Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions with Northern Ireland Water on water quality in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Water is a devolved policy area and so engagement with Northern Ireland Water is a matter for Northern Ireland's Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland on changes in the level of rural crime in Northern Ireland.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
There is regular engagement with the Minister of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland on a range of issues and we will explore opportunities to discuss this shared challenge and options for future collaboration.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of the implementation of sustainable drainage systems to reduce flood risk.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to improving the implementation of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS) to help mitigate flood risk and reduce the quantity of water that ends up in our drainage infrastructure. SuDS also provide filtration, amenity and biodiversity benefits.
The current implementation route for SuDS in new developments is via the National Planning Policy Framework, see paragraphs 173 and 175.
We believe that stronger SuDS outcomes can be achieved through either improving the current planning led approach using powers now available or commencing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. It is also important to ensure that appropriate adoption and maintenance arrangements are in place.
To help inform thinking, the Government asked a question on flooding in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) consultation that concluded in September 2024. A response will be published by the end of the year.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland on tackling fly tipping.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I have not discussed fly-tipping specifically with the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern Ireland. Environmental policy making, including with respect to fly-tipping, is devolved.
The Secretary of State chaired the Inter-Ministerial Group for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in September 2024 which the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs attended. The group discussed reducing waste and pollution.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of recent rends in the level of butterfly numbers, in the context of the results from the recent Big Butterfly Count 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The recently published Butterflies in the United Kingdom and in England: 2023 provides statistics on UK butterfly abundance and includes an assessment of population trends for different groups of species, and habitat type as well as the major drivers of decline. The detailed report is published on GOV.UK (Butterflies in the United Kingdom and in England: 2023 - GOV.UK). It contains data up to and including 2023; robust data for estimates of change in abundance of butterflies for 2024 will be available to Defra in summer 2025. In summary, on average the abundance of butterflies across the UK continues to show a long-term decline. This is due to a range of factors including weather patterns, habitat loss, pollution and the use of pesticides.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of salmon stocks in the last 12 months.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
The latest assessment of Atlantic salmon stocks in England and Wales, produced by the Environment Agency, Natural Resources Wales and the Centre for Fisheries, Environment and Aquaculture was published on 7 October and can be found here.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has had discussions on using farm effluage and sewage for anaerobic digestion instead of importing wood chippings as biomass.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
There are anaerobic digestion plants across the UK that generate electricity through the combustion of biogas produced through the breakdown of sewage or agricultural waste.
Biomass generators, in contrast, generate electricity through the combustion of solid fuel. As biomass is a different type of technology, it uses different types of feedstock. In general, sewage cannot substitute for solid biomass fuel.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will take steps to ensure that Northern Ireland is included in the free tree scheme this year.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Forestry is a devolved matter. Responsibility for tree planting in Northern Ireland is led by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Defra regularly coordinates with DAERA. There are a number of tree planting schemes in Northern Ireland provided by non-governmental organisations.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential future impact of the H5N1 virus on dairy projects.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Through our bulk milk testing, wider surveillance and monitoring of past infections in cattle, we are confident the Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) virus strain B3.13 that has been responsible for incidents of influenza of avian origin in cattle in the USA has not been detected in Great Britain. Our national reference laboratory at the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) Weybridge laboratory has also confirmed that temperatures used in pasteurisation would be effective in destroying any live virus.
The APHA has assessed the risk to livestock in Great Britain from this outbreak of Influenza A (H5N1) of avian origin in livestock in the USA, as very low (event is very rare but cannot be excluded) (Avian influenza in cattle in USA (publishing.service.gov.uk). The Food Standards Agency (FSA) have assessed the risk to UK consumers from HPAI strain B3.13 in imported milk, dairy products, colostrum and colostrum-based products originating from US dairy cattle as very low with medium uncertainty (Rapid Risk Assessment: Risk to UK consumers from Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) H5N1 B3.13 in US dairy products | Food Standards Agency). The Human Animal Infections and Risk Surveillance group (HAIRS) consider that the HPAI B3.13 strain presents at most a very low risk with regard to spread from animals-to-humans in the UK HAIRS risk statement: Avian influenza A(H5N1) in livestock - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
We do not currently anticipate any impact of influenza of avian origin on the dairy sector in the UK, nor on the supplies of milk. However, whilst the responsibility for animal health is devolved, all four UK administrations work closely together to consider and respond to animal disease threats. We remain vigilant and will continue to use our established systems to monitor for changes in risk through both HAIRS and our Veterinary Risk Group.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to discontinue the use of the pesticide thiamethoxam, in the context of its alleged toxicity to bees.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Pesticides are strictly regulated based on the risks and benefits of use. The Government will always take decisions according to these legal requirements and with full consideration of the evidence.
This government recognises that nature is at a crisis point across Britain. We will therefore change existing policies to prevent the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten our vital pollinators.