Asked by: Lord Jopling (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 declining numbers of salmon in national rivers, especially the River Ure.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The assessment of salmon stocks in rivers at a national scale is undertaken by the Environment Agency through a combination of rod catches, automated fish counters and juvenile monitoring programmes.
The focus for salmon stock assessment is focused on the 42 designated principal salmon rivers in England, many of which have significant salmon fisheries still in existence. The River Ure and wider River Ouse catchments are considered to be recovering salmon rivers and consequently assessment of their salmon stock status is primarily based upon angler declared rod catches that provide a useful measure of the improving status of salmon.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they or the Environment Agency are taking steps to support the Yorkshire Dales Salmon Group in stocking the River Ure with salmon; and if not, why.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The Environment Agency wishes to work constructively with both River Ure salmon fishing interests and other interested collaborative partner organisations in developing a well thought out salmon restoration plan for the River Ure that takes account of the need for habitat restoration in combination with a suitably approved hatchery scheme to support salmon population recovery. This is despite there being no conclusive scientific evidence to suggest that the previous Ure salmon stocking programme has had a significant influence on River Ure salmon stock performance.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Environment Agency approved proposals by the Yorkshire Dales Salmon Group to stock the River Ure with young salmon in 2012; if so, whether it still supports that initiative; and if not, on the basis of what evidence.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The Environment Agency (EA) gave a time limited approval to the development of a River Ure salmon stocking programme in 2012. Subsequently, the EA reviewed the international scientific evidence on the risks of salmon stocking and revised its guidance for stocking schemes. This revised guidance should be followed to minimise the risks associated with salmon stocking.
The EA is currently working with the Yorkshire Dales Salmon Group to improve its approach to support the continuation of the River Ure salmon stocking programme.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 27 April (HL7223), whether they will now answer the questions asked.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
As set out in our previous response, the UK has a robust process in place to ensure that prohibited medicinal products are not used during the production of meat imported into the UK. This includes the use of hormone implants.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government (1) whether they have a reliable test to check whether beef imported from outside the European Union has been previously subjected to hormone implants, and if so, (2) when this test was introduced, and (3) where and by whom the test was developed.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
All UK imports for products of animal origin from outside the EU currently require health certificates, including bovine meat products. The GB health certificates contain information on animal health status and human health risk. These health attestations confirms that the farmer has not used any prohibited medicinal products during production and that maximum residue levels for veterinary medicines have been respected. This information is confirmed, and the health certificate signed by, an official veterinarian in the exporting country.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter sent to peers by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 29 June, how much money will be needed to fulfil their pledge to guarantee the current annual budget for financial support for farmers in every year of this Parliament.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The UK Government’s election manifesto guaranteed the current annual budget in every year of the new Parliament, giving significant certainty on funding for the coming years. In England this will enable the Government to provide financial support for the purposes set out in the Agriculture Bill. Funding for future years, including delivering the government’s manifesto commitment to guarantee the current annual budget to farmers in every year of the new Parliament, will be announced in due course.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble n 15 May (HL3775), whether they will now answer the question put, namely, why they have adopted the EU's legislation on the use of growth hormones in food production; and what caused the change in policy held by previous governments on that legislation within the Council of European Agricultural Ministers.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
As a Member State, the UK fulfilled its obligations of EU membership and implemented EU Council Directive 96/22/EC (as amended) into domestic law. UK policy was always to implement EU law as required.
Although the UK expressed some concerns with the robustness of the scientific evidence underpinning the EU ban at the time, it has always been fully implemented in the UK and this will continue, now we have left the EU.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 5 March (HL1872), why they have adopted the EU's legislation on the use of growth hormones in food production; and what caused the change in policy held by previous governments on that legislation within the Council of European Agricultural Ministers.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
As a Member State, the UK transposed EU Council Directive 96/22/EC (as amended) into domestic law ‘Animals and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits) (England and Scotland) Regulations 2015', with similar legislation for Wales and Northern Ireland.
The law reflects UK Government policy on the use of growth hormones in food production and remains in force now we have left the EU.
The UK is committed to maintaining our current high food safety and animal welfare standards and these protections will continue now we have left the EU.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether beef from hormone-implanted cattle can be identified if there are higher levels of such hormones present in bull beef than beef from hormone-implanted steers.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
There are prototype analytical methods that give a good indication of whether a substance is naturally occurring. However, these need further refinement before they can be considered suitably robust and reliable for regulatory use.
Furthermore, the UK has transposed EU Council Directive 96/22/EC (as amended) into national law ‘Animals and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits) (England and Scotland) Regulations 2015', with similar legislation for Wales and Northern Ireland. This legislation prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones in both domestic production and imported products as well as provides for the monitoring of residues of substances. This protection will continue now we have left the EU.
Asked by: Lord Jopling (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether new evidence has appeared since the European Economic Community imposed a ban on sales of hormone-implanted beef in 1989 about the safety of such beef; and if so, (1) whether that evidence has changed the UK's view that the practice of hormone implantation is safe, and (2) what is the nature of that evidence.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
No new evidence in relation to the use of hormones as growth promotors has been reviewed by the UK Government’s independent Veterinary Products Committee since 2007.
The UK has transposed EU Council Directive 96/22/EC (as amended) into national law ‘Animals and Animal Products (Examination for Residues and Maximum Residue Limits) (England and Scotland) Regulations 2015', with similar legislation for Wales and Northern Ireland. This legislation prohibits the use of artificial growth hormones in both domestic production and imported products as well as provides for the monitoring of residues of substances. This protection will continue now we have left the EU.