Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy to amend the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulations to allow, by derogation, the placing on the market of UV-328 present in articles and the use of such articles in land-based motor vehicles until 26 February 2030.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials are in the process of engaging with the automotive industry in relation the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulation 2024, including the use of UV-328 by the automotive industry and the issue of derogations. Details of any further steps will be published in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish an impact assessment of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulations on the automotive industry.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials are in the process of engaging with the automotive industry in relation to the impacts of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulation 2024. Details of any further steps will be published in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wokingham to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on funding for surplus food redistribution, dated 30 October 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A reply to the hon. Member has been prepared and will be issued very shortly.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 11480 on Import Controls: Fees and Charges, when he plans to make available further information on the (a) charge and (b) operating costs at Sevington.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government plans to publish this information in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will publish the (a) number, (b) value and (c) repayment rate of invoices issued at Government-run border control point for charges incurred since 30 April 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Further information on the charge and the operating costs at Sevington will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 impact of leaving the European (a) Union, (b) Customs Union and (c) Single Market on food prices.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government cares deeply about the cost of living and food security; therefore, it closely monitors factors impacting food prices. Defra modelling shows that consumer food prices are driven by farmgate prices, import prices, exchange rates, labour costs in food manufacturing and non-labour costs in food manufacturing.
We are working to reset our relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties and tackle barriers to boost UK-EU trade. We will seek to negotiate a veterinary/SPS agreement to boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU. We have been clear that we are ambitious to improve our trading relationship but we are not rejoining the single market or customs union, and we will not return to freedom of movement.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on farmers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Data relating to farmers are regularly published. Agriculture in the UK 2023 was published in June 2024. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance Farming statistics evidence packs - GOV.UK. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK, and the contribution of Direct Payments to farm incomes, including analysis by sector, location in England and type of land tenure.
We publish regular statistics on farm income, agricultural productivity and food production, including data earlier this year looking at how farm business income has changed since the start of the agricultural transition.
Monitoring the agricultural transition period in England, 2022/23 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to legislate to ensure that imported egg products meet welfare standards equivalent to the UK.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises farmers’ concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to promote the highest food production standards.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding he plans to allocate to the Sevington border control post in each of the next five financial years.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Operating costs for the Government-run Sevington border control post are designed to be recovered by the Common User Charge (CUC)
The Government will keep the CUC rates under review and will continue to consider the impact of the charge on businesses of all sizes across all sectors. Regular reviews will be undertaken to monitor levels of payment compliance and import flows through the short straits.
Further information on the charge and the operating costs at Sevington will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to launch a consultation on phasing out cages for layer hens.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are firmly committed to maintaining and improving animal welfare and want to work closely with the farming sector to deliver high standards.
The use of enriched ‘colony’ cages for laying hens is an issue we will want to fully consider in due course.