Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend protection to nest sites for species which return to the same sites on an annual basis, such as swifts, swallows and martins; and what assessment they have made of the barriers to those birds returning to such sites, including the use of netting.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
While swallows, swifts and martins have preferential nest sites, they will nest elsewhere. Therefore, protecting nests while they are in use is the most important consideration.
We would expect those considering excluding birds from nest sites to do so only when truly necessary and in compliance with the relevant legislation, including the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
The Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government has written to leading developers to remind them of their obligations in this regard, which includes existing planning practice guidance on the natural environment, and standing advice for local planning authorities to assess the impacts of development on wild birds.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have conducted into the pollution of watercourses by hormones contained in human waste.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Environment Agency (EA) has worked over the last five years with the water industry via United Kingdom Water Industry Research (UKWIR) to understand better and quantify levels of hormones in pre- and post-treatment effluents containing human waste from wastewater treatment works. This will continue in the next phase of work due to start in 2020.
A study report, reference number 18/EQ/01/13, is available from UKWIR https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports
The EA also monitors hormones in watercourses as part of a surveillance network of substances on an EU Watch List.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they are aware of evidence that demonstrates the adverse effects on aquatic wildlife of hormones that have entered watercourses from treated sewage.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Environment Agency (EA) has previously carried out an extensive research programme into the feminising effects of hormones in treated sewage on wild roach populations (Rutilus rutilus) (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-identification-of-oestrogenic-effects-in-wild-fish).
In the autumn of 2019 the EA will be publishing the results of research undertaken recently to investigate the current levels of feminisation in similar fish populations, as a comparison to the previous study.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what research they have conducted into the pollution of watercourses by antibiotics for both humans and livestock in the last five years; and what were the findings of any such research.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Environment Agency (EA) monitors several antibiotics in watercourses as part of a surveillance network of substances on an EU Watch List. This dataset as a whole is collated across Europe to assess the level of exposure and prioritise substances for future inclusion under the Water Framework Directive. If selected, Europe wide environmental quality standards will be developed and implemented through this process.
The EA has over the last five years continued working with the water industry via United Kingdom Water Industry Research to understand better and quantify levels of antibiotics in pre- and post-treatment effluents from sewage treatment works. This will continue in the next phase of work due to start in 2020.
Together these have demonstrated that:
A study report, reference number 18/EQ/01/13, is available from United Kingdom Water Industry Research https://www.ukwir.org/eng/search-uk-water-industry-research-reports.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they monitor the internet regularly for evidence of a rise in criminal activity with regard to birds caught in the wild; and if so, what has been the result of such monitoring.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The enforcement of all offences, including wildlife offences, is an operational matter for the police.
The police monitor and gather intelligence on online activity relating to crimes against birds and other wildlife to inform their investigations.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government under what circumstances it is legal to sell wild UK species of birds as caged birds.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
It is an offence to sell, offer for sale, possess or transport for sale or exchange, any live bird unless it is a species listed, as a bird which may be sold, in part 1 of schedule 3 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act. To be legally sold the bird must be bred in captivity and be fitted with a closed leg ring.
The international commercial trade in certain species of wild caught birds also needs to comply with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) to which the UK is party and which is implemented in the UK through the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations. This is a multilateral environment agreement which aims to ensure that trade in endangered species does not threaten their survival by controlling international trade in these specimens through a licensing system. CITES prohibits nearly all international trade in wild caught specimens of the most at risk species which are listed on Appendix I. Species that are not currently threatened with extinction but for which uncontrolled trade would not be sustainable, are included on CITES Appendix II and can only be traded internationally with the correct permits. These permits will only be granted if their trade is considered not to be detrimental to the survival of the species in the wild.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - 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 research conducted by the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology in their report Widespread losses of pollinating insects in Britain, published on 26 March, in particular its finding that bee and hoverfly species have declined; and what assessment they have made of (1) the spread of losses of such species across the UK, and (2) the impact of such losses.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government has worked closely with the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) over a number of years on the development of the UK indicator of pollinator trends, which we publish annually.
This indicator uses much of the same data as in the CEH paper and shows similar trends. It shows many bee and hoverfly species have become less widespread since 1980, leading to an overall, long-term decline, although some species have become more prevalent. It also shows that this overall decline has slowed, but not ceased, since the 1990s; and that since 2011, overall trends appear to have stabilised, although a number of individual species continue to decline.
The Government acknowledges these long-term range contractions for many species and the changes in distribution amongst different types of pollinators. In response to the overall reductions we developed a National Pollinator Strategy (NPS) for England, a 10-year plan published in 2014. A core commitment of the NPS is to strengthen the evidence base so that we can better meet pollinators’ needs. We will continue to work with CEH and other research partners, and to understand better the CEH paper’s analysis of trends in upland areas and in southern Britain, and their impact across the UK.
As part of ongoing work to improve the evidence base, CEH coordinates the UK-wide Pollinator Monitoring Scheme, which is part-funded by Government. It is the only scheme in the world generating systematic data on the abundance of bees, hoverflies and other flower-visiting insects at a national level. Furthermore, in March 2019, Defra published up-to-date evidence statements on UK pollinators and pollination services, to which CEH and other leading institutions contributed.
We know that pollinators add substantial economic value to crop production through improving crop quality and quantity. Pollination’s economic benefit to UK crop production is approximately half a billion GBP annually, through increased yields of oilseed rape, fruit and vegetables. These crops are especially vulnerable to pollinator declines. There is no clear evidence, however, that UK crop pollination is being impacted, although a study has identified sub-optimal pollination in gala apples for example.
We are also working with researchers to understand better such potential risks of pollinator declines to food production and biodiversity, and to better inform land management approaches. For example, the University of Reading is leading a three-year Research Council-funded project on mapping and managing risks to pollinators across the UK, to help support sustainable and resilient crop production and maintain sufficient pollination services.
The NPS also commits us to provide habitat for pollinators. Certainly, we have seen success when landowners, farmers, conservation groups and Government collaborate to create new habitats and support reintroductions of lost species such as the barberry carpet moth, short-haired bumblebee and chequered skipper butterfly. We will continue to work in partnership with scientists and with practitioners to build on such successes and to see many more of our wonderful, vital insects thrive.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - 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 report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation The future of food and agriculture—Alternative pathways to 2050, published on 4 October 2018; and what assessment they have made of which elements of that report apply to UK agriculture.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Defra has not specifically made an assessment of the report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation: ‘The future of food and agriculture – alternative pathways to 2050’. However, the issues addressed in this report are a priority for Defra. Defra Group’s Strategy sets out our ambition for the UK to be a world-leading food, farming and fishing nation; that we will grow more, sell more, and export more food around the world. It also sets out our ambition is to be the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than that in which we found it.
We are committed to changing UK farming for the better as we leave the EU. The Agriculture Bill will help farmers in England to grow high quality food in a more sustainable way, enhancing the environment for future generations.
Defra Research and Development (R&D) also seeks to develop our knowledge in these areas, including research on sustainable intensification, through which farming systems can maintain or increase outputs while enhancing environmental and societal benefits; and breeding to improve the productivity, sustainability and resilience of food production, through our Genetic Improvement Networks.
Together with existing R&D, new cross-cutting measures for innovation, being developed alongside the Agriculture Bill will balance the needs to increase productivity and promote environmental benefit, enabling long term resilience and sustainability.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer from Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 28 December 2018 (HL12294), what assessment they have made of reports that the hare population has been infected by myxomatosis; and if so, what action they are taking to minimise the threat to the hare population.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK’s hare populations are not of conservation concern. The Government is not aware of any evidence to indicate that myxomatosis is having a significant impact on the UK’s hare populations.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will introduce a closed season for the hunting of hares.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Wildlife conservation is a devolved matter so this answer is for England only.
The population of brown hares in England is believed to be stable. The majority of hare shooting occurs in regions where brown hares are locally abundant and leads to no long-term impact on hare populations. There is no evidence to suggest that a closed season would significantly benefit the conservation status of brown hares.
An industry-led initiative resulted in the publication of a code of practice to protect hares in England. This provides for a voluntary close season covering the main breeding season, while allowing farmers to protect their crops from serious damage by hares.