Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to update the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 to include folic acid fortification.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK notified the World Trade Organisation (WTO) in February that we intended to lay a Statutory Instrument that will amend the Bread and Flour Regulations.
My Ministerial colleagues are considering next steps on this issue. Changes to rules could include clarifying definitions; providing for the fortification of wheat flour with folic acid; exemptions to avoid disproportionate impacts for businesses; and a change to the enforcement approach.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - 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 Douglas-Miller on 12 February (HL1943), on which date in February they informed the WTO and EU of the proposed changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
The UK Government and devolved administrations notified the World Trade Organization of planned legislative changes to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 on 9 February 2024 relating to the mandatory fortification of non-wholemeal wheat flour with folic acid. The EU Commission was notified under the Windsor Framework in respect of the same planned amendments in Northern Ireland on 8 February 2024.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, following the publication of the consultation response to the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 on 17 January, when they will inform the WTO and EU Commission of the proposed changes, and how long each will have to make a response.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
We are working to notify the World Trade Organisation (WTO) of the legislative changes to The Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 in February. Notification to the EU Commission in respect of amendments in Northern Ireland will happen concurrently. The notification to WTO under the Technical Barriers to Trade Agreement involves a comment period of 60 days. Any comments received will be considered, following which measures can be adopted in Great Britain subject to parliamentary process. After notifying the EU Commission under Regulation (EC) No 1925/2006 of the European Parliament and of the Council, for legislative changes in Northern Ireland, the Commission will provide an opinion on envisaged measures within three months. Measures can be adopted in Northern Ireland six months after notification provided the Commission’s opinion is not negative.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish their response to their September 2022 consultation on amending the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The full summary of responses and Government response are in the final stages of the Government clearance process, and we expect to publish in January. Officials have been carefully analysing the 369 responses received, while also discussing with the devolved administrations the best approach to consistent and effective policy implementation across the UK. We have continued engagement with industry and further assessment to ensure that any changes to the regulations successfully deliver improved public health, protect consumers, minimise impacts to industry and assist enforcement authorities.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks by Lord Benyon on 11 September (HL Deb col 666), how many clothing retailers are using element analysis systems rather than paper trails to determine where the cotton in their products is grown.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
Defra does not hold information on the number of retailers that are using element analysis systems to determine where cotton in their products is grown. However, Defra funds Textiles 2030 which commits signatories to meeting targets on their water and carbon usage and working towards a Circular Economy. The government’s proposals for minimising textile waste outlined in Maximising Resources Minimising Waste (MRMW) which was published in July will increase the amounts of clothing and other textiles, including ones made from cotton, that will be collected for recycling and reuse and therefore keep textiles in use for longer.
Under Section 54 of the Modern Slavery Act 2015, commercial businesses who operate in the UK and have a turnover of £36m or more are required to report annually on the steps they have taken to prevent modern slavery in their operations and supply chains. The prevalence of modern slavery and complexity of global supply chains means that it is highly unlikely that any sector or company is immune from the risks of modern slavery.
The Government encourages companies to monitor their supply chains with rigor to uncover and remedy any instances of modern slavery they may find. The UK continues to support the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights. The UK continues to be an authority on modern slavery reporting, and we continue to share our experiences with other countries who are introducing their own transparency legislation.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the final result of the consultation on the Bread and Flour Regulations which concluded in November 2022.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
We received 369 responses to this consultation from a wide range of stakeholders. We have been carefully analysing those detailed responses, while also discussing with the devolved administrations the best approach to consistent and effective policy implementation across the UK. We expect to publish a summary of responses and government response later this summer, concurrent with any necessary notification to the WTO.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect to publish the final result of the consultation on the Bread and Flour Regulations which concluded in November 2022.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
We received 369 responses to this consultation from a range of stakeholders. We have been carefully analysing responses and expect to publish a summary of responses and government response later this summer.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many contributions to the consultation in respect of Amending the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 which closed on 23 November were received from each of the target audiences listed in the consultation.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Lord Chamberlain (HM Household)
The UK Government and devolved administrations ran a public consultation on proposals to amend the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 and the Bread and Flour Regulations (Northern Ireland) 1998 from the 1st September – 23rd November 2022. Early analysis suggests Defra received around 369 responses although this is subject to verification checks. Respondents were asked which category of field or role best described the sector they belong to. The initial analysis of this is as follows: approximately 18% identified as belonging to one of the food industry categories (flour miller, premix supplier, retailer, food manufacturer), 1% enforcement authorities, 11% health care professionals, 56% consumers, 11% answered other, and 2% did not answer this question. It should be noted that several of these responses were received from representative trade associations. Detailed analysis and verification of responses is currently underway which may change the numbers above. A summary of responses received, including final figures on respondents and their field/role will be published alongside the government response in due course.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress has been made with discussions about the UK remaining an active member of the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed operated by the EU.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Talks are intensifying and we are working to secure a new deal with the EU. The Government remains committed to maintaining a relationship with the Commission on the Rapid Alert System for Food and Feed which will be a matter for the next phase of negotiations, as required by the Commission.
It is a Government priority to maintain high standards of protection for human, animal and plant health.
Asked by: Lord Rooker (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the response by Lord Gardiner of Kimble to Lord Cunningham of Felling on 19 March (HL Deb, col 1365), how that response is consistent with (1) their recent announcement on farming tariffs, and (2) the operation of Council Regulation (EC) No 5/2001 of 19 December 2000 amending Regulation (EEC) No 1907/90 on certain marketing standards for eggs.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government remains committed to high standards of animal welfare and food safety.
In the event of no deal, existing UK import standards will still apply and the level of tariff applied does not change what can and cannot be imported.
Furthermore, existing EU egg marketing standards will be retained in UK law once we leave the EU. Where the UK cannot sufficiently guarantee that imported eggs are equivalent to these Regulations, the eggs must be clearly labelled as not meeting the UK standard. This will provide the necessary clarity to enable consumers to make informed purchasing choices.