Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made on procuring more locally produced foods for schools, prisons, and hospitals.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently assessing the food that the public sector currently buys, specifically its provenance and the standards it conforms to. In due course, this will enable us to determine the extent to which public sector settings are serving food from local producers and what more can be done.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to encourage farmers and growers to produce fast-growing willow coppice and miscanthus to be used as an energy source for power stations such as Drax.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
While we anticipate that demand for SRC and miscanthus will grow in the coming decades, it is not Government policy to prescribe which crops farmers should prioritise. British farmers know their own land best - carefully planning their planting to suit the weather, their soil type, and their long-term agronomic strategy. We will continue to support farmers, so they can make the right decisions for them and the productivity of their land. Government only provides support for electricity generation from sustainable biomass. The detailed sourcing of sustainable biomass by power stations is a commercial decision for the companies concerned.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat to (1) farms, (2) livestock, and (3) biodiversity, posed by the Langdale Moor wildfire.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
No such assessment has been made.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when negotiations will commence with the EU on the proposed sanitary and phytosanitary agreement particularly with a view to permitting the export of bull semen from the UK to the EU.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are expecting to start negotiations in the autumn, once the EU has confirmed their mandate. We are aiming to conclude negotiations and have legislative arrangements in place no later than 2027, subject to discussion with the EU.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the recommendations in the report of the Independent Water Commission published on 21 July; what plans they have to introduce legislation to implement the recommendations; and by when.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has already responded to a number of Sir Jon’s recommendations, as set out in the statement made by the Secretary of State on 21 July.
This set out the Government’s intention to establish a single regulator for water, to include a regional element within the new regulator, to establish a new statutory water ombudsman, to end operator self-monitoring and transition to Open Monitoring, and to issue an interim Strategic Policy Statement to Ofwat and give Ministerial directions to the Environment Agency, setting out our expectations and requirements.
The Government will respond to Sir Jon’s recommendations in full via a White Paper, published for consultation this autumn, and a new Water Reform Bill to be introduced early this Parliament.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to implement the recommendations contained in the Dimbleby Report on the National Food Strategy.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Towards a Good Food Cycle, the UK Government food strategy for England, published on 15 July, sets out the Government's plans to transform the food system. A UK government food strategy for England - GOV.UK
The food strategy will work to make good, healthy food more accessible and affordable, as part of the Government's Plan for Change. Our strategy builds on existing evidence and analysis, such as The National Food Strategy. We have an opportunity to convert the “junk food cycle”, identified by Henry Dimbleby, into a “good food cycle” that delivers growth, while improving health, climate and environment and food security outcomes from the food system.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to engage with water companies to ensure that farmers have access to water for their crops and livestock.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) is engaging with water companies to ensure that water is abstracted in the best way for all users and the environment and that water companies are following their drought plans.
Water companies’ drought plans set out the actions they will take to monitor and manage the impact of drought on their customers (including farmers) and the environment. It is their responsibility to act in line with these plans.
Regional Water Resources Groups are made up of the EA, water companies, the National Farmers Union and Abstractor Groups. The regional groups are considering how they can work together to ensure there is sufficient water in the system to provide availability for all users. This may include, for example, water companies abstracting lower volumes at specific points, so water moves downstream and allows farmers to abstract water.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how much plastic waste is exported to other countries, and what steps they will take to reduce the amount exported by disposing of the plastic sustainably.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Data on the amount of plastic packaging exported for recycling is published by the Environment Agency on the National Packaging Waste Database. 569,205 tonnes of plastic packaging waste was exported for recycling in 2024.
As part of the drive towards a circular economy we want to recycle more plastic waste and have developed policies aimed at stimulating investment in the UK’s own reprocessing capacity. Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging and a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers will significantly increase the volume of plastic material collected for recycling. In England, Simpler Recycling, will enable consistent, more streamlined separate collections of dry mixed recycling (plastic, metal, glass), paper and card, and food waste from all households, businesses and relevant non-domestic premises. Meanwhile, reforms such as the packaging regulations and the plastic packaging tax will ensure that more products are made from recycled materials in this country and will support investment in recycling in the UK.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when a new tripartite agreement for the movement of horses between the UK, France and Ireland will be in place.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra acknowledges that a new Tripartite Agreement between the UK, Ireland and France for certain higher health horses may ease the practical challenges with equine movements between the three nations. However, any future discussions with the EU on this would be separate from the outcomes of the SPS Agreement.
Asked by: Baroness McIntosh of Pickering (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the Border Target Operating Model will be fully implemented.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are committed to fully implementing the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM). The BTOM has largely been implemented. The only current gap is on goods coming from the Republic of Ireland – this is the final stage of BTOM implementation, and we will provide further information in Summer 2025.
While EU origin Live Animals, Products of Animal Origin and High-Risk Food not of Animal Origin goods coming from the Republic of Ireland require pre-notification and certification, we will provide further information on the introduction of physical controls for these goods, and plant and plant products, in the Summer of 2025.