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 ensure that the new regulations regarding mandatory recyclability labelling are enforced effectively.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The regulations will set out the role of the enforcement authority and the offences and penalties that will apply to businesses that do not comply with the labelling requirements. The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) has agreed in principle to become the enforcement body and is advising us on the development of the monitoring and enforcement regime.
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, if any, to include species-specific stunning requirements for farmed fish in slaughter regulations, in line with the protection afforded to terrestrial farmed animals.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As part of our Action Plan for Animal Welfare, we are considering improvements that could be made to the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing. To inform this work, we have asked the Animal Welfare Committee for advice on the killing of farmed fish, and this is expected in the new year. The Committee’s advice will take into account species-specific welfare considerations for fish that are farmed in the UK.
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 assessment they have made of the effect of offshore wind farms on marine biodiversity.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Offshore wind developments have the potential to cause environmental damage. The main impacts are to seabirds (from collisions, displacement, and foraging pressures), to the seabed from cabling, and to certain cetaceans from construction noise.
In the British Energy Security Strategy, the Government committed to an Offshore Wind Environmental Improvement Package (OWEIP). This will deliver several measures to support the accelerated deployment of offshore wind developments while protecting and enhancing the marine environment. These measures include; reforms to Habitats Regulations Assessments for offshore wind, establishing a Marine Recovery Fund to deliver strategic compensation, delivering Offshore Wind Environmental Standards which will include standards for underwater noise, and agreeing a new approach to monitoring in order to increase our understanding of potential impacts of offshore wind on the marine environment.
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, if any, to allow fishing to take place in highly protected marine areas.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) would prohibit extractive, destructive and depositional uses and this would include all commercial and recreational fisheries. Defra’s 12-week consultation for five candidate HPMAs in English Waters closed in September. Defra officials are analysing all the responses to our consultation and will shortly publish a summary of these responses. Any pilot HPMAs will be designated by 6 July 2023. The Marine and Coastal Access Act states any designation order must be within a year of the consultation starting which is 6 July 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, if any, to expand seagrass and seaweed marine protected sites to contribute to the UK’s net zero carbon target.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK recognises the important role that nature-based solutions, including blue carbon habitats such as seagrass can play in preventing biodiversity loss and in supporting healthy ecosystems and adaptation to climate change. Although set up primarily to conserve marine biodiversity, some features of the UK’s network of Marine Protected Areas (MPA) can also provide climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience benefits. The MPA network already contains the majority of saltmarsh and seagrass habitats in the UK and our focus is now on ensuring these areas are effectively protected.
In addition, Natural England is leading a four-year £2.5 million EU-funded LIFE Recreation ReMEDIES project running to October 2023, which aims to restore seagrass and maerl habitat in five Special Areas of Conservation and the Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef (ReMeMaRe) initiative is working to restore our estuarine and coastal habitats to benefit people and nature. The EA’s restoration handbooks are a key tool to support restoration of coastal blue carbon habitats, including seagrass, in the UK and beyond. Furthermore, in April 2022, the UK Government launched its £140 million Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment (NCEA) programme, a flagship three-year R&D programme, spanning England’s land, coast and sea. Part of the marine arm of the programme is monitoring and mapping carbon storage and cycling capacity across coastal and sea ecosystems, including seagrass, kelp and the seabed, to inform better management of our natural carbon sinks and sources for climate change mitigation.
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 who is responsible for the maintenance and accuracy of water quality monitors measuring sewage outflows; and whether it is possible for water companies to disable the monitors at critical times.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Water and Sewerage Companies have a regulatory obligation to monitor how long and how often their storm overflows discharge to the environment. This is called Event Duration Monitoring (EDM).
We have increased the number of storm overflows monitored across the network from 5% in 2016 to almost 90% now monitored, and we will reach 100% cover by December 2023. Using powers in the landmark Environment Act, we will also significantly improve transparency by requiring companies to make discharge data available in near real time to the public and monitor water quality upstream and downstream of their assets.
The Environment Agency has also instructed water companies to install new flow monitors on more than 2,000 wastewater treatment works to identify what is happening at those works during the sewage treatment process itself. The monitoring equipment and processes used by water companies are subject to scrutiny by the Environment Agency through inspection and audit. Where there is breach of permit conditions the Environment Agency may take enforcement action against the Water and Sewerage Company in line with its Enforcement and Sanctions Policy.
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 consideration they are giving to enabling courts to fine individual board members of water companies that persistently pollute rivers and coastal waters.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
As set out in Reg 41 Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, the courts do have power to fine directors and other officers of companies which are convicted of polluting rivers and coastal waters, where it can be proved that the offence has been committed with the consent or connivance of such officer or attributable to their neglect. The Environment Agency can and does prosecute company directors and other senior officers where the necessary evidence can be obtained to meet that test.
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 why they failed to meet their statutory obligation to report on the disposal of urban waste water and sludge by the deadline of 31 December 2020.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK Government submitted the Urban Waste Water Treatment Directive report on the disposal of urban waste and sludge to the EU Commission by the deadline of 31 December 2020.
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 progress they have made in curbing agricultural carbon emissions in order to meet their 2050 net zero target.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Agricultural greenhouse gas emissions have reduced by 16% since 1990 (as of 2020), with many farms using more efficient agricultural practices. HM Government will support farmers to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions further. The Net Zero Strategy outlines an ambition for 75% of farmers in England to be engaged in low carbon practices by 2030, rising to 85% by 2035.
As published in January 2022 HM Government anticipates the collective actions of our farmers through our environmental land management schemes, the Farming Innovation Fund and other farming offers will reduce agricultural emissions by up to 6 MtCO2e per annum in Carbon Budget 6 in England. HM Government will also pursue opportunities through tree planting and peat restoration.
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 expect vaccinations and Differentiate Infected from Vaccinated Animals tests to act as the primary control measure for bovine tuberculosis; and what assessment they have made of the costs of implementing such controls.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
When combined with other disease control measures, we anticipate that a cattle vaccine, used in conjunction with a DIVA test to detect infected among vaccinated animals, has the potential to be a valuable additional tool in efforts to eradicate bovine tuberculosis. Vaccination is likely to enhance, not replace, existing control measures such as TB testing and movement controls.
HM Government is currently funding field trials in the United Kingdom aimed at gathering information to support applications for national marketing authorisations for the CattleBCG vaccine and DIVA skin test. Provided the field trials go as hoped and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate considers the applications satisfactory, we are aiming for marketing authorisations to be granted in 2025.
The cost of implementing cattle vaccination and DIVA testing will be dependent on the model of deployment adopted. Options for deployment are being considered and will likely be subject to consultation in the future.