Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on the vaccine for Strangles in equines to protect them from disease.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) regulates Veterinary Medicinal Products (VMPs) and assesses applications submitted by the veterinary pharmaceutical industry to authorise and make available good quality, safe and efficacious VMPs, including veterinary vaccines. There are currently two veterinary vaccines authorised in Great Britain and Northern Ireland which include claims against Streptococcus equi which can cause strangles in horses. Current information about veterinary medicines authorised in Great Britain and Northern Ireland including these equine vaccines can be found on the Product Information Database on GOV.UK (www.vmd.defra.gov.uk/ProductInformationDatabase/).
Alternatively, where a suitable veterinary vaccine authorised in the UK is not available to treat a disease, a veterinary surgeon may apply to the VMD for a special import certificate, which allows the use of a veterinary vaccine authorised elsewhere in the world. These applications are subject to a risk assessment by the VMD.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to encourage veterinary surgeons to work in the UK to ensure that there is adequate cover for (1) animal welfare, and (2) public health.
Answered by Lord Benyon
The Government is working with the veterinary profession, including the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, to help ensure that there will be an adequate number of vets across all sectors of the veterinary profession.
Defra, alongside the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Association, was successful in campaigning for the addition of the veterinary profession to the Shortage Occupation List by the Home Office in September 2019. This enabled employers to recruit overseas veterinary surgeons more easily. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons continues to accept the vast majority of European veterinary degrees as well as maintaining mutual recognition agreements with many English-speaking countries that allow automatic registration for overseas vets.
Defra is also strongly considering proposals from the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to increase the range of activities that can be delegated to allied professionals who work with animals to ease the pressure on the workload of the practising vet.
We are also looking forward to an increase in UK-trained vets thanks to several new veterinary schools opening across the UK. These include Surrey University, which saw its first cohort graduate in 2019, Harper Adams and Keele University, the University of Central Lancashire, Scottish Rural College and a collaboration between Aberystwyth University and the Royal Veterinary College. The increase in veterinary schools will lead to an increase in UK-trained vets graduating in the longer term.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the reported shortage of seasonal labour in the ornamental horticulture production industry; and whether they will publish the findings of any such assessment.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Defra is considering the latest data and working with the ornamental horticulture production industry to understand labour demand and supply, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements. We will continue to monitor the labour needs of the ornamental horticulture sector and help to ensure that these are met.
In December 2020, a Defra-led review into automation in horticulture was also announced alongside a review of the Seasonal Workers Pilot. The review will report on ways to increase automation in both the edible and ornamental horticulture sectors and meet the Government’s aim of reducing the need for migrant seasonal labour.
The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to announce a new seasonal agricultural workers scheme for 2022; and what plans they have to include the ornamental horticulture production industry in that scheme.
Answered by Lord Benyon
Defra is working closely with the Home Office to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.
The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to prohibit the human consumption of dog and cat meat in the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
As the Prime Minister previously said, it is illegal to sell dog and cat meat and there are no abattoirs with a licence to slaughter these animals in the UK.
The Government recognises both the symbolic and substantive nature of the issues raised, and is exploring what else can be done to send a clear signal that consumption of cats and dogs will never be tolerated.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what systems are in place to ensure that disinfectant products sold for use in stables and farms are proved to kill the equine influenza virus.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Products approved for use under ‘General Orders’ on the Defra Approved Disinfectant list are likely to be effective if used at the recommended General Orders dilution rates. This list is published on GOV.UK at http://disinfectants.defra.gov.uk/DisinfectantsExternal/Default.aspx?Module=ApprovalsList_SI. Equine influenza is not a notifiable disease in the UK and there is therefore no published statutory list of disinfectants approved specifically for equine influenza disease control. Regulations applying to consumer products mean that disinfectant manufacturers need to be able to substantiate claims made about the effectiveness of their products, including those specified for equine influenza.
Equine influenza viruses are not very persistent in the environment and these viruses are readily inactivated by disinfectants. The same general advice for all disinfectants also applies to those used in relation to equine influenza. To ensure disinfectants are at their most effective, they must be diluted with fresh clean water and the area thoroughly cleaned and as necessary degreased prior to the application of the disinfectant. Disinfectant in footbaths/foot dips should be regularly replaced and this is particularly important during wet weather when the active ingredient in foot dips can get diluted by rainwater, or if it gets contaminated with soil or organic matter. Equipment and footwear should ideally be washed with clean water to remove gross contamination before disinfectant is applied, as the active ingredient of most products is inactivated by organic material. Boots and footwear should be scrubbed with a brush, with particular attention paid to the treads on the soles of footwear and boots.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the accessibility of the new Rural Payments Scheme online-only registration form; and whether they plan to extend the time limit set for registration as a result of delays arising from the new system.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The application window for the Basic Payment Scheme 2018 opened on 13 March and over 71,000 applications were submitted online by the 15 May initial regulatory deadline. In addition, a paper application was provided to those that chose not to use the online system. Applications can still be submitted up until 10 June, the final regulatory deadline, but penalties will apply.
The Government is not aware of any delays to the service and as such there are no plans to extend the deadlines.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they treat sky lanterns as a form of litter; if not, why not; and whether they have any plans to ban (1) the use, and (2) the mass release of, sky lanterns.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Environmental Protection Act 1990 Act does not provide a comprehensive definition of litter or refuse, although the courts have considered the definition to be wide. Litter is most commonly assumed to include materials, often associated with smoking, eating and drinking, that are improperly discarded and left by members of the public; or are spilt during business operations as well as waste management operations.
Section 87 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 says: “A person is guilty of an offence if he throws down, drops or otherwise deposits any litter in any place to which this section applies and leaves it”. Ultimately it is for a court to rule whether a release of sky lanterns would be covered.
An independent study commissioned by Defra and the Welsh Government published in 2013 concluded that the risks to animals or damage to the environment by sky lanterns were relatively minor and that voluntary action and initiatives have been shown to be effective. Based on these findings, we currently have no plans to ban the use of sky lanterns.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what action they are taking to reduce the incidence of dogs worrying sheep.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra and the Animal Health and Welfare Board for England (AHWBE) recently met police forces, farming and rural interests groups to discuss the situation. Under the auspices of the National Police Chiefs’ Council, five police forces are collaborating to pilot more systematic data collection of incidents and good response practices.
Asked by: Baroness Masham of Ilton (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the spread of Schmallenberg virus.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are continually assessing the spread of Schmallenberg virus (SBV). Principally, APHA are analysing laboratory results from cattle and sheep samples submitted to the network of APHA Veterinary Investigation Centres and non-APHA partner post-mortem examination providers. This information is published, and updated fortnightly, on the APHA Vet Gateway website.
A summary of this information can be seen in the tables below.
The total number of SBV-affected sheep flocks that have been diagnosed by APHA in England and Wales during winter 2016/17. There have been no recorded cases in Scotland to date.
Country | December 2016 | January 2017 | February 2017 (up to 22nd) | Total |
England | 7 | 41 | 13 | 61 |
Wales | 2 | 10 | 2 | 14 |
Total | 8 | 51 | 15 | 75 |
Source: APHA
The total number of SBV-affected cattle herds flocks that have been diagnosed by APHA in England during winter 2016/17. There have been no recorded cases in Wales and Scotland to date.
Country | December 2016 | January 2017 | February 2017 (up to 22nd) | Total |
England | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Total | 0 | 1 | 1 | 2 |
Source: APHA
APHA are continually working with both industry and the veterinary profession in Great Britain to improve the evidence base to help further assess the spread of SBV. The sheep and cattle sectors are using media channels to raise awareness of the disease to encourage farmers to discuss suspect SBV cases with their vet. APHA are supporting any subsequent testing.
In addition, APHA’s Cattle Expert Group and Small Ruminant Expert Group are working with their sectors and counterparts in other European countries, who have also seen a rise in cases, to gather, share and analyse information, including any early warning clinical signs.