Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
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 make it his policy to support independent certification of agricultural land classification soil surveys by an appropriate body.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is currently undertaking a comprehensive review of all commitments made by the last government to ensure they align with our new priorities and will have a beneficial effect. A decision regarding this specific policy will be made in due course.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to increase fishing opportunities for UK fishing organisations in Icelandic waters ahead of full ratification of the trade continuity agreement between the UK and Iceland.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The UK has not held fishing opportunities in Icelandic waters for many years. Nevertheless, we remain open to the possibility of securing fishing opportunities in Icelandic waters, should the conditions be appropriate.
The UK and Iceland signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on enhancing cooperation within fisheries on 11 November 2020. We are currently developing plans to hold the first Fisheries Dialogue envisaged by that MoU later in 2021.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department will (a) represent the UK at the annual European Fisheries Council in December 2020 and (b) conduct negotiations on behalf of the UK for the 2021 quota allocation.
Answered by George Eustice
The UK left the EU on 31 January and will therefore not participate in the European Fisheries Council in December 2020 as a Member State. The UK will be undertaking future fisheries negotiations, including on fishing opportunities, as an independent coastal State.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made on introducing a replacement to the European Maritime and Fisheries Funding after December 2020.
Answered by George Eustice
We made a commitment in our manifesto to maintain funding for fisheries across the UK’s nations throughout the Parliament and to support the regeneration of our coastal communities.
Last year, the Government provided an extra £37 million of domestic funding for the sector, which will be available until 2022. England’s share of this funding is available via the Maritime and Fisheries Fund, which was opened in October 2019. Scotland was allocated £16.7 million, and delivery will be managed by Marine Scotland.
The Fisheries Bill will provide England and the devolved administrations with new domestic grant making powers that will ensure we have sufficient powers to support our future priorities. Fisheries is a devolved matter and, in future, grant schemes will be developed by each of the devolved administrations targeted towards their own national priorities.
We have been evaluating the current EMFF scheme and the needs of the sector. We have conducted social, environmental and economic evaluations to better understand the sector’s needs and where funding should be targeted.
We plan to hold a formal consultation exercise on the design of a future scheme in 2020.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he next plans to meet with the Scottish Government to discuss the status of the (a) Less Favoured Area Support and (b) Areas of Natural Constraint schemes during the implementation period after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State regularly discusses agriculture policy with colleagues in the Scottish Government, with the next meeting scheduled for 14 May. Agriculture is devolved, and it is the Government’s intention that each administration has the freedom to design policies that support the individual characteristics of their agricultural industries and unique landscapes. Common frameworks will only be established where needed to maintain the functioning of the UK internal market and to meet our trade and international obligations.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department’s policy is on providing economic support to agriculture in marginal areas after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government understands the importance of providing stability to farmers as we leave the European Union and has pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support for the duration of this Parliament, providing much needed certainty to farmers and landowners.
In our consultation document ‘Health and Harmony’, we have provided a clear direction for future farm support in England based on public money for public goods – principally, environmental enhancement. We sought views on how future land management schemes can reflect the reality of life for farmers and food producers. As part of this, we invited ideas on what areas could constitute public goods and be supported under the new system, including rural resilience.
Farmers need stability, certainty and a smooth transition to a new system, so we will not switch off Direct Payments overnight, and are consulting on an agricultural transition period to provide time for farmers to adjust. We have also confirmed we will pay the 2019 Basic Payment Scheme on the same basis as we do now. This, together with our proposed ‘agricultural transition’ period away from the current system of Direct Payments in England, will provide time for farmers to adjust.
Some sectors may find it more difficult than others to adapt to the phasing out of Direct Payments, for example, those located in the most remote, wild and beautiful parts of England. The uplands have the potential to benefit from new environmental land management schemes, given the nature of their landscapes and the many public goods that they deliver, such as biodiversity, flood risk mitigation and carbon sequestration. We will explore possible options on how we can best support such areas.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
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 Scottish Government on the effect of that Government's policies for land reform on UK agriculture policy after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State last met with the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations on 26 February to discuss the Government’s consultation document ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a green Brexit’. The Government is committed to working closely with the devolved administrations to deliver an approach that works for the whole of the UK and reflects the needs and individual circumstances of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Future agriculture policy including policies for land reform is a matter for individual devolved administrations.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
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 his counterparts in the Scottish Government on the management of farm payments to Scottish Farmers after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State last met with the Scottish Government and other devolved administrations on 26 February to discuss the Government’s consultation document ‘Health and Harmony: the future for food, farming and the environment in a green Brexit’. The Government is committed to working closely with the devolved administrations to deliver an approach that works for the whole of the UK, and reflects the needs and individual circumstances of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Future agriculture policy including the management of farm payments is a matter for individual devolved administrations.
Asked by: Andrew Bowie (Conservative - West Aberdeenshire and Kincardine)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions he has had with the Scottish Government on the future of farm subsidies after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State met Fergus Ewing, the Scottish Cabinet Secretary for Rural Economy and Connectivity, Lesley Griffiths, the Welsh Cabinet Secretary for Energy, Planning and Rural Affairs, and Noel Lavery, the Permanent Secretary in the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) in Northern Ireland, on 6 November to discuss future agriculture policy. Ministers have held regular meetings with all devolved administrations over the past year.