Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the report of Oceana UK Deep Decline in October, what proportion of commercial fish stocks currently have catch limits set at or below levels recommended by scientific advice.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We strive to improve the sustainability of our fisheries and publish an annual independent assessment of the outcomes of our negotiations to set catch limits with other coastal States. The Government’s independent report for 2025 (copy attached) found that 46% of all assessed stocks had catch limits that were set at or below the recommended scientific advice.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the report of Oceana UK Deep Decline in October, what steps they are taking to ensure that North Sea cod is fished at sustainable levels.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This is in line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with the EU and Norway to set annual catch limits for shared North Sea cod stocks, informed by the best available scientific advice on the state of these stocks. This is principally advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. The UK continues to lead the trilateral (UK, EU and Norway) cod management working group to further our joint understanding and collaboration on existing management measures, and to consider improvements or modifications which could provide additional protection to cod substocks.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the report of Oceana UK Deep Decline in October, what steps they are taking to ensure that all commercial fish stocks have catch limits set that do not exceed scientific advice.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This is in line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with international partners to set annual catch limits for shared fish stocks, informed by the best available scientific advice on the state of those stocks. This is principally advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the report of Oceana UK Deep Decline in October, what consideration they have given to setting a legally binding deadline to end overfishing.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fisheries Act 2020 contains a commitment to recover stocks to sustainable levels through the development of Fisheries Management Plans (FMPs). We are taking this approach having learned from the well-intentioned but ultimately unachievable single deadline set out in the European Union’s Common Fisheries Policy for getting all fish stocks to “Maximum Sustainable Yield” (MSY). Our FMPs allow us to assess the state of the stocks and set out a series of tailored and evidence-based short-, medium- and long-term measures to maintain or restore stocks to MSY.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to integrate the planned updates to the Environmental Improvement Plan and the Carbon Budget Delivery Plan.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Nature and climate action must be taken together and will underpin the delivery of this Government’s missions, from clean energy to economic growth.
Our revised Environmental Improvement Plan will set out the vital role of nature in mitigating and adapting to climate change, such as through tree planting and management and peatland restoration, recognising that tackling climate change in turn supports nature’s recovery.
DESNZ will deliver an updated plan that sets out the policy package out to the end of Carbon Budget 6 in 2037 for all sectors by October 2025. This will outline the policies and proposals needed to deliver Carbon Budgets 4-6 and our Nationally Determined Contribution commitments on a pathway to net zero.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the identification of a case of avian influenza in a sheep in Yorkshire, what assessment they have made of the risk of transmission to other livestock, and the risk to human health.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Influenza of avian origin (H5N1) has been detected in a sheep in England, following routine surveillance of co-located livestock on a premises where highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 had been confirmed in other captive birds. To mitigate the risk of further disease spread the affected birds and the infected ewe have been humanely culled. Further official testing of the remaining flock of sheep was all negative for the presence of avian influenza virus. Surveillance in the disease control zones in force in the area surrounding these premises will be undertaken, and these zones will remain in force until all disease control and surveillance activities have been successfully completed.
While this is the first time avian influenza virus has been detected in a sheep, it is not the first time influenza of avian origin has been detected in livestock in other countries. Whist we remain vigilant for any changes in risk, there is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to the nation's livestock population.
In response to the unprecedented global outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in recent years, the UK's avian influenza national reference laboratory has increased its surveillance for avian influenza virus in mammals and genome analysis of the virus itself. The case definition for influenza of avian origin has been updated and provides guidance for animal keepers and veterinary professionals on how and when to report suspicion in mammals. Additional information on how we monitor influenza of avian origin in wild mammals and how the public can report suspicion is available via GOV.UK/birdflu.
Following this detection, the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group have carried out a risk assessment, and assessed the probability of infection with influenza of avian origin from lactating livestock as very low for the general population and low for individuals interacting with infected lactating livestock.
While risk levels remain low, keepers are encouraged to maintain strict biosecurity in order to protect the health and welfare of their animals.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the identification of a case of avian influenza in a sheep in Yorkshire, what action they have taken to introduce additional monitoring of livestock to detect other cases of avian influenza crossing the species barrier.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Influenza of avian origin (H5N1) has been detected in a sheep in England, following routine surveillance of co-located livestock on a premises where highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 had been confirmed in other captive birds. To mitigate the risk of further disease spread the affected birds and the infected ewe have been humanely culled. Further official testing of the remaining flock of sheep was all negative for the presence of avian influenza virus. Surveillance in the disease control zones in force in the area surrounding these premises will be undertaken, and these zones will remain in force until all disease control and surveillance activities have been successfully completed.
While this is the first time avian influenza virus has been detected in a sheep, it is not the first time influenza of avian origin has been detected in livestock in other countries. Whist we remain vigilant for any changes in risk, there is no evidence to suggest an increased risk to the nation's livestock population.
In response to the unprecedented global outbreak of HPAI H5N1 in recent years, the UK's avian influenza national reference laboratory has increased its surveillance for avian influenza virus in mammals and genome analysis of the virus itself. The case definition for influenza of avian origin has been updated and provides guidance for animal keepers and veterinary professionals on how and when to report suspicion in mammals. Additional information on how we monitor influenza of avian origin in wild mammals and how the public can report suspicion is available via GOV.UK/birdflu.
Following this detection, the Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group have carried out a risk assessment, and assessed the probability of infection with influenza of avian origin from lactating livestock as very low for the general population and low for individuals interacting with infected lactating livestock.
While risk levels remain low, keepers are encouraged to maintain strict biosecurity in order to protect the health and welfare of their animals.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their target for the number of badgers to be vaccinated against bovine tuberculosis in England in 2024.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
There is no specific target number for badger vaccination in 2024. In 2023, just over 3,000 badgers were vaccinated in England. This was the highest annual number vaccinated since the vaccine was authorised in 2010. Whilst we expect numbers to increase this year, the absolute number vaccinated will depend on which areas are targeted and factors such as weather and annual changes in badger populations.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of badgers that will be killed in (1) Oxfordshire, and (2) England, in 2024 as part of the bovine tuberculosis control programme.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
No estimate has been made on the number of badgers to be removed in Oxfordshire and England in 2024, as part of our bovine tuberculosis eradication strategy. The minimum and maximum numbers for each licensed cull area will be published in due course.
Asked by: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, in light of the sustainability objective in section 2(b) of the Fisheries Act 2020, what steps they will take in order to determine whether current fleet capacity matches available fishing opportunities.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The UK produces an annual fleet capacity report which assesses how effectively the fleet is operating.
The Government is committed to engage with stakeholders to address sustainability and fleet management issues through Fisheries Management Plans.
The current management system of licences and quota restrictions ensure that the sustainability objectives in the Fisheries Act are addressed, with licence conditions amended where necessary to match demand against fishing opportunities.