This Government takes agricultural water pollution seriously. The department are bringing agricultural regulations together into a single, clear and robust set of requirements to help reduce water pollution. The detail of these reforms is still being developed.

Defra recently consulted on the best way to regulate the use of sewage sludge on farms. The consultation sought views on options to make the regulatory framework more agile as new evidence emerges about contaminant risks.

The department continue to develop the evidence base on contaminants in sludge by bringing stakeholders together to identify evidence gaps and shape future research priorities. Defra also are supporting the work of the water industry-funded Chemicals Investigation Programme to explore new treatment technologies to remove contaminants from sludge.

Through a multi-agency effort, this Government is working closely with a range of partners to monitor and respond to the nurdle spill in the River Tyne. Clean-up operations are underway, with particular attention being given to environmentally sensitive locations, including Marsden Bay.

The Government currently has no plans to align nurdle transport and storage regulations with those of the EU.

The Government has supported industry-led initiatives such as Operation Clean Sweep, to promote good practice in pellet loss prevention.

As a Contracting Party to the OSPAR Convention, the UK has led work under the Regional Action Plan on Marine Litter, resulting in an OSPAR Recommendation on minimum standards for pellet loss certification schemes. The UK also supported development of a British Standards Institution Publicly Available Specification, published in July 2021, which sets out measures for businesses to reduce pellet loss and complies with the OSPAR Recommendation.

Pellet loss is a global issue, and the UK has called for specific provisions in the new international treaty on plastic pollution to address pellet loss throughout the supply chain. Additionally, the UK is working at the International Maritime Organization to introduce mandatory measures for the carriage of plastic pellets by sea in freight containers.

All pilots of civil-registered aircraft, including skydiving flights, must comply with the requirements of the Standardised European Rules of the Air (SERA). These are wide-ranging requirements covering aspects such as the minimum altitude which must be observed by pilots and the rules governing flying during the day and night periods.

Local aerodromes may have planning agreements in place with their local authority, setting out restrictions as part of the planning process when developing the aerodrome. These may include such things as restrictions on numbers and times of operations, and restrictions on overflying certain areas.

This Government does not expect there to be any significant change in the quantity of plastic, paper, or other materials generated, because of not introducing the mandatory take-back scheme for single-use cups. The scheme was expected to have a limited impact on environmental objectives, and in terms of environmental pollutants it was estimated to reduce littering of single-use cups by 2 percentage points in 10 years.

The UK Government has committed to reducing waste by moving to a circular economy. We will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what further interventions may be needed as we develop the Circular Economy Strategy for England, working closely with the Devolved Governments.

The Environment Agency (EA) has not made any assessment of reports on this subject and does not plan to conduct any such assessments in England.

The impact on food produced in proximity to waste incinerators is considered as part of environmental permitting regulations. The EA is responsible for deciding whether new incinerators in England should get a permit to operate. For each permit application it receives, the EA uses the results of air quality modelling and a human health risk assessment (HHRA) to determine the impact of the proposed incinerator.

The HHRA assesses impacts on the food chain. Impact assessments are very conservative and permit decisions are based on worst-case scenario impacts.

The EA also consults the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on every permit application it receives and will not issue a permit if the proposed plant could cause significant pollution or harm to human health, including via the food chain.

The FSA is responsible for the management of public health risks in relation to food. In general, the FSA considers that if incinerator facilities are correctly operated and monitored, with the appropriate level of emissions abatement, there should be no impact on the local area in terms of elevated levels of contaminants in soil and locally produced food. Measures are in place to manage the risk from chemical contaminants and keep levels as low as reasonably achievable through good practices and regulatory controls.

Defra, the Environment Agency and the UK Health Security Agency have a joint research programme on antimicrobial resistance in the environment. This includes examination of potential drivers of selection for antimicrobial resistance in environmental organisms. So far, this work has concentrated on the effect of antimicrobials and biocides so has not examined the additional role of microplastics, as this was not identified as likely to have a high impact and therefore be a high priority for the research. However, we continue to consider issues for further investigation as part of our ongoing research where emerging evidence suggests it is needed.

National Highways, in collaboration with the Environment Agency, have recently undertaken further in-situ monitoring of a range of chemical determinands, including polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, as part of its recent Phase 2 microplastic field monitoring programme on the strategic road network. The project was completed earlier this year (2023) and the report and findings will be published on National Highways’ website shortly.

The Department commissioned a 4-year research project in February 2021 to investigate the measurement techniques, materials properties and control parameters of brake and tyre wear emissions from road vehicles. The project will also assess differences in particulate emission from tyre and brake wear in electric vehicles compared to petrol/diesel vehicles.

Our monitoring on emerging chemicals is conducted through targeted screening based on risk. Twelve anthelminthic chemicals are monitored across 21 fresh water sites. Of these sites 18 are chalk streams. There is currently no evidence of adverse effects from exposure to these substances.

Defra and its agencies, including the Environment Agency, have not yet considered the report in full detail but will do so in due course. We will consider the recommendations in conjunction with officials in the Department for Health and Social Care. Defra has already noted that some of the suggested interventions in the Lancet paper may be relevant to veterinary medicines. The Veterinary Medicines Directorate within Defra is actively considering issues around pharmaceuticals in the environment, and conducts environmental risk assessments for all new veterinary medicines.

The Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Environment Agency (EA) have been working with the water industry to research the occurrence and transport of bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics through wastewater treatment works as part of the industry-funded Chemical Investigations Programme. Investigations have been carried out at 10 sites across the country to understand how the different treatment processes affect the presence and prevalence of particular organisms and resistance genes. The results are due to be published by UK Water Industry Research in early 2023. In addition, the EA has completed a study to look at the amounts of antifungal substances that remain in biosolids as one of the final products of these wastewater treatments. These results will also be published in early 2023.

The EA has also been working with water companies on chemicals investigations which have included a range of pharmaceuticals and veterinary medicines discharged from treated sewage effluent which might contribute to AMR. This work allows the EA to sift and screen any chemical substance nominated using, where available, hazard data and environmental monitoring data to prioritise whether a substance may be a possible chemical of concern in England. Many pharmaceuticals are included on this list. Monitoring also takes place for a wide range of pharmaceuticals within the water environment using a semi-quantitative screening methodology.

A cross-departmental project, Pathogen Surveillance in Agriculture, Food and the Environment (PATH-SAFE), was established in 2021 to understand how pathogens and Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) are spread in the environment and the agri-food system. It brings together DEFRA, the EA, the Food Standards Agency, Food Standards Scotland, the Department of Health and Social Care, and the UK Health Security Agency. PATH-SAFE contains a workstream focused on AMR prevalence in three river catchments to strengthen our understanding of AMR in the environment, including the relative importance of different sources and potential transmission routes; this includes wastewater and septic discharges as important likely sources. This work is due to complete in 2023. Two documents are attached which provide background (Antimicrobial resistance surveillance pilot site selection and database extension and Framework for understanding environmental antimicrobial resistance in England).

The actions being taken to reduce sewage pollution more generally will have a direct positive impact on the emergence and spread of resistant microbials. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction plan announced in August of this year sets strict new targets on water companies to reduce sewage discharges. In addition, we have increased monitoring and transparency of water companies by increasing the number of storm overflows monitored from 5% in 2016 to almost 90% now monitored, and we will reach 100% cover by end of 2023. This action has supported the regulators to launch the largest criminal and civil investigations into water company sewage discharges ever, at over 2200 treatment works, following new data coming to light as a result of increased monitoring. We are also bringing forward proposals to increase the maximum fine that water companies face for breaches of environmental laws.

The Government is taking decisive action to reduce plastic pollution. We have introduced one of the world’s toughest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and brought in measures to restrict the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds in October 2020. The use of single-use carrier bags has been reduced in the main supermarkets by over 97% with our five, now ten, pence charge.

As set out in the 2022-2023 UK REACH Work Programme available on GOV.UK, we are reviewing intentionally added microplastics and the risks they pose to human health and the environment. The results will help to inform the Government's approach to managing any risks whether through UK REACH or other routes.

The recent study that has found microplastic particles in breast milk indicates the potential for low human neonate exposure via breast milk (and the exposure of the mother). However, the small sample size in these studies mean that these results need to be taken as indicative and highlight the need for further research in this area.

In 2021, the UK Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COT) published an overarching statement on potential risks from exposure to microplastics ( https://cot.food.gov.uk/M-statementsandpositionpapers#microplastics(opens in a new tab)). A copy is attached to this answer. The COT made a number of proposals for research priorities to aid risk assessment of microplastics, and concluded that "based on the available data, it is not yet possible to perform a complete assessment for the potential risks from exposure to micro and nanoplastics via the oral and inhalation routes".

(1) The Environment Agency (EA) cannot assess the impact on the environment from petrochemical ingredients in cosmetics. Petrochemicals are used in a large range of manufacturing processes and the EA cannot, with confidence, trace petrochemicals in the environment specifically back to the widespread use of cosmetics.

(2) The EA Chemical Assessment Unit published a review of organic UV filters in cosmetics prior to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and restriction of Chemicals (REACH) regulations coming into force (here and copy attached). They have a project this year to update it, which will complete by March 2023.

The EA has developed a Prioritisation and Early Warning System (PEWS) for chemicals of emerging concern to ensure consideration of the potential risks of emerging chemicals including to surface waters (both freshwater and saline waters), groundwater and soils. The system allows the EA to sift and to screen any chemical substance nominated using, where available, hazard data and environmental monitoring data to prioritise whether a substance may be a possible chemical of concern in England.

The EA has considered some mineral UV-filters as part of PEWS: zinc oxide in its nanoform; and titanium dioxide in its nanoform. However, both substances have a much broader range of uses beyond cosmetics, so it is not possible to isolate the impact of release from cosmetic use alone. Both substances flagged as low risk in PEWS, but the EA stresses it has low certainty over this outcome, due to a lack of available data.

In Wales, Natural Resources Wales (NRW) acts as the Statutory Nature Conservation Organisation. Natural England works closely with NRW on environmental issues but it remains NRW's responsibility to provide relevant advice in Wales. Whilst the present advice in England and Wales is tailored to the relevant local circumstances, as appropriate, NRW is currently in the process of updating its advice.

The discharge of bilge water from ships is governed by internationally agreed regulations which are implemented and enforced in the UK by the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA). The UK regulations prohibit the discharge of bilge water unless specific control measures are met. These regulations were updated in 2019 and have provisions built into the regulations to enable the efficient implementation of new international standards to ensure that UK regulations remain current and effective. Compliance is monitored by various means, which include, satellite surveillance, manned aircraft surveillance and reconnaissance of UK waters and the UK Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), port state control inspections and the mandatory regulatory requirements for ships to report pollution incidents. If there is evidence of a breach of the regulations, the MCA can use a variety of enforcement action up to and including detention of the ship and prosecution of the owner/operator.

All incidences of pollution must be reported and, where appropriate, feasible reports are investigated via a variety of means by the MCA. Records reflect that there has been no evidence of illegal bilge dumping in UK Waters or the UK EEZ. Potential illegal discharges recorded have all occurred within Harbour Authority jurisdiction; all have been minor and caused by accident rather than by any deliberate act to pollute. The impact of these incidents has been negligible and quickly resolved, with sanction and/or enforcement action to the responsibility of the Statutory Harbour Authority. The MCA’s Regulatory Compliance and Investigations Team has never had the need to undertake prosecution action for such situations.

Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency have been in touch with the University of Liverpool Small Animal Veterinary Surveillance Network (SAVSNET) which has been investigating the increase in reports of vomiting and diarrhoea (V&D) in dogs in the Northeast of England. Investigations continue, but so far SAVSNET has reported a seasonal increase across England in V&D commonly seen each year in dogs, with an exceptional peak in NE Yorkshire. There is some positive association with canine enteric coronavirus and no link to walking on the beach for the majority of cases. While it cannot definitively point to a common cause, SAVSNET does suggest this is a transmissible infection rather than contact with the beach area or sea water. Canine enteric coronavirus is an alpha-coronavirus and is not related to beta-coronavirus which causes COVID-19.

The dogs recover after a few days, although some may require supportive care from their vet.

SAVSNET stated on 3 February: “Between 29^th and 31^st January 2022 we had details of 208 cases submitted by vets and owners. The most common clinical signs reported were inappetence, and vomiting and diarrhoea both without blood. The majority (79%) of dogs had NOT visited the beach prior to becoming ill and many cases were reported inland (away from the coast). The vast majority of cases (94%) had been vaccinated in the last three years. The majority (56) of the 88 owners who had more than one dog reported that other dogs in the household had also shown similar signs possibly suggesting in infectious cause. The majority of dogs seem to recover within 7-14 days, although over 60% required treatment of some form. No underlying cause was reported and so the aetiology of this outbreak is still unknown.”

SAVSNET is continuing with its investigation and we continue to keep this under consideration.

When the container ship X-PRESS PEARL caught fire and sank off the Sri Lankan coast in 2021, a significant quantity of plastic nurdles were released into the marine environment. Following the incident, the Sri Lankan government submitted a paper to the International Maritime Organization (IMO) which sets out several proposed measures aimed at preventing similar spills of plastic nurdles in the future and identifying tools to manage such spills should they occur.

The Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA), which provides the UK’s representation at the IMO, is actively engaged in IMO work focussed on the issue of marine plastics. Whilst the proposals that have been put forward will need further refinement and consideration within the IMO, the MCA is supportive of efforts to reduce marine plastic pollution and welcomes the debate in an international forum.

Defra, Cefas, the Marine Management Organisation and the Environment Agency (EA), along with other agencies, are continuing to collaborate on the investigation into the cause of crab and lobster deaths along the Tees Valley including Teesport and Scarborough. The EA and Cefas have undertaken extensive tests to try to determine the cause and are reviewing the evidence gathered since the start of this incident. It has not yet been possible to identify a definitive cause. Additional testing has been undertaken and the latest results are awaited. Cefas found no evidence of disease, and chemical pollution was previously ruled out by the Environment agency as a likely cause of the mortality.

Defra is aware of reports of dogs falling ill at several dog-walking locations including local beaches. The Animal and Plant Health Agency has been alerted about these reports. We are not aware of any link with the crab and lobster mortality in the area late last year.

The Government has no plans to ban advertising of high polluting vehicles. However, the Government is going further and faster to decarbonise transport by phasing out the sale of new petrol and diesel cars and vans by 2030, and, from 2035, all new cars and vans must be zero emission at the tailpipe. Coupled with the new phase out dates we have pledged a further £2.8 billion package of measures to support industry and consumers to make the switch to cleaner vehicles.

The point-of-sale environmental label for new cars has recently been redesigned to present vehicle-specific environmental information in a clear, easy to understand and highly visible way. This ensures that consumers are provided with the right information at the right time to make informed purchasing decisions. A new ‘running costs’ section helps to emphasise the savings possible from electric and the most fuel-efficient cars. In addition, the Vehicle Certification Agency hosts a variety of tools that inform consumers of emissions data for new and used cars.