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Written Question
Propiconazole
Thursday 24th February 2022

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the number and proportion of products in UK supermarkets that contain any amount of propiconazole.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

Our pesticides regulations set strict controls on the amounts of pesticide residues that are permitted in food. We have an ongoing monitoring programme to provide assurance that food – including food imported from overseas – complies with the statutory maximum residue levels (MRLs) allowed. The results of this monitoring are published on the GOV.uk website.

In the most recent data (2020 and the first half of 2021), a total of 2,747 samples of food were collected and analysed for the presence of propiconazole. Of these, 38 samples were found to contain residues of this chemical, none of which were above the permitted MRLs set by law. These results indicate that propiconazole is not widely detected in food available to UK shoppers, and when it is detected, has been within the permitted limits.

HSE have proposed to lower the MRL for propiconazole to the default minimum level and details are expected to be announced shortly. This would mean food containing residues of this pesticide would no longer be able to be placed on the market in Great Britain.


Written Question
Supermarkets: Fruit and Vegetables
Tuesday 21st September 2021

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

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 representatives of supermarket chains on factors affecting the supply of fresh fruit and vegetables.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption. Our high degree of food security is built on access to a range of sources, including robust supply chains domestically, and from other countries, including supplementing our excellent domestic production of fresh vegetables and fruit with imports of produce that cannot be grown here for all or part of the year. In the latest statistical release of Agriculture in the UK (July 2021), vegetables and fruit were the largest value imported commodity group in 2020.

Defra has well established ways of working with the industry and across Government to monitor risks that may arise. This includes extensive, regular and ongoing engagement with food retailers in preparedness for, and response to, issues with the potential to cause disruption to food supply chains, including those for fresh produce.


Written Question
Sheep Meat: Wales
Wednesday 9th September 2020

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the Welsh lamb industry in the event of a deal on the future relationship with the EU not being agreed by the end of the transition period.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

The Government is fully committed to agreeing a trade deal with the EU from 1 January 2021. As any responsible government would, we are also preparing for the possibility of ‘no deal’, which is why we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption for the food and farming sectors as much as possible.

Through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, Defra and the Devolved Administrations continue to monitor the market situation across various agricultural commodities. Officials have also been reviewing and updating the analysis we undertook as part of our no deal preparations in 2019. No decisions have been taken on any sector specific interventions, including lamb, after the end of the Transition Period.


Written Question
Broadband: Rural Areas
Monday 5th January 2015

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much of the Rural Community Broadband Fund was (a) spent and (b) returned to the EU.

Answered by Dan Rogerson

As a result of the Rural Community Broadband Fund in England, the Government is expected to grant fund around £13.2 million for 22 projects. These projects are both community and local authority led, in areas not in scope of the current national superfast rollout programme. Of this, 17 local authority led projects are to be incorporated into current contracts under the main programme to increase coverage to harder to reach communities. Five further projects have been contracted under the Fund.

No money has been returned to the EU. Where possible, any remaining EU funds are being utilised elsewhere across the Rural Development Programme for England.


Written Question
Food Banks
Wednesday 17th December 2014

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she and Ministers in her Department have visited a foodbank.

Answered by George Eustice

Defra Ministers have visited food banks several times over the past 18 months.


Written Question
Public Expenditure
Tuesday 16th December 2014

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to paragraph 2.217 in Autumn Statement 2014, how much funding she has allocated to the (a) coastal path and (b) Royal Botanic Gardens Kew in each financial year to 2019-20.

Answered by Dan Rogerson

Defra has announced that additional funding of £44,000 in 2014/15 and £5.26million in 2015/16 will be made available to complete the coastal path around England by 2020.

We have confirmed that resource funding for Royal Botanic Gardens Kew will be maintained at the levels in 2013/14 until April 2016. This follows the announcement in September 2014 that an additional £1.5million will be provided in 2014/15, and the announcement today (16 December) that a further £2.3m will be made available for 2015/16.

Departmental budgets for further years will be set at the next Spending Review.


Written Question
Fracking
Wednesday 5th November 2014

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the mode of storage and containment of water that has been used for the hydraulic fracking permitted by the Government to date; and whether any sites have been designated for this purpose.

Answered by Dan Rogerson

Flowback fluids from hydraulic fracturing operations are deemed to be a mining waste and therefore require an environmental permit from the Environment Agency for temporary storage on site. Subsequent treatment and disposal of the fluid at a waste treatment facility is also regulated by the Environment Agency. Waste waters must be stored in sealed tanks on bunded storage areas. The storage of wastewaters in open lagoons, as has sometimes been practised in the US, would not be permitted in this country.


Written Question
Fracking
Wednesday 5th November 2014

Asked by: Chris Bryant (Labour - Rhondda)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what courses of action are available for people to raise concerns about suspected contamination of water as a result of fracking.

Answered by Dan Rogerson

Concerns about any suspected contamination incidents, irrespective of source, should be raised with the Environment Agency via its incident hotline, details of which are available on the GOV.UK website.

As far as fracking is concerned we have robust regulatory controls in place. Shale gas wells must be designed, built and operated to standards set in the regulations governed by the Health and Safety Executive, and the Environment Agency will not permit the use of substances hazardous to groundwater to be used in hydraulic fracturing where they may enter groundwater and cause pollution. Industry practice, underpinned by regulations, ensures monitoring will be required prior to, during and post-operation of the site.

As with any activity, the Environment Agency can take enforcement action to prevent or remedy pollution of groundwater caused by the actions of operators.