Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (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 on animal welfare of the expected closure of some small and medium sized abattoirs as a result of the increases to inspection charges at meat premises for 2026/27 announced by the Food Standards Agency on 27 February.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is not aware of the expected closure of any small or medium‑sized abattoirs as a result of the FSA’s updated inspection charges for 2026/27. We will continue to work with industry as the FSA implements reforms to its system of discounts on charges, on which it launched a 12‑week public consultation on 19 March. Under the proposals, the FSA would be able to target government support more effectively towards smaller abattoirs while minimising barriers to growth and providing better value for public money. More smaller abattoirs would also benefit from the maximum 90% discount on their charges.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the future of small and medium sized abattoirs following the Food Standards Agency's announcement on 27 February of increases to inspection charges at meat premises for 2026/27.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the important role small and medium sized abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient and competitive food supply chain.
Following the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) recent announcement on meat inspection charges for 2026/27, Defra has been engaging closely with the FSA and industry to ensure the implications for smaller plants are fully understood. The Government will continue to work with industry as the FSA implements reforms to its system of discounts on charges following a 12-week public consultation launched on 19 March. Under the proposals, the FSA would be able to target government support more effectively towards smaller abattoirs while minimising barriers to business growth and providing better value for public money. More smaller abattoirs would also benefit from the maximum 90% discount on their charges.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will monitor the impact on abattoirs of the increases to inspection charges at meat premises for 2026/27 announced by the Food Standards Agency on 27 February.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra recognises the important role small and medium sized abattoirs play in supporting local livestock producers and maintaining a resilient and competitive food supply chain.
Following the Food Standards Agency’s (FSA) recent announcement on meat inspection charges for 2026/27, Defra has been engaging closely with the FSA and industry to ensure the implications for smaller plants are fully understood. The Government will continue to work with industry as the FSA implements reforms to its system of discounts on charges following a 12-week public consultation launched on 19 March. Under the proposals, the FSA would be able to target government support more effectively towards smaller abattoirs while minimising barriers to business growth and providing better value for public money. More smaller abattoirs would also benefit from the maximum 90% discount on their charges.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to (1) review the investigatory and enforcement responsibilities of, and (2) promote inter-agency co-operation and information sharing between, (a) local authorities, (b) the police, and (c) the Environment Agency in relation to instances of fly-tipping.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC) was launched in January 2020 as a multi-agency taskforce to share intelligence and operational capability and capacity to tackle serious and organised criminality in the waste sector.
It brings together the Environment Agency, HMRC, National Crime Agency, the police, waste regulators from across the UK and other operational partners to share intelligence and tasking to disrupt and prevent serious organised waste crime. JUWC works with local partners operationally as appropriate, including local authorities.
The JUWC published its latest annual review at GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (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 merits of introducing a single national reporting route for instances of fly-tipping.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Individuals can already report illegal waste activity anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 or online. Local authorities are often best placed to tackle local issues such as fly-tipping, and so any single national reporting route would need to pass reports on to the relevant local authority. Incidents can already be reported to the relevant local authority online. Individuals can get help on identifying the relevant local authority webpage at GOV.UK.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (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 any barriers to information sharing in relation to instances of fly-tipping between (1) local authorities, (2) the police, and (3) the Environment Agency, that may arise from current data protection legislation.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is not aware of any barriers to information sharing in relation to instances of fly-tipping between local authorities, the police and the Environment Agency that may arise from current data protection legislation.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to introduce (a) 25p per coffee cup surcharge, (b) bottle deposit scheme and (c) refillable water bottle policy.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government recognises the problems caused by disposable cups, which are difficult to recycle and often littered. At Budget 2018, the Government concluded that a levy on all cups would not at this point deliver a decisive shift from disposable cups to reusable cups across all beverage types.
The Government expects industry to go further in taking action on disposable plastic cups and will return to the issue if sufficient progress is not made. In the meantime, the Government is considering the case for reducing the environmental impact of disposable cups within a reformed packaging producer responsibility system and a potential deposit return scheme (DRS), which we are currently inviting views on through consultation.
The DRS consultation is being undertaken jointly by the UK and Welsh Governments, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. The consultation was launched on 18 February and will close on 13 May. The aim of a DRS is that it is easy for consumers to return drinks containers (such as plastic bottles, aluminium and steel cans, and glass bottles), reduce litter and increase recycling rates of drinks containers within the scope of a DRS.
The Government recognises the importance of making drinking water more readily available in public places, as a means of reducing single use plastic bottles. As laid out in the 25 Year Environment Plan and the Resources and Waste Strategy, we are already taking action in this area.
The Government has encouraged transit hub operators, including Network Rail and airports, to install free water fountains to support refilling water bottles.
The water industry is supporting the Refill campaign, which is managed by City to Sea. We are pleased to see new refill points being installed in every major city and town in England. There are now over 14,000 refill points on City to Sea’s free Refill app, and they aim to double this by 2020.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress the Government has made on negotiations with the EU on maintaining access to the Registration, Evaluation, Authorisation and Restriction of Chemicals regulations after 29 March 2019; and what contingency plans he has made to ensure that a UK chemicals registration scheme would be officially recognised by the EU in the event that the UK leaves the EU without a deal.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government’s white paper on the future relationship between the UK and the EU proposes a UK-EU free trade area for goods, including chemicals, underpinned by a common rule book. We are seeking participation in ECHA, to ensure UK businesses could continue to register chemical substances directly. This remains part of ongoing negotiations with the EU.
In the event of a no-deal, the EU (Withdrawal) Act will convert existing EU chemicals law, including REACH, into domestic law. This includes the registration of chemicals under a UK REACH system which will replicate the current EU approach. We have published a Technical Notice ‘Regulating Chemicals (REACH) if there’s no Brexit deal’. This sets out the implications for business and transitional measures to minimise disruption and ensure continuity in the event of a no deal. The Technical Notice is available via the following link:
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/regulating-chemicals-reach-if-theres-no-brexit-deal
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on wildlife or husbanded animals of fly tipping?
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Defra has not made a specific assessment of the effect of fly-tipping on wildlife and husbanded animals. The Government is committed to tackling the impact of fly-tipping on wildlife, farmland and local communities.
Asked by: Lord Hart of Tenby (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Answer of 19 January 2016 to Question 22080, when the Environment Agency will be consulting on the proposals to modernise the rod licence service.
Answered by George Eustice
The Environment Agency advertised its proposed changes to the rod licence structure and duties on 6 May 2016 in the London Gazette, Welsh newspapers and in the angling press. The Environment Agency also consulted stakeholders through focus groups, newsletters, publications, websites, telephone calls and their stakeholder forum, the England Fisheries Group, prior to advertising the changes in England and Wales.