Global plastics treaty
A general debate on the global plastics treaty is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday 17 July 2025. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee.

This note discusses food miles as an indicator of the environmental impact of food production.
Food Miles (224 KB , PDF)
• This note discusses whether consumers should be concerned at how far food has travelled before they buy it. A related note is Food Security – UK Policy (SN/SC/4985).
• The original food miles idea was that the distance that farm produce had travelled before consumption was a good indicator of the amount of CO2 that had been emitted.
• That idea has been seriously challenged, because transport accounts for only a very small proportion of the CO2 emissions from farm produce.
• In some cases, carbon emissions are much lower for items produced in tropical countries rather than in temperate countries. In other cases, emissions are much lower when they come from the most efficient source.
• Some people argue that food labels should have more detailed information about the environmental impact of that item. Others argue that such a requirement would make labels too complex and probably not greatly affect consumer behaviour.
• The Soil Association agreed, after long consultation, to monitor the use of air freight for organic produce, but not to require special labelling for it.
• The Government encourages sustainability in food provision, but not specifically reduction in food miles.
• In 2009, the EU banned a Swedish campaign to buy local.
Food Miles (224 KB , PDF)
A general debate on the global plastics treaty is scheduled to take place in the House of Commons Chamber on Thursday 17 July 2025. The subject for this debate was determined by the Backbench Business Committee.
This note covers rights of way issues in England and Wales, including how they are recorded and how their records can be modified. It explains how they can be used and responsibilities for maintaining them.
This briefing sets out the challenges for future water resources in England. It covers future water resource forecasts, policy and legislation, and planned actions to address the water supply deficit.