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Jun 2026AnsweredUIN 9571More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of the establishment of a dedicated Beaver Mitigation Fund to support farmers in managing localised impacts such as flooding.
Answer: Support for living alongside beavers is provided through a rigorous risk assessment in the wild release licence application process and the existing management framework laid out in the 5-step beaver management approach. This is be backed up by support th...
Answered 22 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordFood SupplyDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 29 May 2026AnsweredUIN 4109More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of agroecology on (a) food security and (b) food prices.
Answer: Defra’s assessment of evidence on agroecological practices, including organic and other environmentally friendly systems, indicates that these approaches can enhance biodiversity and soil and biomass carbon at farm level. However, there are further profit...
Answered 10 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordCountryside Stewardship Scheme: RiversDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 20 May 2026AnsweredUIN 3248More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will introduce a mechanism to incentivise the creation of river habitat corridors across neighbouring farms to the Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier.
Answer: Farmers and land managers can already work together to create river habitat corridors across neighbouring farms through Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier. Farmers can consider Feasibility Studies to support this. The scheme already includes actions supp...
Answered 1 Jun 2026
Original Parliament recordBeavers: ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 14 May 2026AnsweredUIN 1221More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to make long-term funding available to farmers to (a) support them to make space for beavers and (b) improve land-use through beaver presence.
Answer: This is a devolved matter, and the information provided therefore relates to England only. Defra recognises the benefits beavers can bring to the environment and is committed to supporting farmers and land managers to live alongside them. Defra is working...
Answered 19 May 2026
Original Parliament recordPigs: SlaughterhousesDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 21 Apr 2026AnsweredUIN 128710More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the planned consultation on banning the use of high-concentration carbon dioxide gas stunning for pigs will include a proposed timetable for phasing out that method.
Answer: As set out in the Government’s animal welfare strategy, Defra will consult on banning carbon dioxide gas stunning of pigs and on possible timescales for phasing out this method. Further details will be set out later this year.
Answered 28 Apr 2026
Original Parliament recordShellfish: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 121331More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to include decapod crustaceans in the Animal Welfare Act 2006; and if she will publish a timeline for an announcement on that decision.
Answer: The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting welfare standards for decapod crustaceans. We set out in our Animal Welfare Strategy that we will develop this evidence base through research and continued stakeholder ...
Answered 25 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFurs: FarmsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 13 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 120608More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the working group on fur, announced in the Animal Welfare Strategy, will include virologists and environmental scientists with expertise in the public health and environmental
Answer: As set out in the animal welfare strategy, Defra will bring together a working group on fur, with involvement from both industry experts and those who support restrictions on the trade in fur to explore concerns and the different ways in which they could ...
Answered 19 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordFishing Vessels: MonitoringDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 119292More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential merits of requiring remote electronic monitoring systems on all pelagic freezer trawlers of 100 meters or more operating in English waters
Answer: Defra has laid out plans to implement REM in five priority fisheries in English waters, including pelagic trawls, over 24m, operating in English waters. This fishery includes pelagic freezer trawlers over 100m. The fisheries were selected via an evidence ...
Answered 17 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAnimal Welfare: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 4 Mar 2026AnsweredUIN 117724More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what safeguards will be included in the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement to ensure the UK maintains the ability to set animal welfare standards unilaterally, for example to b
Answer: I refer the hon Member to the reply previously given to her on 4 March 2026 to PQ UIN 115407.
Answered 11 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordAgricultural Products: UK Trade with EUDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 24 Feb 2026AnsweredUIN 115407More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions there have been with EU negotiators about what falls within scope of the term agri-food product for the purposes of the UK-EU sanitary and phytosanitary agreement; and
Answer: As announced at the UK-EU Leaders' Summit on May 19, the UK and EU have agreed to work towards a common Sanitary and Phytosanitary Area. The details of these are subject to negotiation, but the Government has been clear about the importance of being able ...
Answered 4 Mar 2026
Original Parliament recordShellfish: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 15 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 99783More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions her Department has had with the Seafish, Shellfish Association of Great Britain and the Crab and Lobster Management Group on the adequacy of the Codes of Practice for
Answer: The Government is committed to an evidence-based and proportionate approach to setting animal welfare standards for decapod crustaceans. As part of this, the Department has engaged with key stakeholders, such as the Shellfish Association of Great Britain,...
Answered 5 Jan 2026
Original Parliament recordNature ConservationDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 8 Dec 2025AnsweredUIN 97785More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to work with the UK’s zoos and aquariums to provide opportunities for conservation translocations and the reintroduction of native species as set out in the Environm
Answer: The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 requires zoos in Great Britain to undertake conservation work which can include where appropriate, the repopulation of an area with, or the reintroduction into the wild of, wild animals. Defra is committed to providing opportuni...
Answered 16 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordHighly Protected Marine AreasDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 25 Nov 2025AnsweredUIN 94184More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the 3 Highly Protected Marine Areas that were designated in 2023 will be implemented.
Answer: The Marine Management Organisation has consulted on proposed byelaws to prohibit all commercial and recreational fishing within the three HPMAs and to prohibit anchoring within Allonby Bay HPMA. Decisions on these proposed HPMA byelaws will be taken in du...
Answered 3 Dec 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: Public SectorDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 17 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 82955More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to implement the recommendations in the Independent Review into Public Sector Food Procurement, published in May 2024.
Answer: The Government is currently considering the policy options available to deliver further on our ambitions for public sector food and catering. We are engaging with stakeholders across public sector supply chains and are carefully reflecting on possible pol...
Answered 23 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordPigs: Animal WelfareDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78171More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the adequacy of animal welfare enforcement in commercial pig farms; and what steps she is taking to ensure that audit and inspection processe
Answer: All farm animals are protected by comprehensive and robust animal health and welfare legislation, and potential breaches of the law are taken very seriously. We are actively working with enforcement authorities to reform the way they collect and publish d...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: Public SectorDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78169More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 23 September 2025 to Question 75965 on Food: Public Sector, what her Department's planned timetable is for reviewing food purchased by the public sector; and
Answer: The Government is currently assessing what food the public sector buys and where it comes from. This will enable us to determine the extent to which public sector organisations are buying food from British producers, providing a baseline with which to mea...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFisheries: Import ControlsDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 10 Oct 2025AnsweredUIN 78168More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the (a) effectiveness and (b) enforcement of the current illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing import controls.
Answer: The UK Government is strongly committed to preventing seafood caught from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from entering the UK supply chain. Defra works closely with the Devolved Governments, Marine Management Organisation and Port Healt...
Answered 20 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: ProcurementDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75966More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to issue guidance to local authorities on the procurement of food that is locally produced or certified to higher environment standards.
Answer: Defra is responsible for the Government Buying Standards for Food and Catering Services (GBSF), which set the requirements for sourcing, cooking, and serving of food for central Government and executive agencies in England. Local authorities are encourage...
Answered 8 Oct 2025
Original Parliament recordFood: Public SectorDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural AffairsTabled 9 Sept 2025AnsweredUIN 75965More
Question: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for ensuring that half of all food purchased across the public sector is (a) locally produced and (b) certified to higher environment standards.
Answer: The Government is open to considering all lawful means of achieving its ambition that half of all food purchased across the public sector should be locally produced or certified to higher environmental standards. As a first step, we will be reviewing the ...
Answered 23 Sept 2025
Original Parliament record
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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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