Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with reference to the article "Mitigating the risks of antimicrobial failure", by Dr Wendy Thompson, Callum Wood and Professor Mike Bromley, published by the National Preparedness Commission on 6 September 2024, what assessment they have made of the risk of resistance to fungicides on (1) food security, and (2) human health; and what consideration they have given to adding antimicrobial resistant pathogens to the UK Plant Health Risk Register.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Integrated pest management (IPM) helps support sustainable agriculture and combat pesticide resistance by diversifying the tools used to handle pests. The Government supports farmers’ use of IPM through the Sustainable Farming Initiative’s paid actions. These include optimising chemical pesticide use through precision application. Last year we launched a new IPM guidance page on gov.uk which provides clear and practical information about IPM to support planning and decision making.
We work closely with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, which monitors fungicide resistance development in cereal pathogens, to inform disease management strategies.
Antifungal resistance in humans, which is in part driven by the use of fungicides, is increasing globally and in the UK. Fungicides must be used responsibly to reduce potential risk to public health. The Government is committed to investing in research and development to advance its understanding of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and how it spreads. The AMR National Action Plan’s top 10 research priorities include questions that seek to understand what drives resistance beyond antimicrobials, such as the risks associated with the use of antifungals on human health.
The UK Plant Health Risk Register is a comparison tool used to assess the risk to the UK of non-native plant pests to both cultivated plants and those in the wider environment. It is used to prioritise actions that industry and Government can take to reduce the threat posed by each pest. Resistant strains of plant pests are not evaluated in the risk register because 1) the metrics used to assess non-native plant pest species are not appropriate to the assessment of resistant plant pest strains, and 2) plant health legislation applies to non-native pest species rather than strains of species that are already present in the UK. However, Defra has funded a Review of Antibiotic Use in Crops, Associated Risk of Antimicrobial Resistance and Research Gaps (copy attached) and collaborates with international organisations, such as via the International Plant Protection Convention, on approaches to AMR.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether talks relating to future international trade agreements will include possible reductions of current requirements for clear labelling of food to support people in making healthy choices in respect of the sugar, salt and fat content of foods.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Whilst food labelling is a devolved matter, the same labelling rules currently apply across the UK. Under Article 30 of our Food Information to Consumers Regulations it is a requirement to provide a nutritional declaration on the label of pre-packed foods placed on the UK market. This declaration must include a range of information including details of sugar, fat and salt content. These regulations and requirements will continue to apply across the UK when the Transition Period ends on 31 December 2020. After the Transition Period we will work with the devolved administrations to ensure consumers remain well informed about their food.
We have been clear that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards. In trade negotiations we will ensure our right to regulate in this area is preserved, including the ability to set our own mandatory labelling requirements to be met for both food produced domestically and food which is imported. Of course, our rules will also continue to be in line with our international obligations. The Government has committed to a rapid review and consultation on the role of labelling to promote high standards and animal welfare, and remains committed to delivering informative food and drink labelling and marketing standards to protect consumer interests, ensuring that consumers can have confidence in the food and drink they buy.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether talks relating to future international trade agreements will include possible reductions of current requirements for animal welfare and environmental standards.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government is committed to upholding our manifesto commitment that in all of our trade negotiations we will not compromise on our high environmental protection, animal welfare and food safety standards. We remain firmly committed to upholding our standards outside the EU, and at the end of the Transition Period the EU Withdrawal Act will transfer all existing EU provisions on environmental protection, animal welfare, and food safety, including existing import requirements, onto the UK statute book.
We have also been clear in our approach to negotiating new trade deals that the UK will decide how we set and maintain our own standards and regulations and operate our own autonomous sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) regime. Any future trade deal must work for consumers, farmers, and businesses in the UK, and as with all negotiations, we will be prepared to walk away if that is in the national interest.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cloud services contracts that were previously delivered by British cloud services providers for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are now delivered by multinational cloud service providers; what is the value of those contracts; and what are the names of the previous providers.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
There are no Defra contracts that were previously delivered by British cloud services that are now delivered by multinational cloud service providers.
Asked by: Lord Harris of Haringey (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what percentage of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' data is hosted (1) in the UK, and (2) overseas.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
95% of Defra’s data is hosted in the UK.
5% of Defra’s data is hosted overseas (predominantly in Dublin, Republic of Ireland).