Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the level of the UK's self-sufficiency in the production of food.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK’s current production to supply ratio is 60% for all food and 75% for indigenous-type foods. This has remained steady over the last decade and is not low in the context of the past 150 years. The UK has historically been a net importer of food and sources from a diverse range of stable countries and this will continue once we leave the EU.
Self-sufficiency is not in itself an indicator of food security. Achieving increased self-sufficiency in indigenous products would not insulate us from shocks to the system – for example, weather and disease can affect the harvests and yields.
Our aim is for a thriving and self-reliant agriculture sector. Our future agriculture policy contains several provisions to help food producers better engage with the market: these include measures to increase productivity and invest in new technology.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to increase the level of self-sufficiency in UK food production.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK’s current production to supply ratio is 60% for all food and 75% for indigenous-type foods. This has remained steady over the last decade and is not low in the context of the past 150 years. The UK has historically been a net importer of food and sources from a diverse range of stable countries and this will continue once we leave the EU.
Self-sufficiency is not in itself an indicator of food security. Achieving increased self-sufficiency in indigenous products would not insulate us from shocks to the system – for example, weather and disease can affect the harvests and yields.
Our aim is for a thriving and self-reliant agriculture sector. Our future agriculture policy contains several provisions to help food producers better engage with the market: these include measures to increase productivity and invest in new technology.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish his Department's response to the consultation on the live exports of farm animals.
Answered by George Eustice
We are currently analysing the responses from the Call for Evidence on controlling live exports of farm animals for slaughter and how to improve animal welfare during transport once the UK leaves the EU. We also asked the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) to look at what improvements could be made to the transport regulatory regime for all animals. We hope to receive the recommendations from the FAWC later in the year. In light of the evidence obtained and the FAWC report, we are planning to issue a Consultation setting out proposed policy reforms.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on the provision of fiscal incentives for the redistribution of surplus food for human consumption.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Retailers and manufacturers can already get tax relief on food they donate. Companies can get tax relief on trading stock that is produced but not sold. This includes food donated to charities - the cost of producing stock which is donated is deducted from their profits before tax is calculated.
The issue of food waste will continue to be a priority for the UK. The Government recently announced the creation of a new £500,000 Food Waste Reduction Fund to support projects that help increase redistribution in communities.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of extending the ban on importing the fur of cats, dogs and seals to that of all species in the fur trade.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government shares the British public’s high regards for animal welfare and, after we leave the EU, the Government plans to retain the current regulations banning the import of cat and dog fur and products, and seal skins and products from commercial hunts.
The Government has pressed for higher animal welfare standards worldwide to phase out cruel and inhumane fur farming and trapping practices in other parts of the world, which are banned here.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many (a) direct employees, (b) agency staff and (c) outsourced staff working for (i) his Department and (ii) agencies of his Department are paid less than the living wage, as defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Answered by George Eustice
In April 2016 the Government introduced a higher minimum wage rate, called the National Living Wage, which all employers in the UK are required to pay to those aged 25 and over. Defra is compliant with the National Living Wage, and pays this regardless of age.
The National Living Wage is currently set at £7.83 and is different to the Living Wage (LW) or London Living Wage (LLW). These are an alternative hourly rate advocated by the Living Wage Foundation (LWF), which they believe represents a minimum income standard, reflecting the basic cost of living in the UK.
The current Living Wage, as defined by the LWF, is £10.20 p/h for London (referred to as the London Living Wage or LLW) and £8.75 p/h for the rest of the UK. The rates are revaluated each November.
There are no direct employees paid less than the Living Wage, as defined by the LWF, in core Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), Rural Payments Agency (RPA) and Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD).
There are 17 direct employees paid less than the Living Wage, as defined by the LWF, in the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (CEFAS). 13 of these are apprentices (Living Wage accreditation does not require employers to pay the Living Wage to apprentices, in recognition of the costs of training); of the other four staff who are paid below the Living Wage, CEFAS has confirmed that these staff are paid in accordance with the National Living Wage.
Data for agency and outsourced staff working in Defra and its agencies is only available at disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Lord Field of Birkenhead (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's estimate is of the amount of EU legislation and regulation that can be incorporated into UK law without amendment.
Answered by George Eustice
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill will convert European Union law into UK law as it applies in the UK at the moment of exit. This will ensure that, wherever possible, the same rules and laws will apply the day after exit as they did before.
The Government is undertaking a detailed assessment of what corrections will be required to make that law function appropriately on exit day. The Department for Exiting the European Union is working closely with departments across Government to ensure we make the changes required to deliver a functioning statute book on exit in the most efficient manner possible.
Based on our analysis so far, we have identified a need to correct around 850 out of 1200 pieces of Defra-owned legislation as a result of EU exit. Based on current assumptions, we envisage it would require around 100 Statutory Instruments.