Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the amount of oilseed rape produced since December 2013.
Answered by George Eustice
The oilseed rape harvest in 2014 saw an increase in UK production of 16% to nearly 2.5 million tonnes following favourable weather conditions during the 2013/14 growing season. This higher production reflects an increase in yield of oilseed rape by 23%. The area sown to oilseed rape in 2014 was 675 thousand hectares, which was nearly 6% lower than that sown in 2013. Full details can be found in the Farming Statistics release which was published on 18 December 2014 on the Defra website.
A recent survey carried out by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) Cereals and Oilseeds team indicates that the area sown to oilseed rape in Great Britain in 2015 has fallen to 627 thousand hectares. Provisional production estimates for the 2015 harvest will be published by Defra in October.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the efficacy of the national pollinator strategy in protecting the bee population; and whether it is her policy that the ban on harmful pesticides will remain.
Answered by George Eustice
The National Pollinator Strategy is a 10 year plan which sets out a framework for collective action to protect pollinators on farmland, towns, cities and the countryside, and to enhance the response to pests and disease risk. The Strategy also seeks to raise awareness of what pollinators need to thrive through a call to action message. (www.wildlifetrusts.org/Bees-needs).
As set out in the Strategy, our work over the next five years to develop the evidence base will allow us to identify pollinator trends with greater certainty, so that we can assess progress with our outcomes and identify where further action should be taken. An important component of the strategy is the creation of high quality habitats for pollinators. The strategy builds upon Biodiversity 2020, under which we have placed 67,000 hectares under management for creation of new priority habitat, bringing benefits including to pollinators by providing them with food, shelter and nest sites.
Neonicotinoids are a group of chemicals used as active substances in pesticides. Decisions on the approval of pesticide active substances are made at EU level. Since December 2013, three of the five currently approved neonicotinoids are not permitted for use on a wide range of crops considered “attractive to bees”. A number of other uses remain permitted under the EU approval. The UK has implemented the restrictions in full. These restrictions remain in place until and unless the European Commission decides to change them.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress has been made on the Waste to Bioeconomy roadmap; and whether her Department plans to provide any assistance to local authorities in relation to anaerobic digestion.
Answered by Dan Rogerson
Defra has a joint Government championship role with the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills in developing a Bioeconomy Roadmap, considering the opportunities of growing the bio economy sector with an initial focus on waste as a feedstock. Good progress is being made. Both Departments continue to work closely together, coordinating development of this agenda across Whitehall, industry and stakeholders. We aim to publish the roadmap in March this year.
The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), with funding from Defra, has supported local authority trials of separate weekly food waste collection for either in-vessel composting or anaerobic digestion and is updating its guidance on collecting food waste to be published in late spring this year. WRAP also provides advice and support more widely to small businesses and operators interested in using anaerobic digestion to process biowaste.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the effect of changes to the best practice guidelines for shooting badgers made between 2013 and August 2014 on public safety.
Answered by George Eustice
The Independent Expert Panel concluded that they were confident that controlled shooting can be carried out safely, even in the context of protester activity. The police are also satisfied that this year’s culls can be carried out safely. As with the first year of the culls, Best Practice Guidance for the controlled shooting of badgers is in place and compliance with this will be monitored by Natural England.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which statutory authority has responsibility for ensuring public safety during the badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Answered by George Eustice
All those involved in carrying out this year’s culls have a responsibility for ensuring that the operation is carried out safely. Safety requirements for contractors are set out in the Best Practice Guidance at
https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/347541/badger-cull-controlled-shooting-guidance-2014.pdf and compliance will be monitored by Natural England. Local police forces are fully involved in the planning and coordination of culling operations to ensure public safety is not compromised.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the time period for the badger cull in Gloucestershire and Somerset will be extended if the minimum number of badgers is not killed.
Answered by George Eustice
Any decision on whether or not to extend either cull beyond six weeks would be taken by Natural England as the licensing authority.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she has taken to ensure that the second year of the cull will achieve the aims of Government policy on bovine TB.
Answered by George Eustice
Ahead of the second year of culling, we have made a number of improvements, including improved training and equipment for all contractors as well as updated best practice guidance to ensure that the second year of the culls is as effective as possible.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of badgers in Somerset and Gloucester for the second year of the culls; and when those estimates were made.
Answered by George Eustice
Estimating wildlife populations is uncertain but the latest estimates have been set using the best available evidence, including information gathered on the ground by experts and signed off by Defra’s Chief Scientist. A minimum of 316 culled badgers in Somerset and 615 in Gloucestershire has been set for this year’s culls. Further information is available here:
These estimates were published on 26 August 2014.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will assess more than six species of wildlife as potential carriers of bovine TB and in relation to tackling that disease.
Answered by George Eustice
Mycobacterium bovis (the bovine TB bacterium) has a wide range of hosts and can infect (and cause TB) in virtually all mammalian species, including farmed animals other than cattle, companion animals and wildlife. While M. bovis has been found in a number of different British wild mammals, evidence from previous wildlife surveys, risk assessments and modelling studies indicates that the badger remains the principal and possibly the only significant wildlife maintenance host of the bacterium in the West of England and parts of Wales. Consequently, Defra is not currently planning to test further wildlife species for TB (apart from the statutory notifications of deer carcases with suspect TB lesions), although we will keep under review the potential role of other wildlife, especially deer, in the epidemiology of this disease.
Asked by: Anne Main (Conservative - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the UK's obligations are in respect of badger culling under the Bern Convention.
Answered by George Eustice
The Bern Convention requires appropriate and necessary legislative measures to be taken to ensure the protection of badgers, the regulation of their exploitation, e.g. by imposing close seasons, and the prohibition of certain means of capture and killing. Exceptions can be made for a number of purposes including the protection of livestock, provided the exception is not detrimental to the survival of the population concerned and there is no other satisfactory solution.
We have considered the provisions of the Bern Convention and our policy complies with the requirements.