Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to maintain the quality and quantity of horticulture research previously funded by the statutory levy of the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Following the industry’s vote to end the AHDB horticulture levy in 2021 we have been working with the industry and the Devolved Administrations to put in place structures that will be more responsive to what the industry wants. This has included supporting the setting up of the industry-led Horticulture Crop Protection that has taken over some of the horticulture work formerly undertaken by AHDB.
We have also committed over £104 million so far through the £270 million Farming Innovation Programme for industry-led research and development in agriculture and horticulture in England. This investment is enabling more farmers, growers and agri-food businesses to become involved in agricultural R&D. This will maximise the impact of R&D investment in innovation and improve the take up of novel approaches on farms. To date 23 out of 100 projects are focussed on horticulture.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are on track to meet the target of halting the decline of species abundance by 2030; and what steps they are taking to ensure the target is met.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We have set out our plan to deliver on our ambitious 2030 target, along with our other environmental targets, in the revised Environmental Improvement Plan published 31 January 2023. Here we link the different objectives, plans and mechanisms for recovering nature.
We know that to meet our targets we will need large-scale habitat restoration, creation and improved connectivity; to tackle pressures on species including pollution, unsustainable use of resources and climate change; and targeted action to recover specific species.
Our Nature for Climate Fund provides over £750 million for the creation, restoration and management of woodland and peatland habitats. We will also launch a new multi-million pound Species Survival Fund this summer, supporting the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats.
We are ensuring that the design and implementation of our current and future agri-environmental schemes and Environment Act measures such as Biodiversity Net Gain and Local Nature Recovery Strategies support the target by focusing on the habitats we need and key actions to reduce pressures; and by supporting ‘crowding in’ of private investment.
The first round of Landscape Recovery focused on river restoration and species recovery. The 22 successful projects cover over 40,000 hectares and aim to restore nearly 700km of rivers and protect and provide habitat for at least 263 species. The second round was launched on 18 May and focuses on net zero, protected sites and wildlife-rich habitats, which includes rivers, streams, and other freshwater habitats. We will offer up to 25 projects a place on the Landscape Recovery scheme in this round, within the £15 million total project development budget.
In May 2022, we launched five nature recovery projects spanning nearly 100,000 hectares, which will see the creation and restoration of wildlife-rich habitats, corridors and stepping-stones. They will help wildlife populations to move and thrive, provide nature-based solutions, and enable people to enjoy and connect with nature. Natural England plans to launch another six Nature Recovery Projects in 2022/23.
The Government has an explicit duty to ensure long-term targets are met. The Environment Act’s statutory cycle of monitoring, planning and reporting ensures that the Government will take early, regular steps to achieve long-term targets, and is held to account with regular scrutiny from the Office for Environmental Protection and Parliament. Our evaluation framework will provide a level of assurance towards our progress on the targets through adaptive management and regular evaluations and reporting.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when they intend to introduce legislation against (1) puppy smuggling, (2) puppy farming, (3) pet theft, and (4) live animal exports.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain committed to tackling puppy smuggling, pet theft and to banning the export of live animals for fattening and slaughter. We will be taking forward these measures individually through the remainder of this parliament. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way.
This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of puppies very seriously. Significant steps have already been taken to improve and update the laws on dog breeding in England to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed dogs purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.
Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a 12-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at too early an age.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what planning exercises have been undertaken in the past 10 years to test the UK’s preparedness for managing a farm animal disease outbreak.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
There have been four UK-wide exercises involving Defra, the Scottish Government, the Welsh Government, the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs, and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, including their operational partners and stakeholder organisations:
Exercise Holly (July 2021) tested government’s response to an outbreak of African swine fever.
Exercise Blackthorn (November 2017 to July 2018) tested the response to a major outbreak of foot and mouth disease (FMD).
Exercise Willow (2016) examined the UK’s capacity to respond to a large cross-border outbreak of FMD.
Exercise Walnut (2013) tested the response to an outbreak of classical swine fever.
We have also completed numerous operational, field and laboratory-based exercises to test and refine contingency plans on a yearly cycle, and our response capability has been tested by real-world outbreaks such as the ongoing outbreak of avian influenza.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the Greenpeace report Forever Toxic: The science on health threats from plastic recycling, published on 24 May; in particular, the finding that "recycled plastics often contain higher levels of chemicals".
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We welcome the breadth of ongoing work in this area such as the research carried out by Greenpeace. In accordance with the waste hierarchy, in all circumstances, preventing waste in the first place is the preferred option.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what are their negotiating objectives for the Plastic Pollution Treaty.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK is proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution on ending plastic pollution agreed at the continuation of the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022.
A series of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meetings are now underway to negotiate the content of the treaty, with good progress being made. The second of five planned INC meetings is taking place 29 May – 2 June in Paris, with the aim of concluding negotiations by the end of 2024.
The UK’s objectives are to agree an ambitious and comprehensive treaty that addresses the whole lifecycle of plastics, from the production and design of plastics to their consumption and disposal. Furthermore, the UK supports a treaty that addresses the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution.
The UK supports a combination of internationally legally binding obligations and national measures across the whole lifecycle of plastic to ensure that the treaty can adequately address the transboundary nature of plastic pollution.
The UK is also a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, a group of over 50 countries calling for a headline target under the treaty to stop plastic from flowing into the environment by 2040.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government when the measurable indicators of progress for the Environmental Improvement Plan will be finalised.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Environment Act’s statutory cycle of monitoring, planning and reporting ensures that government will take early, regular steps to achieve targets and can be held to account with regular scrutiny from the Office for Environmental Protection and Parliament. A key part of this cycle is the Annual Progress Report (APR) which describes what has been done to implement the Environmental Improvement Plan and considers whether the natural environment, or aspects of it, have improved over the reporting period. The latest APR was published on 20th July 2022.
In addition to other sources, the APR utilises data from the Outcome Indicator Framework for the 25 Year Environment Plan which is a suite of outcome indicators that measure changes to the environment. The 2023 annual update to the Outcome Indicator Framework was published on 22 May 2023 and provides the latest available data on environmental trends. Defra intends to publish data for all indicators by 2024.
The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 is the first revision of the 25 Year Environment Plan. The full Outcome Indicator Framework will be reviewed in 2024 to evaluate its ongoing suitability and consideration of best available evidence. This review will also consider the framework’s alignment with the planned monitoring of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the number of Highly Protected Marine Areas; and what is their timetable for the associated consultation.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
In February 2023 the Government announced it would designate three Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English Waters before 6th July 2023. The Government will begin exploring additional HPMAs this year. Any future sites would be subject to consultation as required by the Marine and Coastal Access Act.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government (1) how many applications for Sustainable Farming Incentive payments were received during each of the last three quarters, and (2) of these, how many were approved.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) was opened to farmers on 30 June 2022. The SFI scheme has a rolling application window and quarterly payments begin midway through the fourth month after the start date of the agreements.
As of 20 April 2023, the table below shows the number of applications received and agreements paid over the last three quarters. For the period January-March 2023, payments started from mid-April and will continue to be released in May and June.
Application Received Quarter | Applications Received | Agreements Offered | Agreements Set Live | Agreements Currently Live | Volume Paid | Value Paid |
Pre July 2022 | 69 | 68 | 63 | 60 | 60 | £152,777 |
July - Sept 2022 | 865 | 822 | 735 | 726 | 715 | £1,621,955 |
Oct - Dec 2022 | 1139 | 1125 | 1014 | 1014 | 907 | £1,424,611 |
Jan - Mar 2023 | 982 | 968 | 867 | 865 | 1 | £527 |
Total | 3055 | 2983 | 2679 | 2665 | 1683 | £3,199,871 |
The above table shows applications received in each quarter. It is important to note that payments are made in the fourth month after the agreement start date, which may not occur in the same quarter as the application is submitted. The table below shows the number of agreements with start dates in each quarter and which of those have been paid.
Agreement Set Live Quarter | Applications Received | Agreements Offered | Agreements Set Live | Agreements Currently Live | Volume Paid | Value Paid |
July - Sept 2022 | 238 | 236 | 238 | 228 | 226 | £504,144 |
Oct - Dec 2022 | 1152 | 1152 | 1152 | 1149 | 1139 | £2,137,138 |
Jan - Mar 2023 | 878 | 878 | 878 | 877 | 318 | £558,589 |
Post Mar 2023 | 411 | 411 | 411 | 411 |
|
|
Total | 3055 | 2983 | 2679 | 2665 | 1683 | £3,199,871 |
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what funds are available through the new Environmental Land Management schemes to support the establishment of local abattoirs and food processing hubs to improve farmers’ access to food markets.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Our Environmental Land Management schemes do not include support for abattoirs or food processing hubs. However, the Government recognises the important role local abattoirs play in supporting rural economies and maintaining a robust and competitive sector. The first round of the Farming Investment Fund opened in 2022. This offered access to financial support to establish new producer led abattoirs through our Adding Value offer. We have previously offered support for a mobile abattoir through the Rural Development Programme for England. In February 2023, Mark Spencer, Minister for Food and Farming, announced the launch of a new smaller abattoir fund to help drive productivity, add value, promote innovation and utilise new technology and enhance animal welfare. Defra is working closely with the sector on the design and content of this fund and full details of the funding package will be announced later this year.
With regards to other support for farmers, we have committed to spend around £600 million on grants and other support for farmers to invest in productivity, animal health and welfare and innovation over three years and paid out over £30 million so far in grants for technology and equipment. We have also provided 10,000 farmers with help and advice through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, which provides farmers with free advice to help farmers work out what to do for their business. Finally, we are looking at how we can support new entrants into the sector and those looking to grow their farming businesses by developing their entrepreneurial capabilities through a pilot scheme being run in conjunction with Harper Adams and Landworkers’ Alliance.