Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the Government's food strategy.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The forthcoming Government Food Strategy will set out the Government’s ambition and priorities for the food system, considering the evidence set out in Henry Dimbleby’s independent review and building on additional topics.
We are actively collaborating across Government to cover the entire food system and consider the unforeseen challenges that the agri-food sector has faced this last year since the independent review was published.
We expect to publish the Government Food Strategy shortly.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total amount of funding (a) allocated, (b) earmarked for disbursement and (c) disbursed by the Zoo Animals Fund was as of 7 March 2021.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Zoo Animals Fund has been extended to continue to provide support until 30 June, with application open until 28 May. To date, just over £5.5 million has been paid to 45 applicants from the Zoo Animals Fund. The Zoo Support Fund awarded 56 grants to successful applicants.
Under both zoo support schemes we have so far awarded over £7.5 million to the zoo sector. This money has provided for animal care costs and essential maintenance costs for those zoos experiencing severe financial difficulties due to COVID-19.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to relax the qualification requirements for applicants to the Zoo Animals Fund.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra has already made the Zoo Animals Fund more accessible than the previous fund, the Zoo Support Fund. We have expanded the eligibility criteria so that grant payments to zoos begin when zoos reach their final 12 weeks of financial reserves, rather than 6 weeks. We also lifted the payment cap from £100k to £700k and then removed this cap at the end of the implementation period when we were no longer subject to EU state aid rules.
Defra has also expanded the range of costs that are eligible under the Zoo Animals Fund so zoos can now claim costs relating to pre-planned essential maintenance and repair works as well as animal care costs. The fund has also been extended in response to the current lockdown, with applications open until 28 May and support provided until 30 June.
We will continue to monitor the fund to ensure that it achieves its aims. We will continue to engage with the sector to fully understand the ongoing impact of Covid-19 on the sector and provide updates as situations change.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has plans to extend qualification for the Zoo Animals Fund to groups involved in zoos conservation and scientific work.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Organisations are eligible to apply for support under the Zoo Animals fund if they hold a zoo licence (full or section 14(2) dispensation) under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 or have been granted an exemption under the Zoo Licensing Act 1981 and hold a licence under the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) Regulations 2018.
The Zoo Animals Fund was set up in recognition of the fact that zoos need to continue caring for the animals during the pandemic. The fund supports zoos and aquariums with their animal welfare costs, as well as essential maintenance.
As announced in the recent Budget, the fund has been extended in response to the current lockdown, with applications open until 28 May and support provided until 30 June.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what restrictions are placed on hunts meeting during the November 2020 lockdown restrictions.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The exemption for gathering beyond your household for outdoor sport and licensed physical activity will no longer apply, including on private land. All activities in public outdoor space must therefore abide by broader gathering limits: to be on your own, with one other person, or your own household.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which body is responsible for monitoring progress against the target to plant 75,000 acres of trees per year; what progress his Department has made towards meeting that target; and what the timescale is for achieving that target.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As forestry is devolved, Defra is responsible for policies to increase tree planting in England. We will work with the devolved administrations to increase planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025.
In the spring, we will consult on an English Tree Strategy with measures to increase planting in England supported by the Nature for Climate Fund. Woodland creation is monitored by the Forestry Commission and its counterparts in the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
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 the Queen's Speech of December 2019 and background briefing notes, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals on recognising animals as sentient beings.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government has committed to bringing in new legislation on animal sentience. Any necessary changes required to domestic law will be made in a rigorous and comprehensive way after we leave the EU. Legislation will be brought forward when Parliamentary time allows.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of replacing PET-made plastic drinks bottles with PLA-made bottles.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has not had any specific discussions with manufacturers or made assessments on replacing PET plastic bottles with those made from PLA. We are currently working with industry to produce a UK Bioeconomy Strategy that will bring together biological industries, academia and innovators, linking up farmers and land managers with high-tech industries.
This will cover a range of issues such as: intellectual property practices; policy, regulation and industry guidance on waste; the impact of bio-based procurement; and standards for bio-based plastics and other bio-materials. As part of this, the Government will work with UK Research and Innovation and industry to identify the demand, benefits and implications of a standard for bio-based and biodegradable plastics.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with drinks manufacturers on replacing PET-plastic bottles with PLA-plastic bottles.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has not had any specific discussions with manufacturers or made assessments on replacing PET plastic bottles with those made from PLA. We are currently working with industry to produce a UK Bioeconomy Strategy that will bring together biological industries, academia and innovators, linking up farmers and land managers with high-tech industries.
This will cover a range of issues such as: intellectual property practices; policy, regulation and industry guidance on waste; the impact of bio-based procurement; and standards for bio-based plastics and other bio-materials. As part of this, the Government will work with UK Research and Innovation and industry to identify the demand, benefits and implications of a standard for bio-based and biodegradable plastics.
Asked by: Christian Matheson (Independent - City of Chester)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the relative biodegradable properties of plastic bottles made with PET and those made with PLA.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government has not had any specific discussions with manufacturers or made assessments on replacing PET plastic bottles with those made from PLA. We are currently working with industry to produce a UK Bioeconomy Strategy that will bring together biological industries, academia and innovators, linking up farmers and land managers with high-tech industries.
This will cover a range of issues such as: intellectual property practices; policy, regulation and industry guidance on waste; the impact of bio-based procurement; and standards for bio-based plastics and other bio-materials. As part of this, the Government will work with UK Research and Innovation and industry to identify the demand, benefits and implications of a standard for bio-based and biodegradable plastics.