Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
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 support the policy of the European Council of Ministers on the North Sea Multiannual Plan to legally sanction overfishing of bottom dwelling fish stocks such as cod and haddock over the next five years.
Answered by George Eustice
The draft North Sea Multi Annual Plan includes an upper range for fishing consistent with Maximum Sustainable Yield. Exploitation rates may be set within this upper range only in certain prescribed circumstances, for example to maintain balance in a mixed fishery. The UK supports this general approach, which we consider to be consistent with the principle of sustainable fisheries.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 July 2017 to Question 5217, how the Government plans for bycatch fish species identified in the European Council of Ministers' General Approach to the North Sea Multi Annual Plan to be restored to and maintained above biomass levels capable of producing maximum sustainable yield in the event that fishing limits are not set in accordance with the Common Fisheries Policy objective to achieve the maximum sustainable yield exploitation rate by 2020 at the latest.
Answered by George Eustice
Where Maximum Sustainable Yield targets cannot be determined, due to lack of data, multiannual plans must provide for measures to be based on the precautionary approach. The Government’s view is that the precautionary approach should be strictly evidence-based, with such data-limited bycatch stocks managed on a case-by-case basis and in line with the plans’ objectives. For stocks with a presumption of stability we have supported maintaining TACs at current levels, unless scientific advice suggests otherwise. Where possible we support moving to a full analytical assessment that would enable TACs to be based on the MSY approach.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
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 publish all the satellite tracking data of electronically tagged hen harriers collected by Natural England and its predecessor since 2002.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Natural England is currently collating the satellite tracking data on hen harriers from both before and since 2002. Natural England plans to publish the information shortly. There is also an independent analysis of all the satellite tracking data being undertaken, which is due for publication in spring 2018.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which stocks will be considered as managed bycatch under the North Sea Multi Annual Plan.
Answered by George Eustice
The EU’s North Sea multi-annual plan is still under negotiation. However, the Council of Ministers is seeking to include the following as target species: cod, haddock, plaice, saithe, sole, whiting, anglerfish, northern prawn and nephrops stocks in the North Sea. All other demersal species would be considered as bycatch stocks under the plan. Typical bycatch stocks for example include pollack, ling and turbot.
As a general rule the target species are those species for which there is a full scientific assessment. For bycatch species, a precautionary approach is applied given limited data.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether any of the fishing limits set within the North Sea Annual Plan are at a level that is not capable of producing maximum sustainable yield; and whether there are plans for those limits to be capped at the threshold advised by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Answered by George Eustice
We remain committed to fishing at MSY. In the North Sea multi-annual plan (MAP), the target fishing mortality ranges and the conservation reference points aim to ensure stocks are fished at rates consistent with maximum sustainable yield. We expect the range and reference points to be reviewed regularly to take account of the latest stock advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
The North Sea MAP has not yet been adopted and the ranges and reference points set out in the proposal may need to be reviewed to ensure they are consistent with scientific advice for 2018.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
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 publish the scientific advice used to inform the development of the North Sea Multi Annual Plan.
Answered by George Eustice
Advice used to inform the development of the proposed North Sea multi-annual plan has been published by the European Commission. This can be viewed at:
https://ec.europa.eu/info/consultations/multi-annual-plan-north-sea-demersal-fisheries_en
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to encourage voluntary take-up of CCTV in equine slaughterhouses.
Answered by George Eustice
In February 2015, the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC) published an independent assessment of the use of CCTV in slaughterhouses which concluded that CCTV can offer real benefits, particularly to slaughterhouse operators, but that it cannot replace the need for businesses to have proper monitoring procedures in place.
The vast majority of horses are slaughtered in slaughterhouses in England which have CCTV installed for welfare purposes, although cameras may not be present in all areas. Official Veterinarians also have the power to seize CCTV footage if they suspect that welfare standards are not being met.
Defra continues to encourage slaughterhouses to install CCTV in all areas on a voluntary basis in order to realise the benefits to animal welfare set out in the FAWC report.
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2017 to Question 60340, whether the Government plans to provide existing levels of CAP Pillar 1 funding for applications that are scheduled to begin to be paid on 1 December 2020.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government has guaranteed that the agricultural sector will receive the same level of funding that it would have received under Pillar I of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) until the end of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework in 2020. The last payment window in this Multi-Annual Financial Framework will be that which opens on 1 December 2019 and runs until 30 June 2020.
We will be announcing details of future domestic agricultural policy as soon as possible in order to provide certainty for farmers
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 25 January 2017 to Question 60340, whether the last payment window for the equivalent CAP Pillar 1 funding to which the Government has committed will open in 2019 or in 2020.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government has guaranteed that the agricultural sector will receive the same level of funding that it would have received under Pillar I of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) until the end of the Multi-Annual Financial Framework in 2020. The last payment window in this Multi-Annual Financial Framework will be that which opens on 1 December 2019 and runs until 30 June 2020.
We will be announcing details of future domestic agricultural policy as soon as possible in order to provide certainty for farmers
Asked by: Angela Smith (Liberal Democrat - Penistone and Stocksbridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her policy that the EU Urban Wastewater Treatment Directive will be incorporated in full into UK law when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Prime Minister announced last year our plans for a Repeal Bill that will convert current EU law into domestic British law. Our intention is to ensure a smooth and orderly transition via the Repeal Bill. Without pre-judging what our future relationship with the EU will be or future decisions Parliament may make, this will provide as much certainty as possible by maintaining the existing laws; and this will include laws transposing the EU Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive.