Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk to (1) local job security and economic security, and (2) animal welfare, from the planned onshore salmon farm in Cleethorpes, considering the large-scale die-off of salmon at Mount Fuji in Japan in May and in Nova Scotia in November 2023.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government supports sustainable, industry led, growth in aquaculture. To ensure sustainability, aquaculture operations must comply with extensive land use, environmental, animal health and welfare and veterinary medicines regulations. The proposal for an onshore salmon farm in Cleethorpes will be considered by the relevant regulators, as and when the relevant permissions are sought.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support local authorities in protecting vulnerable trees from pests and diseases, including valuable urban trees, such as the National Elm Collection in Brighton and Hove.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Local Authorities are responsible for the care and management of trees on their land. The Government has provided Local Authorities with a range of guidance to help them manage their trees and the pest and disease threats they may be facing. This includes Local Authority toolkits on Ash Dieback (which has been downloaded over 20,000 times), Oak Processionary Moth (OPM) and on developing a Trees and Woodland Strategy for their areas.

We also offer financial support for Local Authorities through the Tree Health Pilot to manage some pests and diseases. For example, a grant is available to Local Authorities in the OPM established area to help them manage the public health risk from this pest. The grant pays for the surveying of oak trees and the creation of OPM management plans and communications strategies. The Tree Health Pilot also provides financial support to help Local Authorities facilitate landowner action on ash dieback and to restock any trees lost to the disease.

The Government does not take statutory action against Dutch Elm Disease as it is widespread across most of Great Britain. We are aware of areas such as the Isle of Man, Edinburgh and Brighton & Hove where populations of mature elms are of local significance and survive as a result of local disease control programmes. Defra is prioritising investment in scientific research which aims to develop a more resistant and diverse elm population, to support the return of mature elms to the landscape nationwide.

The Government meets regularly meets with Local Authorities through specific groups such as the Tree Health and Safety Taskforce and the Tree Health Operations Forum, where they can raise tree health challenges and discuss how to effectively deal with these.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the importance of people’s social and cultural connections to trees, as seen in the recent losses of the Sycamore Gap tree and the Whitewebbs oak tree; and, given the widespread threats facing British trees, including Dutch elm disease and chalara ash dieback, what steps they are taking to ensure that these connections are not lost for future generations.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has funded projects through Forest Research to explore methods for quantifying the social and cultural value of trees, woodlands, and forests at risk from pests and diseases. A recent evaluation estimates that these natural assets contribute approximately £3.1 billion annually through recreational use, landscape and biodiversity benefits. Additionally, Forest Research has found that regular woodland visits may contribute to annual savings of £185 million in mental health treatment costs.

Defra recognises the exceptional ecological and sociocultural significance of individual trees, such as the Whitewebbs Oak and the Sycamore Gap tree. Many of these trees are classed as ‘irreplaceable habitat’ and are protected under the National Planning Policy Framework and Biodiversity Net Gain Regulations as well as individual Tree Preservation Orders and Felling Licence regulations.

Defra has conducted a thorough enquiry into the threats and the effectiveness of existing protection measures for England’s most valuable trees. We funded a report led by the Tree Council and Forest Research which assessed the current stewardship and safeguarding measures for our most culturally and ecologically important trees. We are carefully considering its recommendations to identify the most robust and cost-effective approaches to long-term protection, and it will be important to balance our approach with existing priorities and our statutory obligations

We have also reviewed the implementation and effectiveness of the National Planning Policy Framework in safeguarding ancient and veteran trees and ancient woodland from development pressures. While these habitats are strongly protected in planning policy, the review identified implementation challenges. We are now developing policy proposals to ensure that high-value trees are protected not only in policy but also in practice.

Our treescapes face increasing threats from pests and diseases. To address this, we have implemented a robust, risk-based regulatory regime that prioritises biosecurity, surveillance, and horizon scanning. We also run targeted management programmes to prevent the importation and spread of quarantine tree pests and pathogens.

We are investing significantly in research and development to preserve iconic tree species and enhance the resilience of our treescapes. This includes initiatives such as Action Oak, a partnership of over 30 organisations focused on protecting native oaks, and the Living Ash Project, which has created two archives of ash trees resistant to ash dieback disease. Defra has also provided £4 million to the Centre for Forest Protection this financial year to support 17 new research projects to improve tree health and resilience and funded the development of the state-of-the-art Holt Laboratory in Surrey to advance tree health research.

Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the level of rare earth elements, other mining products and logging products from Myanmar in the UK supply chain; and what steps they are taking to reduce the environmental and human rights damage associated with such extraction, in particular through diplomacy, official development assistance and other routes.

Answered by Baroness Chapman of Darlington - Minister of State (Development)

Our Overseas Business Risk Guidance makes clear that UK businesses procuring natural resources in Myanmar should conduct thorough supply chain due diligence to ensure that their intended activities do not contravene sanctions prohibitions and restrictions and that they are not supporting the military regime or its associated businesses. The guidance also advises businesses operating in Myanmar to comply with standards of responsible business conduct, including respecting human rights. The UK has sanctioned State Owned Entities involved in extractive industries in Myanmar, namely Myanmar Mining Enterprise 1 and 2 and the Myanmar Timber Enterprise.

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how they plan to support plant health professionals to guard against unknown and novel pests and diseases not currently listed on the UK Plant Health Risk Register.

Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Pests are added to the UK Plant Health risk register based on horizon scanning for new threats to plants in the UK, carried out by Defra’s plant health Risk and Horizon Scanning Team. A variety of scientific and other sources are used and the process is dynamic, with new pests regularly added in response to information gathered during such horizon scanning. Risks of existing pests are also regularly reviewed in response to new information. The ‘Risk Register News’ section on the Risk register website can be used to check which pests have recently been added or reviewed.

A risk-based approach to import inspections is undertaken at the UK border, to protect plant health professionals and others against known threats as well as new ones. Import requirements and inspection rates are kept under continuous review and adjusted as necessary, for example in response to an upsurge of interceptions of pests or a new threat emerging.

If a pest is identified at an import inspection, or through inland surveillance, which has not been identified during the horizon scanning process described, or has not yet been regulated, Article 29 of the plant health regulation (PHR), assimilated Regulation (EU) 2016/2031, applies. This requires action to be taken against any pest which on the basis of a preliminary assessment meets the criteria to be a GB quarantine pest. Where a pest which is not present in GB is considered to meet the criteria to be a GB quarantine pest, action would be taken against plants or plant products it has been found on, most likely resulting in their destruction.

Question to the Department for Science, Innovation & Technology:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the environmental, economic and practical benefits of mechanochemistry, and what financial support they are providing for research and commercial development in that area.

Answered by Lord Vallance of Balham - Minister of State (Department for Science, Innovation and Technology)

UK Research and Innovation, via the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), funds a diverse portfolio of pioneering research projects that explore the frontiers of chemistry which underpin sustainable and innovative chemical processes. This includes exploring new methodologies such as mechanochemistry.

Current live projects, totalling £1.7 million, that include a substantive mechanochemistry method development include:

• a novel mechanochemical method for hydrogen isotope separation;
• a mechano-enzymatic synthesis of key pharmaceutical building blocks;
• an automated reaction screening and optimisation protocol using mechanochemical platforms.

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