Question follow-through · 20123

Sugar Beet: Disease Control

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department provides farmers to (a) research and (b) implement natural defences to aphids instead of neonicotinoid pesticides.

answeredDepartment for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

About this written question

A written question asks a government minister for information in writing. Parliament publishes the question and any answer.

Answering body: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Tabled: 13 Dec 2024
Target answer date: 17 Dec 2024
Answer: 23 Dec 2024 · 10 calendar days after tabling

Elapsed calendar days describe the record timeline, not whether Parliament considers an answer on time.

More questions by this MP on Environment and energy

Inland Waterways: Environment Protection · 18 Dec 2024
Sewage: Waste Disposal · 13 Jan 2025
Nutrition: Low Incomes · 13 Jan 2025
Thames Water · 27 Jan 2025
Water Treatment: Standards · 3 Feb 2025

Shared topic keywords suggest a connection; they do not establish a follow-up.

Votes on this topic

Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 5 · 1 Jul 2026
Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 4 · 1 Jul 2026
Taxation (Energy and Vehicles) Bill Committee: New Clause 2 · 1 Jul 2026

These Commons divisions share a topic label. The question did not necessarily lead to a vote.

Recorded timeline

13 Dec 2024
Question tabled
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department provides farmers to (a) research and (b) implement natural defences to aphids instead of neonicotinoid pesticides.
17 Dec 2024
Target answer date
Date supplied by the official written-questions record.
23 Dec 2024
Answer published
The UK Government has provided research funding through the Farming Futures Fund to look at the potential for precision breeding in producing virus-resistant varieties of sugar beet. Separately, the British Beet Research Organisation is operating an indus...

Open official record

Official data retrieved 27 Sept 2026.

Later records

Possible follow-up questions

Strong links require the same MP, department and exact heading. Other same-department questions are shown as unreviewed candidates, not as confirmed follow-ups. No debate link is asserted unless a stable source relationship exists.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Inland Waterways: Environment Protection

18 Dec 2024 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Ofwat on the enforcement of existing laws to protect waterways.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Sewage: Waste Disposal

13 Jan 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with water companies on upgrading infrastructure to ensure the sewage system can accommodate heavy rainfall without overflowing sewage into wate

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Nutrition: Low Incomes

13 Jan 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to make healthy food options affordable to low-income families.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Thames Water

27 Jan 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with Thames Water on its financial viability.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Water Treatment: Standards

3 Feb 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to tackle underperforming wastewater treatment plants.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Community Assets: Floods

10 Feb 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of flooding on (a) football pitches and (b) other local community assets; and if he will ensure that water companies com

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Thames Water: Finance

24 Feb 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has put a contingency plan in place in the event that Thames Water becomes financially unsustainable.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Sewage: Epsom and Ewell

4 Mar 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of environmental contamination caused by sewage discharges by water companies in Epsom and Ewell constituency

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Recycling: Public Houses

24 Mar 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure that pubs are not charged twice for recycling glass bottles under Extended Producer Responsibility rules.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Thames Water: Finance

24 Mar 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with Thames Water on the use of their emergency loan.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

River Thames: Sewage

31 Mar 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will hold discussions with Thames Water on the adequacy of the time it takes to stop sewage overflows.

Unreviewed candidateSame MP and department; topic relationship is unreviewed

Eutrophication: Inland Waterways

25 Apr 2025 · To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to prevent eutrophication in waterways.