Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 for the draft Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2023.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Regulations include a two-year implementation period to provide sufficient time for existing keepers to make necessary changes to comply with the new regulations or to find a suitable alternative home for their primate.
These measures do not meet the threshold for a formal impact assessment and no significant costs on the public sector or businesses have been identified. We will be working with local authorities and the sectors to identify suitable rehoming facilities for primates and determine how they can be supported effectively to meet potential future demand for their services.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason he plans to restrict the keeping of primates as pets through the draft Animal Welfare (Primate Licences) (England) Regulations 2023 rather than through primary legislation.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government opted to prioritise primate welfare by using secondary legislation. This approach means that these regulations will be in place earlier than would have been possible under primary legislation.
Over 98% of respondents to our 2020 consultation and 97% of respondents to our 2023 consultation expressed support for the introduction of a new prohibition on keeping primates privately in England without a relevant licence.
The regulations ban the keeping of primates without a relevant licence, ensuring that only those keeping primates to the highest welfare standards can do so.
We have thoroughly considered our 2019 call for evidence, consultations and wider stakeholder engagement to ensure the introduction of robust and proportionate measures. This includes activities on breeding, where primate keepers will be required to meet minimum welfare and licencing standards and subject to veterinary control and oversight.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what evidential basis the decision not pursue a ban on the keeping of primates was made.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government opted to prioritise primate welfare by using secondary legislation. This approach means that these regulations will be in place earlier than would have been possible under primary legislation.
Over 98% of respondents to our 2020 consultation and 97% of respondents to our 2023 consultation expressed support for the introduction of a new prohibition on keeping primates privately in England without a relevant licence.
The regulations ban the keeping of primates without a relevant licence, ensuring that only those keeping primates to the highest welfare standards can do so.
We have thoroughly considered our 2019 call for evidence, consultations and wider stakeholder engagement to ensure the introduction of robust and proportionate measures. This includes activities on breeding, where primate keepers will be required to meet minimum welfare and licencing standards and subject to veterinary control and oversight.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
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 an assessment of the potential merits of adding the spiny lobster to the list of protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Consideration of the species to be protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 is subject to a quinquennial review process by which Schedule 5 and Schedule 8 (listing protected animals and plants respectively) of the Act are reviewed by the British Statutory Nature Conservation Bodies; as set out under the requirements of Section 24 of that Act. This is the process by which Spiny Lobster would be assessed for addition to Schedule 5 of the Act.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps with Cabinet colleagues to help reduce the risk of antimicrobial resistance in humans arising from the overuse of antibiotics on farms.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government takes a ‘One-Health’ approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as set out in the ‘UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024’, which is underpinned by the UK’s 20-year Vision to Contain and Control AMR by 2040. Defra is a co-signatory with the Department of Health and Social Care on the 5-year National Acton Plan (NAP) and 20-year vision on AMR, and Defra leads on delivering the animal, plant and environment elements. The AMR NAP lays out the UK Government’s commitment to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals to reduce the risk of development and spread of AMR in animals and humans, while safeguarding animal health and welfare. A key component of this plan is to reduce the need for antibiotics, which is achieved through good farm management, biosecurity and disease prevention.
In the UK, we have a well-established antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance programme, which includes monitoring of sales and use of antibiotics in animals as well as routine monitoring of AMR in major food-producing species, healthy pigs and poultry. These surveillance programmes allow us to monitor progress and results are published every year in the UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Sales and Surveillance (UK-VARSS) report.
The recently published UK-VARSS report shows that sales of antibiotics in food-producing animals are at their lowest ever level, with a 59% reduction since 2014. This highlights the success of the UK’s voluntary and collaborative approach between the Government and the farming and veterinary sectors to make sustainable reductions in antibiotic use while ensuring high animal health and welfare. The report also highlights that sales of highest priority, critically important antibiotics have reduced by 82% since 2014 and account for less than half a percent of total sales. This is to ensure that these medically important antibiotics are protected for use in humans.
The newly published third edition of the UK’s One Health report, a joint report from the Veterinary Medicines Directorate and the UK Health and Security Agency, brings together antibiotic use and resistance data for people and animals. Sales of antibiotics in 2019 show that approximately two thirds of antibiotics are used in people while one third are used in animals. This report demonstrates the Government’s One Health approach to tackling AMR to keep antibiotics working in both people and animals.
The UK is now in the process of developing the second five-year NAP, which will run from 2024-2029. This will build on progress made in the 2019-2024 NAP and set out challenging ambitions and actions for the next five years, which will set us on course for achieving our long-term national and international ambitions.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with the Food Standards Agency on changing the legal definition of wishbone meat.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with the Government’s arm’s-length bodies, including the Food Standards Agency, on a range of issues.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many applications were received for the Sustainable Farming Initiative between January and September 2023; and how many of those applications have been awarded as of 20 September 2023.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) received a total of 1,855 applications for the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme between January and September 2023. Of these, 1,487 farm businesses have accepted an offer of agreement. SFI closed for new applications in June 2023 and started accepting new applications from September 2023. As of 18 October 2023, the RPA had received 14,937 registrations of interest for SFI23.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her priority outcomes are for the work of the Farm Tenancy Forum.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government’s priorities for the work of the Farm Tenancy Forum are to support the implementation of the Government response to the Rock Review and to explore all issues relating to the tenant farming sector in England. The Forum will provide ongoing engagement and feedback between Defra and the tenanted sector.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether Baroness Rock has been invited to be a member of the Farm Tenancy Forum.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Membership of the Farm Tenancy Forum consists of the organisations set out in the Terms of Reference published on 24 May 2023. The first meeting of the Farm Tenancy Forum discussed priorities for the forward work programme of the Forum in supporting the implementation of the Government response to the Rock Review on tenant farming. Baroness Rock attended for part of the first meeting and will have the opportunity to do so in future alongside the Minister as part of ongoing engagement in the implementation phase and to receive updates on the progress of the Farm Tenancy Forum.
Asked by: Daniel Zeichner (Labour - Cambridge)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what was discussed at the first meeting of the Farm Tenancy Forum on 19 July 2023.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Membership of the Farm Tenancy Forum consists of the organisations set out in the Terms of Reference published on 24 May 2023. The first meeting of the Farm Tenancy Forum discussed priorities for the forward work programme of the Forum in supporting the implementation of the Government response to the Rock Review on tenant farming. Baroness Rock attended for part of the first meeting and will have the opportunity to do so in future alongside the Minister as part of ongoing engagement in the implementation phase and to receive updates on the progress of the Farm Tenancy Forum.