Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - 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 number of (1) sheep, and (2) cattle, which were slaughtered without prior stunning in the last year for which figures are available, split by (a) Kosher, and (b) Halal slaughter; and what percentage of UK slaughterhouses are licensed to carry out such slaughter.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The most recent assessment was carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), on behalf of Defra and the Welsh Government, over a one-week period in 2018. During that period, the numbers slaughtered without stunning were 60,748 sheep by halal and 222 sheep by Shechita; and 214 cattle by halal and 164 cattle by Shechita
Religious slaughter can only be carried out in an FSA approved slaughterhouse but there is no separate licensing of slaughterhouses carrying out religious slaughter.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to legislate to ensure that meat from animals which have been slaughtered without prior stunning is clearly labelled as such.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government has committed to consult on what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market. First, we will launch a call for evidence this summer to assess the impacts on different types of labelling reforms for animal welfare, including method of slaughter. This will feed into the Government’s wide-ranging review on food labelling to ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy and to facilitate the trade of quality British food at home and abroad.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - 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 average time it takes for an unstunned (1) sheep, and (2) cow, to die after having their throat cut in a UK slaughterhouse.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
No such assessment has been made.
When an animal is slaughtered without stunning, in accordance with religious rites, it must not be moved in any way until it is unconscious and, in any event, not before the expiry of 20 seconds for sheep and 30 seconds for cattle from the neck cut. These “standstill” times are to ensure the animal is unconscious and insensible so it can be moved and are not related to the time it may take for the animal to die.
All slaughterhouses in England, including those where religious slaughter takes place, must have CCTV in place in all areas where live animals are present.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Vere of Norbiton on 12 December (HL Deb, cols 1337–1340), what is the average time it takes for unstunned (1) lambs, and (2) cattle to die after their throats have been cut under the Halal method of slaughter; and how many lambs and cattle are so slaughtered each year in the UK.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Legislation on the welfare of animals at slaughter is based on scientific data for time to unconsciousness after the neck cut, rather than time to death, as the period between the neck cut and loss of consciousness has more welfare significance. The time to unconsciousness and time to death will vary amongst animals, influenced by a number of factors including the quality of the neck cut, restraint and occlusion of blood vessels. No data is collected on average time to death for animals subject to religious slaughter or to other slaughter methods, although various research projects have commented upon the time to unconsciousness, such as the EU Dialrel project.
The Department does not hold data on animals killed by Halal slaughter methods each year. The data we hold on this is based on surveys carried out by the Food Standards Agency (FSA). The latest FSA survey, carried out earlier this year over a one week period, indicates that 214 cattle and 60,748 sheep were subject to non-stun Halal slaughter that week.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what is the value of the UK's powdered milk stockpile; what other products they are stockpiling under the Common Agricultural Policy; and in what quantity and value; and what they expect to be the final destination and selling price of the stockpiled products.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) public intervention system allows operators to request that a Member State buys certain agricultural products such as Skimmed Milk Powder (SMP) into public storage. Such stocks are subsequently resold when market prices recover. With the greater market orientation of the CAP, public intervention now operates as a safety net measure that is only relevant when prices are very low, as occurred during the “milk crisis” of 2015/16 when large quantities of SMP were bought into public intervention in the EU.
As at 22 February 2018, the UK held 7,731.85 tonnes of SMP in public intervention stores, equivalent to around 2% of total EU purchases. Based on the intervention price of €1,698.00 per tonne, the total cost of purchasing these stocks would have been €13,128,681.30 (£11,678,155.88 using the 2/1/2018 European Central Bank exchange rate).
The European Commission has arrangements in place to sell a certain quantity of the older stock of SMP back onto the domestic market by means of a tendering procedure. The ability to sell the stocks and the price realised depends on a number of factors including the market price, the competitiveness of the bids and the quantities bid for. Sales of EU SMP stocks in February achieved a minimum price of €1100 per tonne.
There are no other products held in public storage in the UK under CAP measures.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what are the current discard rates for the major fisheries in the UK; and what assessment they have made of the impact on these discard rates of any changes in the level of total allowable catches after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Comprehensive data on the discard rates across different EU fisheries, including fisheries of major interest to the United Kingdom, were published in 2014 by the Scheveningen (North Sea) and North Western Waters regional groups of EU Member States, in the ‘Discard Atlas of North Sea Fisheries’ and the ‘Discard Atlas of the North Western Waters Demersal Fisheries’, respectively. The reports are available at the links below:
http://www.nsrac.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/11/discardatlas_northsea_demersalfisheries_2014.pdf
From 1 January 2019 all EU fisheries for species subject to catch limits will be covered by the EU landing obligation. Total Allowable Catches (TACs) for 2019 and beyond will be based on catch advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), which will reflect the fact that species subject to the landing obligation will no longer be discarded.
The UK Government remains fully committed to sustainable fisheries management which will continue when we leave the EU, with TACs set in line with the science and ending the wasteful practice of discarding.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - 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 tonnages of the total allowable catches share-out the UK could expect to claim after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
On leaving the European Union, the UK will become an independent coastal state with responsibility for controlling and managing our Exclusive Economic Zone. This will provide an opportunity to reach new agreements on the sharing of fishing opportunities. On average between 2013 – 2015, other EU Member States’ vessels landed around 750,000 tonnes of fish (£575 million revenue) caught in UK waters per year whereas UK vessels landed 100,000 tonnes (£100 million revenue) of fish caught in other Member States’ waters per year in the same time period.
We will have international obligations to cooperate with other coastal states over the sustainable management of shared stocks; we remain committed to sustainable fishing. We are looking at a range of data to support consideration of future fishing opportunities, including catches and zonal attachment of stocks in the UK Exclusive Economic Zone.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they intend to use zonal attachments to determine internationally agreed total allowable catches of fish after Brexit.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
On leaving the European Union, the UK will become an independent coastal state with responsibility for controlling and managing our Exclusive Economic Zone. This will provide an opportunity to reach new agreements on the sharing of fishing opportunities. On average between 2013 – 2015, other EU Member States’ vessels landed around 750,000 tonnes of fish (£575 million revenue) caught in UK waters per year whereas UK vessels landed 100,000 tonnes (£100 million revenue) of fish caught in other Member States’ waters per year in the same time period.
We will have international obligations to cooperate with other coastal states over the sustainable management of shared stocks; we remain committed to sustainable fishing. We are looking at a range of data to support consideration of future fishing opportunities, including catches and zonal attachment of stocks in the UK Exclusive Economic Zone.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what arrangements vessels of other EU member states fish in the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone between the 12 and 200 nautical mile limits; and by what process those arrangements could be terminated.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Under the EU’s Common Fisheries Policy regime vessels from EU Member States have access to fisheries in the UK’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between the 12 and 200 nautical mile limit. When it leaves the EU, the UK will control access to fisheries in its EEZ and will manage its waters in accordance with international law, including the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Asked by: Lord Pearson of Rannoch (Non-affiliated - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government under what arrangements vessels of other EU member states fish in UK waters between the six and 12 nautical mile limits; and by what process those arrangements could be terminated.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Under Article 5 (2) of Council Regulation 1380/2013 on the Common Fisheries Policy, and the 1964 London Fisheries Convention, vessels from Belgium, Germany, France, Netherlands, Denmark and the Republic of Ireland have access to fish in the UK’s six to twelve nautical mile zone.
In order to withdraw from the London Convention signatories must give two years notice