Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how many river habitats in England have good ecological status; how many are polluted by chemical waste, including raw sewage and agricultural waste; and what steps they are taking to ensure the existing regulatory framework for managing the water environment in the UK is more effectively applied.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The last Water Framework Directive (WFD) full water body classification results in 2019 showed 16% of all surface water bodies (14% for river water bodies), in England achieved good ecological status (GES) (or good ecological potential for artificial and heavily modified water bodies), and 64% of surface water bodies achieved moderate ecological status (or potential).
The next full results will be published by the Environment Agency (EA) in 2025. The headline reporting for WFD creates a simplified picture and is just one way of understanding the water environment. For example, the last classification results for England showed the 79% of elements the EA test for GES were classed at Good.
Most water bodies failing to reach GES are subject to multiple pressures. The top three pressures are physical modification of water bodies, diffuse agricultural pollution and waste water management. More detailed information on water body reasons for not achieving good are publicly available on the EA’s Catchment Data Explorer.
The EA has developed a Prioritisation and Early Warning System (PEWS) for chemicals of emerging concern to assess their presence and quantities in our rivers. This allows the Agency to prioritise suitable management. Additionally, EA has developed a list of priority chemicals of concern which are regularly monitored alongside appropriate measures to protect aquatic wildlife and human health.
The government is committed to achieving the goals of the Environment Improvement Plan to bring 75% of our water to as close to its natural state as soon as practicable. Our Plan for Water, published last year will go further and faster towards that goal and deliver a safe, reliable, resilient supply of clean and plentiful water underpinned by increased investment in infrastructure, increased regulation and stronger enforcement.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are monitoring the spread of non-native flatworms in the UK, particularly the New Zealand flatworm; what assessment they have made of any recent increases in the numbers of non-native flatworms in the UK; and what steps they are taking (1) to combat the spread of non-native flatworms, and (2) to advise the public.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
No recent assessment has been made of the numbers of non-native flatworms in the UK. While some data on New Zealand flatworms (Arthurdendyus triangulates) is collected this is not sufficiently systematic to support a full assessment.
We encourage the public to submit sightings with photographs to iRecord (which can be found at irecord.org.uk) such that the species can be accurately identified. The record is then uploaded to the biological records centre and will improve our understanding of the distribution of the species.
We have developed a Horticulture Pathway Action Plan (PAP) (copy attached) which aims to prevent and manage the risk posed by species such as the New Zealand flatworm using measures such as raising public awareness, minimizing the contamination of goods, commodities, vehicles and equipment by invasive non-native species, and ensuring appropriate border checks. An action within this document specific to flatworms is to establish a task-and-finish group to review existing guidance and develop new guidance on flatworms. We are due to consult on the PAPs later this year, and following the conclusion of that exercise, the actions such as this one in the PAPs will commence.
In addition, Invasive Species Week is coming up and will take place from the 20th to 26th May 2024. This is an annual week of awareness raising and events to help prevent the spread, and reduce the harmful impacts, of invasive non-native plants and animals.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (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 impact of flooded and saturated farmland on farming and food production, following recent data from the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, which show that soil moisture levels at most of the sites it monitors were at high or above capacity in December 2023 and January 2024.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the impact flooded and saturated farmland has on farming and food production and sympathises with those affected.
On 6 January, we announced we would set up the Farming Recovery Fund to support farmers affected by exceptional flooding. The focus of the Fund is in those local authority areas where the Flood Recovery Framework has been activated. Farmers who have been impacted by flooding in these areas will be written to by the Rural Payments Agency inviting them to apply for a grant of up to £25,000 to support them in restoring agricultural land to the conditions it was in before the flooding.
The Government has recently announced £75 million funding for Internal Drainage Boards to protect agricultural land and rural communities from flooding, helping areas recover from recent flooding events and modernising infrastructure to lower costs for farmers and increase their resilience to climate change.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether the Environment Agency is monitoring the untreated sewage being discharged into Esthwaite Water by United Utilities; if not, why; if so, how often United Utilities is discharging untreated sewage into Esthwaite Water; and why these discharges are permitted in a Site of Special Scientific Interest.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
It is important to highlight that no storm overflows currently discharge into Esthwaite Water, and the only source of sewage pollution is likely to come from Emergency overflows.
Emergency overflows are only permitted to operate in exceptional circumstances to prevent environmental damage or harm to the public, such as due to electrical power failure or mechanical failure.
The Environment Agency is ensuring there is monitoring on all emergency overflows from 2025. This includes at Esthwaite Lodge Pumping Station. The Environment Agency already require water companies to report any discharge of sewage in emergency overflows as pollution incidents. The Environment Agency has not had any reports from United Utilities of emergency overflow discharges from Esthwaite Lodge Pumping Station. The Environment Agency investigate any instances where permits are not being followed and will always take enforcement action if necessary. The permit for Esthwaite Lodge Pumping Station is in place to protect Esthwaite Water SSSI and that the emergency overflow provision is part of that permit.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, in light of recent research by University College London, to ensure that ultra-processed foods, particularly meat-alternative products, are (1) clearly labelled, and (2) not categorised in the green ‘healthy’ category of the traffic-light food labelling system.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable the safe use of food. Prepacked food has to show: (1) a list of ingredients; (2) the net quantity of the food; (3) the quantity of certain ingredients used; (4) ingredients causing allergies or intolerances; (5) a best before or use by date; (6) any special storage conditions and/or conditions of use; (7) country of origin where required; (8) origin of the primary ingredient (where required); (9) instructions for use where necessary and (10) other labelling as required.
In addition, the name of the food (or of any ingredients) should be accompanied by details of the physical condition of the food or the specific treatment which it has undergone (for example, powdered, refrozen, freeze-dried, quick-frozen, concentrated, smoked) in all cases where omission could mislead the purchaser. This means that consumers are able to examine the label on any food and determine whether it meets their particular requirements.
While nutrition labelling is mandatory on most prepacked food, front of pack 'traffic light' nutrition labelling remains voluntary, and it is for the individual business to decide on which foods the information will be most useful to consumers. Manufacturers and retailers are encouraged to provide front of pack nutrition labelling on as many of their products as possible where the information is meaningful for consumers. Research has shown that consumers expect to find front of pack nutrition labelling on pre-prepared convenience foods, ready meals and other processed products.
The Department of Health and Social Care published guidance in 2013 on applying voluntary front of pack nutrition labelling. The traffic light score for each product is set against thresholds for ‘green’, ‘amber’ and ‘red’, and should be applied on an individual basis relating to the nutritional content and are used to represent whether a product is ‘high’ (red), ‘medium’ (amber) or ‘low’ (green) in specific, individual nutrients (total fat, saturated fat, total sugars and salt). The guidance can be found here and attached.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have figures for the number of seals in coastal waters which have been (1) killed, or (2) badly injured, by lost flying rings in the past five years; and whether they have any plans to ban the manufacture of such rings to protect seals.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government funded Cetacean Strandings Investigation Programme (CSIP) investigates the causes of death of stranded cetaceans (dolphins, whales and porpoises) around the United Kingdom coast. As part of this programme, routine investigations of seal strandings were also re-introduced to the programme in 2022, improving our understanding of, and ability to tackle key threats to the animals. As part of this programme, one case has been recorded of seals in coastal waters which have been killed by lost flying rings, although a number of anecdotal reports of live seals found with heads in flying rings have been recorded over the same period. Seal mortality due to entanglements in other forms of marine plastics or marine debris have also been recorded by the CSIP and partners.
We would encourage anyone who sees a sick, injured or entangled seal to contact the British Divers Marine Life Rescue and report any dead seals to the CSIP. See Defra’s Marine and Coastal Wildlife Code for England for more information. The Code also raises awareness of the need for the public to take all litter home with them when visiting the coast.
The Government currently has no plans to ban the sale of plastic flying ring frisbees. In general, we prefer to help people and companies make the right choice, rather than banning items outright. Where the evidence supports the case, we will continue to review the impact of problematic products and take a systematic approach to reducing the use and impact of plastic products.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what current action they are taking to work with (1) major supermarket chains, and (2) fruit and vegetable farmers, to protect the future of British food and farming for the long term, and to ensure that farmers have job security and stability.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government values our food and farming system, and we are delivering a range of measures to back our hardworking farmers and growers to support a resilient, innovative and more sustainable system. A thriving horticultural sector is a crucial part of our food system, as well as an important part of our wider economy, and we are committed to supporting it.
My department meets regularly with food retailers to discuss a range of issues, including the future of British food and farming. The Prime Minister held the UK Farm to Fork Summit at 10 Downing Street on 16 May, which focussed on how Government and industry can work together across a number of issues affecting the sector.
We want all farmers and growers to receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling contractual unfairness that can exist in the agri-food supply chain. At the Farm to Fork Summit we announced a review of the horticulture supply chain to help ensure farmers are paid a fair price for their produce. In December, we will launch a public consultation exploring these issues. We will analyse the responses and provide a formal response that provides a summary of the findings and sets out next steps. This review seeks to understand issues relating to fairness in the supply chain across the whole of the UK. If responses indicate there are contractual issues that we believe we should seek to address, the powers in the Agriculture Act apply to the whole of the UK.
Our regular discussions with industry representatives help inform future policy development and help us understand what support the sector needs to help it thrive.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the plans by the Environment Agency to oxygenate England's rivers in the event of a heatwave, what other action they intend to take to protect river fish in England; and in particular, what action they plan to take to improve the resilience of rivers in England in the face of climate change and to address poor water quality, pollution, over abstractions and low flows, which the Angling Trust say are also responsible for the rise in ‘fish kill’ incidents.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The third National Adaptation Programme, due to be published later this year, will set out the government's approach to addressing the 61 risks and opportunities identified in the third Climate Change Risk Assessment. This includes risks to freshwater habitats and species, like river fishes, from changing climatic conditions and extreme events. It will include actions to support the resilience of our freshwater, such as those we have committed to in the Government’s Plan for Water, Environmental Improvement Plan and River Basin Management Plans (RBMPs).
The actions in the Plan for Water are directed towards addressing poor water quality, pollution, over abstractions and low flows and will provide a basis for planning our longer- term response to mitigate climate impacts. The River Basin Management Plans, produced by the Environment Agency, and supporting catchment plans aim to mitigate climate change impacts by restoring the integrity and resilience of natural systems. As well as action on water quality, pollution and low flow, they include actions such as restoring habitats, improving river connectivity by removing barriers to fish migration and the Keeping Rivers Cool project (copy attached), to reduce fishes’ exposure to increasing temperatures.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether there has been any increase in the volume of plastic and polystyrene pollution washed up on the UK’s beaches (1) in the last 12 months, and (2) over the last five years; and what steps they have taken, together with international partners, to mark World Ocean Day on 8 June, particularly with regard to tackling plastic waste in the world’s oceans.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government funds the Marine Conservation Society to record litter from sections of our coast which helps us monitor the levels and trends of plastic pollution. We monitor the current status of beach litter abundance over a three-year period for data reliability, so we cannot provide an accurate trend for the last 12 months. Over the last five years, the total litter count on British beaches has decreased by approximately 7 items / 100m per year. However, we know that plastic and polystyrene fragments are the most commonly found items, with an average of 45.5 pieces found on every 100m of coastline for the period 2020 – 2022. This data is used in combination with other monitoring data to measure the impact of our policies and inform our decisions about how to tackle marine litter.
We have already banned microbeads in rinse-off personal care products, reduced the use of single-use carrier bags, and restricted the supply of plastic straws and plastic-stemmed cotton buds and banned the supply of plastic drink stirrers. From October 2023, we will ban the supply of certain types of polystyrene food and drink containers, single-use plastic cutlery, single-use plastic balloon sticks and ban the supply of single-use plastic plates, bowls and trays to the end user, working towards our ambition to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste by 2042.
We are also playing our part internationally. One of four themes of our £500m Blue Planet Fund, launched in 2021 to support developing countries protect and enhance the marine environment and reduce poverty, is to tackle marine pollution and litter. Under this fund we're supporting countries to accelerate the transition towards more inclusive circular economies, working with the Global Plastic Action Partnership to establish diverse, multistakeholder platforms across the world, and we’ve supported over 500,000 young people worldwide to become leaders in the fight against plastic pollution through the Tide Turners Plastic Challenge. UK ODA funding has also supported several waste management projects including in Fiji where the local partner is working with private sector businesses on the only international standard landfill in the South Pacific. This aims to ensure 80% of waste is recycled and put back into the circular economy and includes development of a new sanitary landfill to improve waste collection and prevent harmful pollutants that are detrimental to Fijian mangroves and coral reefs entering these ecosystems.
On World Ocean Day Defra hosted leaders from the private sector for a roundtable on investment strategies and opportunities for a thriving sustainable blue economy. It showcased the Global Fund for Coral Reefs (GFCR) to investors, financial institutions, corporations and philanthropies as a commercially viable and scalable investment opportunity for the ocean, reefs, and climate-vulnerable communities. Since first contributing to the GFCR in 2021, the UK has maintained its position as the largest public donor with our total commitment now £33m from the UK’s Blue Planet Fund programme.
Asked by: Marquess of Lothian (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are participating in the Freshwater Challenge launched at the UN Water Conference on 23 March; and if not, why.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to raising ambition on the environment internationally and at CBD COP15 the UK was at the forefront of efforts to secure an ambitious agreement to protect 30% of the world’s land and ocean by 2030, including through the conservation and restoration of freshwater habitats. Domestically, in our Plan for Water, we reaffirmed our 25 Year Environment Plan and Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 commitment to ensuring at least 75% of our waters are close to their natural state as soon as is practicable. We set out a clear strategy to tackle both water quality and water use – including more investment, stronger regulation and tougher enforcement on those who pollute. We were recently made aware of the Freshwater Challenge and the Government is carefully considering any potential role the UK could play in supporting the initiative.