Draft Animal By-Products, Pet Passport and Animal Health (Fees) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2023

Alex Sobel Excerpts

Tuesday 6th June 2023 General Committees

[Alex Sobel (Leeds North West) (Lab/Co-op)]

I thank the Minister for outlining the need for the changes. This is a wide-ranging SI, increasing the fees charged by the Animal and Plant Health Agency for a range of services, from bovine semen control to salmonella control programmes. While His Majesty’s Opposition support the enforcement of our agreed regulatory framework, I worry about steep and speedy increases in associated costs. The SI provides for an average median uplift in fees of 41% for services related to animal by-products, 53% for services related to salmonella controls, 21% for services related to poultry health and 65% for services related to breeding controls.

The explanatory memorandum notes that, due to a lack of uprating in recent years and the need to ensure cost recovery, the increases to fees are much higher than inflationary rises. While we accept that the increases will be phased over two years, can the Minister understand that those are not the only additional costs that many businesses will face? Given that the current rate of inflation is over 8% and some key agricultural inputs have increased by over 100% in the last 18 months, is she convinced that this is the right time for such stark increases in costs?

The explanatory memorandum also notes that regular reviews of the 2018 fees were put on hold due to “reviewed agency prioritisation” in the light of Brexit preparations and the covid pandemic, hence the need for a significant increase now. It states that the responsible body

“had already engaged with key stakeholders for the businesses affected and are planning to re-engage”,

but no further information is offered. What form did the previous engagement take? What was the general response? When will the next round of engagement commence and what will it look like?

Will the Minister inform us when the next fees review will be undertaken, and can she give an assurance that we will not see a repeat of the issues that seem to have been encountered this time around? Our agri-businesses are struggling, and additional unexpected costs will not help. I worry that capacity issues at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, unquestionably due to challenges post Brexit and post the pandemic, are hitting our sector at the wrong time. We would appreciate an update on how many more SIs on issues pertaining to the sector are delayed and when we should expect them. I look forward to her response.