Agriculture and Fisheries Council
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(9 years, 12 months ago)
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
My noble Friend, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord de Mauley), represented the UK at the EU Agriculture and Fisheries Council on 10 November in Brussels. Richard Lochhead MSP was also present.
Fisheries
Deep sea fishing opportunities 2015 and 2016
Commissioner Vella outlined his ambitions for setting fishing opportunity levels for deep sea stocks in 2015 and 2016. He stressed the need to manage stocks sustainably and to protect the long-term interests of EU fishermen. Several member states raised concerns with the Commission’s proposals and pressed for higher total allowable catches (TACs). Lord de Mauley, along with Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark, agreed with the Commission that deep sea ecosystems and fish stocks were particularly vulnerable and needed to be fished sustainably to ensure the future of deep sea fisheries: The presidency and the Commission engaged in political negotiations over the course of the day and eventually tabled a compromise proposal, which Spain and Portugal voted against. The compromise proposal was, however, agreed by qualified majority voting.
Agriculture
2015 budget amending letter
A majority of member states opposed the Commission’s proposals in its amending letter to the 2015 budget to fund the emergency measures in response to the Russian import ban from the CAP crisis reserve. These member states also supported a common declaration tabled by France setting out their opposition. Lord de Mauley expressed sympathy with member states who have been heavily impacted by the illegal and unjustified trade measures imposed by Russia. However, he made clear that the Commission’s proposal was part of much wider budget negotiations and that Finance Ministers would need to consider this within those discussions. Commissioner Hogan noted comments and stated that conciliation discussions were ongoing.
Cyprus state aid
The Commission agreed to Cyprus’s request to remove a Council decision under Article 108(2) TFEU, granting an exemption from state aid rules to waive all tax on motor fuel used for agriculture, from the Council agenda until December.
Any other business
Organic regulation
Lord de Mauley, along with a number of other Ministers, broadly supported the common declaration of the V4+3 countries (CZ, PL, HU, SK, BG, RO, SI) which calls on the Commission to ensure its proposal for a new organic regulation promotes growth of the sector. The Netherlands, Austria and Germany questioned whether the Commission should withdraw its proposal and start again given the extent of member states’ concerns. Commissioner Hogan said that he was willing to consider changes to the proposals and hoped that an agreement could be reached in 2015.
Peaches and nectarines
Commissioner Hogan rejected a Greek request for additional support measures for Greek peach and nectarine producers arguing that prices in Greece were above the EU average. He also urged Greece to consider structural problems in the sector as it had suffered three crises in the last six years and these would reoccur if problems of oversupply were not addressed.
Young farmers
The presidency presented a short paper on ideas to strengthen EU policies for young farmers. Several member states were interested in the idea of working with the European Investment Bank (EIB) to increase young farmers’ access to credit. While underlining the range of existing measures available to support young farmers, Commissioner Hogan confirmed that he had established a working group between the EIB and his Commission services to explore ideas in this area.
ICAAN internet domain names
France and Spain urged the Commission to prevent the sale of generic internet domain names such as .wine or .vin as it risked undermining the protection of EU producers, particularly those with registered geographical indications. Commissioner Hogan stressed that he was keeping this under close review.
Protection of honey bees
Slovenia called for a new legal framework on residue levels for substances in bee feed composition. Commissioner Andriukaitis stressed that he would do all he could to protect bee health but believed member states and bee keepers were often better placed to help.
Western corn rootworm
Austria, Hungary and Romania called for EU-wide measures to prevent the spread of the damaging western corn rootworm. Lord de Mauley supported their request and underlined the need to review the pesticides regulation. Commissioner Andriukaitis offered to examine the situation and acknowledged that a harmonised pesticide approval system would improve the availability of pesticides.
Avian Influenza
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(10 years ago)
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
The chief veterinary officer has confirmed a case of avian flu at a duck breeding farm in east Yorkshire. We have taken immediate and robust action to control this outbreak and to prevent any potential spread of infection. My Department, which is responsible for animal and plant health, is working closely with Public Health England. which is responsible for human health, and the Food Standards Agency, which is responsible for food safety.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency laboratory at Weybridge—an internationally recognised avian influenza reference laboratory—has analysed samples from the farm and identified the presence of highly pathogenic H5 avian flu. They have ruled out H5N1, the virus that can cause severe disease in people who are infected through close contact with infected birds. Further tests are being run to identify the exact strain of the disease. Importantly, the chief medical officer and Public Health England have confirmed that the risk to public health is very low.
It is important to note that this disease is highly pathogenic for birds, but the Food Standards Agency has advised that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk. Protecting animal health is one of the top priorities for my Department and we have extensive and rigorous processes to identify and tackle disease outbreaks. As part of this approach I chair a monthly biosecurity meeting and have reinforced the importance of monitoring and planning for likely risk.
We have tried and tested procedures for dealing with such outbreaks and our experts immediately responded when suspicions of disease emerged. I would like to take a moment to update the House on the sequence of events over recent days and the steps we are taking. A possible case of a notifiable disease on the farm was reported by a private vet on the morning of Friday 14 November. A Government vet visited the premises that day and submitted samples to the Weybridge laboratory, and the premises were immediately placed under restriction.
A series of tests was undertaken during the weekend and testing confirmed the presence of notifiable H5 avian flu on Saturday evening. Further tests ruled out H5N1. As the test results were confirmed, the chief veterinary officer, Nigel Gibbens, called an amber emergency meeting to assess the situation, and as a result declared a disease outbreak. At that point the national disease control centre was established and the full operational response was initiated, including informing the public and notifying key industry bodies.
At the same time a 10 km restriction zone was imposed around the farm. This zone bans movements of all unlicensed poultry and products within the area. Bird gatherings such as shows and exhibitions are banned and game birds cannot be released. The 6,000 ducks on the farm where the disease has been identified are to be culled. Investigations are ongoing to discover the origin of the outbreak, including whether it is linked to recent cases found in the Netherlands and Germany. This is detailed work to ensure we have identified all possible sources of the outbreak. It is essential that anyone keeping poultry practises good biosecurity, is vigilant for any signs of disease and seeks prompt advice from their vet.
We are never complacent about such an important issue, and we have a strong track record of controlling and eliminating outbreaks of avian flu in the UK. We are working closely with operational partners, devolved Administration colleagues and the industry to deal effectively with this outbreak. I will keep the House updated on further developments. I commend this statement to the House.
Maria Eagle (Garston and Halewood) (Lab)
I thank the Secretary of State for an advance copy of her statement and, in particular, for the briefing I received from her officials this morning. She is right to bring the matter to the House at the earliest opportunity, and I commend her for doing so.
Avian flu is a serious contagious viral disease in animals with a potential for some strains to infect humans, with all the health implications of that. Fortunately, human infection is rare, and, thankfully, the Government have already confirmed that the strain of avian flu discovered in ducks on Nafferton farm in Yorkshire is not H5N1, which is one of the strains that impacts humans, though it is believed to be an H5 strain.
When is it likely that the Department will be able to confirm definitively what strain we are dealing with? The Secretary of State will know that outbreaks of H5N8 have been confirmed in Germany and Holland during the past two weeks. There may be some connection between these outbreaks, so what steps is she taking to ensure full co-operation between the veterinary authorities dealing with the outbreaks there, particularly if, in due course, it is confirmed that the outbreak she is dealing with is of the same serotype?
I understand that the authorities in the Netherlands have introduced a three-day nationwide ban on the transportation of poultry and eggs, yet, as I understand it from what the Secretary of State said, even in the 10 km restriction zone in place around the affected farm in Yorkshire, the measure she has announced bans movement of unlicensed poultry and products. Is she therefore allowing the movement of licensed poultry and poultry products? Will she give us a bit more information about what is and is not allowed within the zone? How sure is she that any potentially infected poultry has not been, and will not be, moved out of the zone prior to inspections, and that it will not enter the human food chain? What steps has she taken to ensure that there is no human exposure to the virus on Nafferton farm itself, either among farm staff or among the staff being sent to deal with the outbreak?
The Secretary of State does not yet quite know what the source of the outbreak is. Would not this information impact on what measures ought to be taken to contain it, and should she not therefore operate on the precautionary principle until she is clear what the strain is? There is clearly a possibility that the source is wild birds—a Royal Society for the Protection of Birds reserve is nearby. What steps is she taking to initiate sampling of wild bird populations? What is she doing to ensure that landowners and members of the public watch out for signs of the disease in such populations?
The Secretary of State said that the birds on the farm are to be culled, but this has not happened yet. When is it to be done? For how long does she expect the restrictions she has announced to be in place if the outbreak is confined to just one farm? What is she doing to get information out to members of the public who keep a few chickens or ducks within the affected areas?
At this important time for the industry, and for consumers, what is her advice to consumers considering ordering their Christmas birds, whether ducks, geese or turkeys? We have heard that the FSA has been clear about this, but what is the Secretary of State’s advice? Does she expect trade impacts on exports to the European Union and around the world? What steps is her Department taking to help industry to deal with any concerns? We know from recent history that long and complex supply chains have the ability to accelerate the spread of food problems across international borders before being identified and tackled, so what assurance can she give to UK consumers that contaminated poultry and poultry products did not enter the European supply chain before this latest outbreak was identified?
Finally, can the Secretary of State assure us that she has all the necessary resources to prevent the spread of this disease, including the surveillance of wild birds and the testing, monitoring and culling of infected birds, and to enable any necessary communication with the industry and the wider public?
Elizabeth Truss
I thank the hon. Lady for her response. I am sure she will agree that very swift action has already been taken from the time of the original notification on Friday. We have already seen the testing taking place and the imposition of the restriction zone within which no movements are allowed.
On the hon. Lady’s specific question, people will be able to do that only if they are issued with a specific licence, and that will follow testing. We have set up a national control centre to deal with this disease. A local operation will be run out of Beverley to make sure that appropriate resources are put in place for surveillance in the local area.
We are taking this extremely seriously. One of my priorities as Secretary of State is to make sure that we are protected from animal and plant disease. One of the things we have done since 2010 is to protect the number of veterinary staff within our organisations to make sure that we have the resources to deal with disease outbreaks such as this. We have a good record, but we cannot be complacent. That is why earlier this year the Government released a new strategy on dealing with biosecurity risks and notifiable diseases.
The hon. Lady asked a number of questions. First, let us be clear that the Food Standards Agency has said that this does not pose a risk to food safety for UK consumers. That is a very important point. The chicken and turkey that people eat continue to be safe. This is a live animal disease. It is very important that we take steps to deal with it as soon as we are able, and that is what we have done. It poses a risk to the bird population, but it is an animal disease, not a human disease. I want to make that point very clearly.
The hon. Lady asked about protection for people working in farms in the area. As regards the risk to human health, we have put in place protections for the people on the farm that has been affected, and other local farms also have those protections in place. However, as I have said, the risk to human health is very low. That view has been supported not just by Public Health England but by the chief medical officer.
We are working with our European counterparts. Our organisation, APHA—the Animal and Plant Health Agency—is closely co-operating with those in the Netherlands and Germany to make sure that we are fully updated on what is happening.
We are at the early stages of examining what strain this is. We have ruled out H5N1 but we are looking closely at what strain it is. That is the work of the chief veterinary officer and we will know more in the coming days. Detailed work needs to be done so we are continuing to do that.
We have seen a good co-ordinated effort from all kinds of organisations, including the industry, the National Farmers Union, the police and the Animal and Plant Health Agency, and we need to keep that up to make sure we stamp out this disease. All the experience of animal disease shows that it is important to take early and swift action and make sure it is stamped out.
Sir Greg Knight (East Yorkshire) (Con)
I am sure the whole House is grateful to the Minister for making this statement today. Will she confirm that resources will not be an issue, and that whatever needs to be done will be done to eradicate this outbreak? Does she agree that in due course there should be a review of what has happened so that lessons can be learned? Will she look at the question of compensation for those whose businesses have been adversely affected? For the present, will she confirm that no holidaymaker intending to come to the East Riding need change their plans, and that east Yorkshire remains open for business?
Elizabeth Truss
I can assure my right hon. Friend that east Yorkshire is most definitely open for business. The restrictions that we have put in place are specifically on the poultry industry. Compensation will be paid to farmers. We will do that in a robust fashion that is properly audited, learning lessons from previous disease outbreaks. My right hon. Friend is right that it is important that we see the value to the wider £210 billion rural economy. Food and farming are important, which is why we are dealing with this disease outbreak as quickly and as effectively as possible, but we must also see the wider benefits to the rural economy.
Ms Margaret Ritchie (South Down) (SDLP)
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement. She referred to work with operational partners and devolved Administrations. Will she outline the nature of those discussions with devolved Administrations, particularly the Northern Ireland Executive, so that the local poultry industry in Northern Ireland can be protected and public health safeguarded?
Elizabeth Truss
I can assure the hon. Lady that we had a meeting today, which was part of our national disease control meetings, in which the Northern Ireland Executive were involved, as were the relevant authorities from Scotland and Wales. It is very important that we communicate properly with the devolved Administrations, and that is what we are doing, so they are fully involved in all our operations.
Mr Graham Stuart (Beverley and Holderness) (Con)
Many of my constituents work in egg production and poultry. Earlier today I was contacted by Elliott Eggs of Bewholme just outside the exclusion zone, which is already struggling to meet the supply demands of its supermarket customers. How will my right hon. Friend strike the balance between effective eradication of the problem and continued production, particularly in this festive season?
Elizabeth Truss
As my hon. Friend points out, the poultry and egg industry is a vital part of our food and farming sector, which contributes £100 billion to the economy. My answer to him is that the best way for us to do that is to deal with this as swiftly as possible and make sure that we eradicate the disease. That is why we have taken swift action. As I mentioned, the disease was notified to us on Friday. On that day Government vets visited the farm and an immediate restriction was placed on the farm. As soon as the analysis came back from the tests, the chief veterinary officer placed a restriction on a 10 km zone, so we are taking swift action to deal with the problem as soon as possible. All the previous disease outbreaks have shown that rapid, concerted, robust action needs to be taken.
Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)
The Secretary of State has said that the risk to public health is very low, but what discussions has she had with the Secretary of State for Health regarding the avian flu outbreak and this year’s winter flu jab campaign?
Elizabeth Truss
The chief veterinary officer and the chief medical officer have been working together very closely since the disease was identified. The chief medical officer and Public Health England have said that, based on the evidence they have received from the tests, there is a very low risk to public health. We will continue to work with those organisations.
Mr David Heath (Somerton and Frome) (LD)
I congratulate my right hon. Friend on the swift, proportionate and comprehensive action she has taken, but warn again that the resilience and capacity of our animal health precautions must be protected against future depredation by the Treasury. Will my right hon. Friend look again at how she can get the message across to the backyard poultry keepers, who are the most difficult to reach—they do not read the trade newspapers or have veterinary supervision at all times—about the symptoms they should be looking for in their birds so that they can report them?
Elizabeth Truss
First, I agree with my hon. Friend about the importance of animal and plant health. That is one of my key priorities as Secretary of State. As I have said, we have protected the number of vets in our organisation, despite the fact that we have had to make savings across the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs since 2010. As soon as we imposed the restriction zone, we put out the message in the media, as well as through many organisations such as the National Farmers Union and veterinary organisations. We want to get the message across to those members of the public who keep poultry that biosecurity measures are very important and that if they have any concerns they should speak to their vet.
Andy Sawford (Corby) (Lab/Co-op)
The Corby and east Northamptonshire food industry and farming industry, which is very significant, will be very concerned about the effects of this announcement on their already fragile industries, in the wake of events in recent years. On resources, the best thing to do is to focus tightly on the farm in question, as the Secretary of State has said. On the transportation of the carcases—she indicated that that will happen in 10 days’ time—will real precautions be taken regarding escorts and ensuring that the transportation is safe?
Elizabeth Truss
The hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. We are taking a very close interest in what is happening in the local area. That is why we have put in place an operating base in Beverley, very close to the local area, so that we can make sure that we deal with any issues there. The hon. Gentleman also makes a good point about the transportation of any culled ducks. We will make sure that they are properly protected so that we can dispose of them safely.
Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con)
Bearing in mind that Yorkshire is one of the largest and most intensive poultry producers, may I commend my right hon. Friend, the veterinary service and, indeed, the responsible producers on the action they have taken? Mindful of the fact that the chief veterinary officer is on record as saying that the British case may be linked to European outbreaks or, alternatively, that it may be found in migratory birds, will the Secretary of State make it a top priority of all the services to find out the source of the infection? Will she also send out a clear message that British poultry is still safe to eat after the bird has been cooked and that, on biosecurity and those trying to cover the story, it is absolutely essential that those trying to contain this very infectious disease are given the right of access?
Elizabeth Truss
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that poultry is safe to eat. The Food Standards Agency has confirmed that avian flu does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. We are very clear about that message. My hon. Friend is also right to say that Yorkshire is a key county for food production. I recently visited Yorkshire to see many of the different aspects of food production there. We will make sure that people get the message about biosecurity so that we can ensure that proper protection is in place. Swift action is the most important aspect.
Mr Jim Cunningham (Coventry South) (Lab)
What contingency plans does the Secretary of State have with regard to any threats to jobs in the supply chain?
Elizabeth Truss
The most immediate thing that we are focusing on—bear in mind that we were initially notified about the issue on Friday—is trying to nip the disease in the bud to make sure that it has the minimum possible impact. That is why it is important to take very urgent action.
Mr David Davis (Haltemprice and Howden) (Con)
From what the Secretary of State says, the responses of the farmer, the vet and the agencies were exemplary in both their swiftness and decisiveness. The suggestion that this outbreak has come from wild bird infection reminds us that east Yorkshire is part of a migratory network, as is much of the rest of the United Kingdom. What will she do to ensure that there is clear surveillance of areas subject to bird migration so that this cannot happen again?
Elizabeth Truss
My right hon. Friend is absolutely right. That is one of the possibilities that the chief veterinary officer is exploring. He is meeting the ornithological expert panel to look specifically at the migratory patterns of wild birds, which might be one of the factors. It is still early days, and we do not fully know the cause. His job is to investigate that, and he is working very hard on it.
Andrew Jones (Harrogate and Knaresborough) (Con)
Industry support and vigilance will be key to any success in implementing the restrictions, so what discussions is the Secretary of State’s Department having with trade bodies such as the NFU, the British Egg Industry Council or the British Poultry Council?
Elizabeth Truss
The Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (George Eustice), who has responsibility for farming, has spoken to the British Poultry Council and the British Egg Industry Council, and I have spoken to the NFU. Those organisations are represented in our national disease control centre to ensure full industry inclusion in what we are doing and to ensure we can get our messages across properly.
Julian Sturdy (York Outer) (Con)
We are entering a very important time of the year for the poultry industry. What will the Secretary of State continue to do with her DEFRA colleagues to get out the strong message that although we have to tackle the outbreak head-on, poultry and eggs are still perfectly safe to eat? We still have the best animal welfare in this country, and such strong animal welfare will help us in tackling this disease.
Elizabeth Truss
My hon. Friend is absolutely right that this outbreak does not pose a food safety risk for UK consumers. The Food Standards Agency has been absolutely clear about that. We have very high welfare standards in this country, and we have a successful, competitive poultry industry. We are being very open and taking firm and decisive action so that we can stamp the disease out in the early stages.
Roger Williams (Brecon and Radnorshire) (LD)
I congratulate the Secretary of State and DEFRA on maintaining the reference laboratory at Weybridge, which meant that she could very rapidly rule out the possibility that the H5N1 strain was responsible. What role will Weybridge continue to play in a worldwide observatory on this important disease? Knowing where each strain is active may help in fighting the disease in future.
Elizabeth Truss
My hon. Friend is absolutely right to say that our facilities at Weybridge are world class. We have world-class experts on avian influenza, which is very important in being able to deal with this disease. They are discussing the outbreak with their counterparts in other countries, because there have been outbreaks elsewhere. At this stage, we do not know what the connection is with the outbreak in east Yorkshire. He is absolutely right that that vital facility is an important part of our armoury in dealing with animal disease.
Julian Smith (Skipton and Ripon) (Con)
The vet who turned up to the farm on Friday was clearly on the ball, and dealt with this outbreak efficiently and quickly. What more can we and the Department do to help the veterinary profession to ensure that everyone who goes out to farms is looking out for the symptoms of this disease?
Elizabeth Truss
The chief veterinary officer has been very active in working with the veterinary profession and the British Veterinary Association to make sure that we get such messages across. A lot of information is available on our gov.uk website for people to access. Getting the message across is very important, and vets have a very important role to play.
Craig Whittaker (Calder Valley) (Con)
Calder Valley has many smallholdings, as the Secretary of State knows. What advice would she give to smallholders about who would be the first point of contact if they suspect a problem in the coming weeks?
Elizabeth Truss
My hon. Friend is right: there are many smallholders, not just in Calder Valley but right across the country, and if people have concerns or suspicions, they should speak to their vet. That is the best course of action.
Mike Crockart (Edinburgh West) (LD)
While public health is rightly uppermost in our minds at the moment, this is, as my right hon. Friend has said, a live poultry disease. Live poultry exports are worth a significant proportion of the £3.3 billion that poultry generates for UK GDP. Has she made any further progress in including the concept of compartmentalisation and export health certificates, and negotiated with our export markets to protect this valuable industry?
Elizabeth Truss
The most important thing we can do to protect exports is ensure that we deal with the disease as swiftly and robustly as possible. That is what will help protect our export markets, which, as my hon. Friend rightly says, are very important—indeed, we are looking to expand them.
Mrs Cheryl Gillan (Chesham and Amersham) (Con)
May I also congratulate the Secretary of State and her team on taking swift and decisive action in what is potentially a difficult situation? This is the busiest season, and in Chesham and Amersham there are some marvellous Aylesbury duck breeders who also produce excellent turkeys for the Christmas season. Can the Secretary of State assure me that she will put out regular bulletins and information—perhaps even send them to Members who have raised questions in the House—so that we can get those across to our constituents? Will she do absolutely everything to maintain consumer confidence at this critical time for many businesses across the country?
Elizabeth Truss
We are working closely with the Department of Health, which is represented in the Chamber this afternoon, as well as with the Food Standards Agency and Public Health England, to get the message across to consumers that there is no food safety risk to British poultry. My right hon. Friend is right to say that this industry is important. That is why it is important to be open about the disease and the way we are dealing with it, and to take swift, effective action.
Dr Matthew Offord (Hendon) (Con)
Given the proximity of the wild bird sanctuary to the area of contamination, does the Secretary of State feel that the exclusion zone of six miles is enough?
Elizabeth Truss
I thank my hon. Friend for the question about the exclusion zone. Earlier this year our Department set out a biosecurity strategy on notifiable diseases, and the 10 km exclusion zone was deemed to be a reasonable level to deliver the right amount of protection. The chief veterinary officer will be carrying out further work and investigating how the disease emerged, and following that work he will continue to work on our policy.
Bob Stewart (Beckenham) (Con)
Further to the question from my right hon. Friend the Member for Haltemprice and Howden (Mr Davis), may I ask the Secretary of State whether local birds such as robins, sparrows, thrushes and blackbirds could carry avian flu away from the area?
Elizabeth Truss
The chief veterinary officer has been clear that we do not know the precise causes of the disease and where it has emerged from, and we will be undertaking that work over the coming weeks.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
I understand from the statement that this case was found on a duck breeding farm. Do we know whether it was a duck or ducks that were affected, as opposed to some other form of poultry? As the Secretary of State addresses the House, is it the case that no recorded cases of avian flu in either a chicken or a turkey have been presented to her?
Elizabeth Truss
My understanding and the advice I have received from the chief veterinary officer is that only ducks were affected in this case.
Agriculture and Fisheries Council
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(10 years ago)
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
The next Agriculture and Fisheries Council will be on 10 November in Brussels. My hon. Friend, the Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Lord de Mauley), will represent the UK. Richard Lochhead MSP will also attend.
There are both agriculture and fisheries items on this month’s agenda.
On fisheries, agreement of the Council regulation fixing fishing opportunities for EU vessels for certain deep-sea fish stocks in 2015 and 2016 is expected.
On agriculture, there will be an exchange of views and possible agreement on state aid in the Republic of Cyprus in the form of a tax exemption on motor fuel used for agricultural purposes. There will also be an exchange of views on the Commission’s amending letter No.1 to the draft general budget 2015, which relates to the use of the crisis reserve to fund the support schemes available to farmers affected by the Russian import ban on agricultural food products.
There are currently five any other business items:
Organic production and labelling of organic products.
Peaches and nectarines in relation to the Russian ban.
Protection of honey bees in Europe.
Authorisation scheme for plant protection products.
Young farmers.
National Pollinator Strategy
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(10 years ago)
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
I would like to update the House on the progress that my Department has made in developing a national pollinator strategy for England.
Bees and other insect pollinators play an essential role in our food production and are vital to the diversity of our environment. Evidence suggests that many species of our pollinators are less abundant and widespread than they were in the 1950s. Although it is difficult to be certain about the rates or the causes of change, we do know that pollinators face a wide range of environmental pressures—including intensification of land use, loss of habitat and food sources, pests and diseases, invasive species, and pesticides—and that some species are already threatened.
The Government are committed to taking action on a range of fronts to protect pollinators. The national pollinator strategy launched today, sets out a 10-year plan which commits to actions that will help protect the 1,500 or so insect species that fulfil an important pollination role in England. The strategy aims to deliver across five key areas, which are:
supporting pollinators on farmland particularly through the new countryside stewardship scheme;
supporting pollinators across towns, cities and the countryside;
enhancing the response to pest and disease risks;
raising awareness of what pollinators need to survive and thrive; and
improving the evidence on the status of pollinators and the service they provide.
Recognising that there are gaps in our understanding of the status of pollinators, the strategy provides a framework for evidence gathering action that will help improve our understanding of current trends, economic and social value, and impacts of pressures. Together with building our evidence base, the strategy outlines that there are policy actions that the Government and others can take now to protect pollinators. The strategy also reaffirms our pollinator call to action, “Bees Needs: Food and a Home”, that was launched in July this year and which provides a simple message for all land managers on the essential needs of pollinators and how to fulfil them, including five simple actions such as planting more bee-friendly flowers and cutting grass less often. Finally, the strategy includes a commitment to review and refresh the vision, aims and policy actions from 2016, as evidence emerges.
The strategy builds on current policies across DEFRA which support pollinators, including habitat and species conservation, the honey bee disease control programme, pesticides and environmental stewardship as well as initiatives and campaigns across many other organisations. Our conservation charities, beekeeping associations, scientists and many volunteers already make a vital contribution in protecting these species and the services they provide. Equally, farmers, landowners and local authorities have a central role to play in their stewardship. Many of these individuals and organisations have made important contributions to the drafting of the strategy, and we will continue to work with these partners towards producing an implementation plan over the following six months.
Given that our current understanding about the problems facing wild pollinators is patchy and incomplete, our approach to developing new policies will be iterative and adaptive. The strategy provides a framework for doing more as we find out more.
Oral Answers to Questions
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(10 years ago)
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Mr Dave Watts (St Helens North) (Lab)
2. What plans she has to reduce water bills.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
Ofwat will announce its current price review in December. The draft determinations indicate that average water bills in England and Wales will fall by up to 5% in real terms from 2015 to 2020. This will mean lower bills for hard-working taxpayers as part of our long-term economic plan.
Elizabeth Truss
If we look at how much water bills rose under Labour, we see that from 1999 to 2009 bills went up by 20%. Under the new tough regulation of Ofwat, we are seeing a potential reduction of up to 5%, meaning lower bills for consumers, more investment in the water industry, and cleaner rivers and beaches.
Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con)
One way to reduce water bills is to reduce unnecessary water consumption, which occurs as more meters are rolled out. Another way to reduce costs is to cut leakage. What steps are being taken to encourage the water companies to increase the number of meters and to cut their leaks?
Elizabeth Truss
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. It is important that we make water usage more efficient. What we have seen since the industry was privatised 25 years ago is £116 billion of investment to upgrade infrastructure, reduce leakage, put in meters and make the industry more efficient.
Ian Lucas (Wrexham) (Lab)
What the Secretary of State has studiously avoided telling us is the record of this Government since 2010. Will she tell us what the percentage increase in water bills has been since 2010?
Elizabeth Truss
The hon. Gentleman will be aware that the early price determinations under this Government were the result of the previous Government’s policy. The recent price determination that has happened on our watch is seeing a potential reduction in the draft determination of up to 5%. We have already seen water companies keep their bills low and stabilised in recent years.
Paul Flynn (Newport West) (Lab)
6. How many badgers were killed in the recent pilot culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
Bovine tuberculosis is a terrible disease which threatens the future of our beef and dairy industries. We are pursuing a comprehensive strategy which includes improved cattle movement controls, vaccination in the edge areas, and culling badgers in areas where the disease is rife. We will publish all the data and the results of this year's culls once the quality assurance processes and the independent audit have been completed.
Paul Flynn
No answer, of course. Why are the Government so determined to carry on with this failed project, which is unpopular, ineffective, cruel, and bad science on the part of the nasty party?
Elizabeth Truss
Let us remember the situation that we inherited in 2010, The last Government failed to take any action on this issue, and we ended up with the highest rates of bovine TB in Europe. Are Opposition Members proud of that record? Are they proud of the fact that the disease increased ninefold on their watch? As I have said, we are pursuing a comprehensive strategy which includes improved cattle movement controls, vaccination in the edge areas, and culling where the disease is rife.
Sir Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con)
If we are concerned about all God’s creation, we ought to be just as concerned about cattle as we are about badgers. Is it not the case that the Republic of Ireland, whose beef cattle and dairy herds are similar to ours and which has had similar problems with TB, has followed exactly the same policies as this Government, and as a consequence has seen a 25% reduction in cattle TB infection?
Elizabeth Truss
My right hon. Friend has made an excellent point about Ireland. A similar policy has been pursued in New Zealand, where numbers have also been reduced; and Australia, whose comprehensive strategy involved culling in the wildlife population as well as improved movement controls, has eradicated bovine TB. It is vital to the future of our dairy and beef industries that we eradicate this terrible disease. We are the Government who are prepared to make difficult decisions, rather than repeating the outrageous failures of the last Government. They left us with the highest rates of bovine TB in Europe: that is the disgrace.
Huw Irranca-Davies (Ogmore) (Lab)
Notwithstanding the Secretary of State’s bluster, it is a fact that, following the catastrophic failures in year one—last year’s failures were catastrophic—in year two the Secretary of State abolished the independent expert panel, which was too independent for the Government. The Government watered down the estimates of the badger populations, and threw out the Secretary of State’s own original guidance, which involved culling 70% of badgers within six weeks in year one. Why did the methodology used to calculate the number of badgers change from year one to year two, why does the methodology applying to Somerset differ from that applying to Gloucestershire, and why were the methodologies not subject to independent scientific review? Let us go on the evidence.
Elizabeth Truss
An independent audit of the culls is currently taking place. A review is also being undertaken by our chief veterinary officer, which is important. The British Veterinary Association fully supports our comprehensive strategy to deal with bovine TB, and it is about time the Opposition thought about how they would deal with this terrible disease rather than criticise our policy, which has been shown, using international evidence, to deliver.
Andrew George (St Ives) (LD)
Bearing down on this terrible disease in cattle must clearly involve evidence-based policy making rather than policy-based evidence selection. Further to the question on the scrapping of the independent expert panel, what will the Government do to ensure that the evidence collected from this year’s cull is presented to the whole of the scientific community that has expertise in this subject?
Elizabeth Truss
I completely agree with my hon. Friend; it is important that we base our policies on science and evidence, and I am determined to do that. That is why we are independently auditing the results of this year’s culls, and why we had our chief veterinary officer and our chief scientist sign off the numbers for those culls. It is important to understand that this is part of a comprehensive strategy to deal with this issue. The strategy involves vaccination in the edge zones and cattle movement controls, as well as culls where the disease is rife. It has worked in Australia, and it is working in Ireland and New Zealand. Why will the Opposition not look at the evidence?
Peter Aldous (Waveney) (Con)
8. How many flood protection schemes are beginning construction in 2014.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
Between April 2014 and March 2015, 54 major new flood and coastal defence schemes will be starting construction. Over the period of this Parliament, we are spending more than £3.2 billion, compared with £2.7 billion in the previous five years, to protect this country from floods. This is one of my key priorities as Secretary of State.
Peter Aldous
I am grateful to the Secretary of State for her answer, which I am sure the communities that will benefit from the schemes will welcome. Will she ensure that work starts next year on the Lowestoft flood alleviation scheme, which will not only protect the properties that were badly damaged in last December’s storm surge but attract new investment and jobs to the town?
Elizabeth Truss
I enjoyed walking along Lowestoft seafront with my hon. Friend. It was rather a blustery day, but it is a fine town. I look forward to hearing further representations from him on the subject. He is a champion of the people of Lowestoft and I will listen very carefully to his representations.
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)
May we ask this quite new Secretary of State to start doing some joined-up thinking? Is it not about time she joined up the fact that the climate change and the flooding, which we are getting globally but which is making life very hard for people in the floodplains of this country, is linked to global warming? When will she be a big beast, as I hoped she was going to be, or even a little beast, and bang the table in the Cabinet to get us back on track on fighting global warming?
Elizabeth Truss
I completely agree that the erratic weather patterns are linked to climate change, which is why my Department is spending a huge amount on flood defences—we are also getting value for money. We are the first Government to put in place a six-year forward-looking programme on capital expenditure for flood defences, meaning that an additional 300,000 homes will be protected.
Mr Michael McCann (East Kilbride, Strathaven and Lesmahagow) (Lab)
9. What steps she is taking to support local authorities tackling air pollution in urban areas.
Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest) (Con)
10. What recent progress she has made on improving the cleanliness of rivers and beaches.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
We have made good progress in cleaning up our bathing waters and rivers. Our bathing waters are cleaner now than ever before, with 98% of them passing EU standards. Our rivers are in far better health. Pollution from sewage has gone down significantly. For example, phosphate pollution will fall by a fifth and ammonia by a sixth by 2015.
Mark Garnier
I am very grateful to my right hon. Friend for that answer. I believe she is already familiar with the majesty of the River Severn running through my constituency and with the extraordinary work done by the Environment Agency in keeping that river clear. But does she agree that smaller and less impressive rivers such as the River Stour, which also runs through Kidderminster, are just as important and need just as much attention?
Elizabeth Truss
I agree with my hon. Friend, and I enjoyed walking down the Severn as a child when we briefly lived in Kidderminster—it is a lovely river. Those rivers are highly valued for their landscape, recreation, angling and drinking water supply, and we are involved in many projects to improve the fish stocks on the River Severn. Overall, this Government have cleaned up 10,000 miles of river during this Parliament, which is equivalent to the length of the Amazon and the Nile.
Daniel Kawczynski (Shrewsbury and Atcham) (Con)
11. What progress she is making in reducing the burden of regulation on farmers.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
Food and farming are vital to the success of our economy. They generate £100 billion and employ one in eight people. We want to enable farmers to spend their time producing high quality British produce, which is why, by the end of this Parliament, we will have reduced the volume of DEFRA guidance by 80%.
Daniel Kawczynski
I know that the Government have done more than the previous Labour Administration on tackling regulations on farmers, but there are still many outstanding issues to be addressed. Today, when I spoke to Mr Stuart Jones from Asterley in my constituency, he highlighted additional complications. Will the Secretary of State redouble her efforts to tackle the number of regulations faced by our farmers?
Elizabeth Truss
I completely agree with my hon. Friend. We are making our inspection regime much more risk based, so that farmers who do the right thing and who are part of schemes such as Red Tractor or Pig and Poultry get fewer inspections, whereas those who mistreat animals or harm the environment get more of the Government’s attention.
Chi Onwurah (Newcastle upon Tyne Central) (Lab)
The common agricultural policy payment scheme is being used to trial the Government’s new identity assurance scheme, Verify, but actual authentication is carried out by the private sector company, Experian. Farmers without a credit history are not being authenticated and are not getting their payments. Is getting into debt now a new regulation to be followed before farmers can be paid?
Elizabeth Truss
The hon. Lady is absolutely right, and we are introducing a new scheme. It is important that we do this in an efficient way. We are using and working on a cross-government process to assure identity.
Mr Nicholas Brown (Newcastle upon Tyne East) (Lab)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental responsibilities.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
The priorities of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are: leading the world in food and farming; protecting our country from floods and animal and plant diseases; improving the environment and championing the countryside; and improving rural services. Food and farming are core parts of our long-term economic plan, contributing nearly £100 billion to the economy and employing one in eight people. I am sure that the House will want to join me in celebrating the latest figures that show we are now exporting our world-class food and drink to a record number of markets. That includes more than 1 billion pints of great British beer being sold to 113 countries.
Mr Brown
Will the Secretary of State help Britain’s hard-pressed dairy farmers by supporting fixed-price contracts and looking again at the product labelling regime and take some form of supply chain initiative with retailers and processers to dissuade them from, among other things, using liquid milk as a loss-leader?
Elizabeth Truss
I met the board of Dairy UK last week. I am keen to work to help our industry become competitive and deal with the increasing exposure to international markets. There are things that can be done on price volatility, and I have spoken to the supermarkets and the intermediaries on the matter.
Glyn Davies (Montgomeryshire) (Con)
T2. I share the concerns of the right hon. Member for Newcastle upon Tyne East (Mr Brown) about the UK dairy industry, which is deeply depressed in many parts of the country, and is suffering very large losses. We have an opportunity to debate this matter next week, as my hon. Friend the Member for Carmarthen West and South Pembrokeshire (Simon Hart) has secured a debate on it in Westminster Hall. Will the Secretary of State reassure us that she is meeting those concerns and is fully engaged with this problem, which threatens much of the dairy industry?
Elizabeth Truss
I am very much engaged with this matter, as is the Under-Secretary of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth (George Eustice). On a positive note, dairy exports have risen by 50% since 2010. I was in Paris last week at the SIAL trade fair—the world’s largest trade fair—and I met representatives from White Farm Cheddar who are now selling their cheese in the Carrefour supermarket chain across France. We have good international prospects for our dairy industry, and we are working hard to open the markets for British producers.
Maria Eagle (Garston and Halewood) (Lab)
The Secretary of State purports to run a science-based Department, so what evidence did she use to underpin her decision to withdraw CAP payments from farmers with solar panels on their land?
Elizabeth Truss
As I have just said, food and farming is one of our largest industries. It contributes £100 billion to the economy. There are 250,000 hectares of commercial roofs where solar panels can be located, but I do not think it is right that we locate solar panels on productive agricultural land that could be contributing to our economy, and I am sure the hon. Lady would not want that to happen.
Maria Eagle
There we have it—the Secretary of State had no underpinning evidence, just an ideological prejudice. Does she not realise, as the National Farmers Union has said, that land can be multifunctional, yielding an agricultural benefit as well as producing energy? At a time when National Grid is having to prepare contingency plans to ration energy use this winter because spare generating capacity is at a seven-year low, does she really think her priority should be cutting Britain’s ability to generate clean electricity? Is not this just another example of the self-styled greenest Government ever now resorting, in the Prime Minister’s words, to getting rid of the “green crap”, regardless of the consequences for our energy security?
Elizabeth Truss
This Government have a very good record on the environment. We have seen carbon emissions and air pollution go down and our rivers and water are cleaner. The problem with the hon. Lady’s point is that she does not seem to understand how important food and farming is to the rural economy. Under her Government, she failed to deal with animal diseases and the problems in that industry. The reality is that under this Government, we are seeing production expanding and overseas markets opening, and food and farming is now a much bigger success.
Sheryll Murray (South East Cornwall) (Con)
T3. Handline mackerel is a superb, sustainably caught fish, and many fishermen from my constituency have been struggling to secure a realistic price during the summer. How are the Government helping Cornish mackerel fishermen, and mackerel and herring fishermen throughout the UK, to combat the Russian trade embargo?
Mrs Mary Glindon (North Tyneside) (Lab)
T4. Last night, young people from Peru told MPs about the dire effects that climate change is having on their agricultural communities, and asked that Governments listen to what people in those communities need. Will the Minister give support to international and national initiatives to tackle climate change once and for all?
Elizabeth Truss
I completely agree with the hon. Lady that we do face a threat, and that is why this Government are taking action. The Prime Minister recently did a new deal on targets for carbon emissions. This Government take the issue very seriously.
Ann McKechin (Glasgow North) (Lab)
T5. Investing in research is vital if we are to meet the challenges of climate adaptation. Will the Secretary of State be a champion for an increase in our science budget, so that we can encourage innovation in both the public and private sectors?
Elizabeth Truss
I am very keen on science. It is vital that we use it better across Government. I have had a number of discussions with our chief scientist about our science strategy, which we will be launching in due course. We need science not just for the environment, which is very important, but also for our food and farming industry, and that is why we are sponsoring agri-tech strategies on how to obtain better yields from our crops and use water more effectively. Through better use of science and technology we can see a real improvement to our environment.
Mark Garnier (Wyre Forest) (Con)
T8. Although west bank residents of the River Severn in Bewdley have benefited from brilliant flood defences, those on the east bank live with the uncertainty of the Environment Agency’s final solution to local flooding. May I urge my right hon. Friend to seriously consider demountable flood barriers to protect the east bank residents of Beales Corner in Bewdley?
Grahame M. Morris (Easington) (Lab)
I draw the Secretary of State’s attention to the vital role of the Food and Environment Research Agency in detecting and responding to threats to our natural environment and the food chain, particularly in the light of the UK signing up to the transatlantic trade and investment partnership agreement. Will the right hon. Lady think again about privatising this agency, given its vital role?
Elizabeth Truss
That is not what we are doing. We are creating a joint venture. I went to visit FERA in York last week. It is a world-class institution, researching all kinds of things from plant diseases to the security of our food chain, which is very important, so I fully support its efforts. I want to see it much better linked into all the work we do across Government so that we can have a truly science-based strategy.
Mr Speaker
The hon. Member for Hexham (Guy Opperman) raced late into the Chamber like a perspiring postman. It is good of him to drop in on us and now that he has had a chance to recover his breath, let us hear from him.
Guy Opperman (Hexham) (Con)
T7. After that introduction, Mr Speaker, I hope I do not disappoint, but thank you for calling me, in any event. What steps are being taken to increase the planting of commercial forestry in this country so that we do not face again the problems of yesteryear, and businesses have the timber supply they need?
Elizabeth Truss
There is a huge opportunity to expand the market for high-quality British timber, and I am pleased to say that since Grown in Britain started last year, we have seen an 8% increase in the amount of domestic timber and British wood products that we are selling. I congratulate my hon. Friend, who has the very large Kielder forest in his constituency, and I look forward to its future success.
Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op)
If the Secretary of State is so keen on science, why does she not start applying it to the issue of where the birdsongs have gone? Will she look at Caitlin Moran’s recent article on this? The birds are disappearing from our gardens and our countryside, and they have disappeared even faster in the past four years. What is she doing about that with science?
State of Natural Capital
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(10 years, 1 month ago)
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
The Natural Capital Committee (NCC) published its second report on “The State of Natural Capital” on 11 March 2014. It set out the committee’s analysis of the challenges we face in England in ensuring the sustainable use of our natural capital assets and made three high-level recommendations, that:
The Government, as a matter of priority, take steps to improve our understanding of natural assets, focusing on those that are not being used sustainably and are important for our well-being.
The Government integrates the value of natural capital into decision making to enhance taxpayers’ value for money and generate net benefits for society.
The Government and interested parties endorse the Natural Capital Committee’s proposed 25-year plan to maintain and improve England’s natural capital within this generation.
The Government welcome the advice provided in the NCC’s second report. We recognised the value of natural capital to the country’s long-term economic growth and prosperity in the landmark “Natural Environment White Paper” published in 2011. A headline commitment in the White Paper was to establish the NCC to advise the Government on the sustainable use of natural capital. The White Paper also catalysed wider activity that is helping to address a number of the NCC’s recommendations, for example:
Programmes of research involving Government Departments and the research councils to improve understanding of natural capital, including: the £2.2 million national ecosystem assessment follow-on study which has developed tools to embed natural capital in local and national decision making; the Natural Environment Research Council’s £5 million work to establish ecosystem service thresholds; and the £5 million valuing nature network research programme on natural capital resilience.
Updating the Treasury’s Green Book guidance on policy appraisal and evaluation to set out more clearly how environmental impacts should be taken into account in public decision making.
Ambitious plans to protect and restore England’s natural capital such as the biodiversity strategy which aims to achieve no net loss of biodiversity by 2020.
These actions lay foundations that will help achieve the Government’s ambition that this will be the first generation to leave the natural environment in a better state than it inherited. The Government remain committed to protecting the natural environment and building on the important work they have initiated. As a result of the NCC’s advice we will take further action to:
Explore combining data sets from various sources to provide composite species and environmental indices that provide a clearer picture of the status of England’s natural capital.
Work with the NCC and the research councils to co-ordinate research efforts on natural capital so they complement one another and have the greatest impact.
Use the review scheduled for early 2015 to examine the possibility of accelerating the work by the Office of National Statistics to incorporate natural capital into the national accounts and ensure it is focused on informing policy decisions.
Alongside these actions we will look forward to seeing further more detailed proposals from the NCC in relation to its other recommendations so that Government can determine how best to respond to them. In particular we would welcome development in relation to:
The relative importance of the risk factors threatening the sustainable use of our natural capital; how to prioritise work to address these; and where to focus investments in our natural capital assets so that resources are targeted where they can have greatest impact.
Whether information is available at a sufficiently detailed level to: allow the identification of nationally important natural capital assets, the key owners and influencers of these assets, and the routes to enabling direct investment in these; and to allow natural capital strategic priorities to be relevant to decision makers and support national policies and plans.
The integration of the evidence base on natural capital sustainability with that in other areas of economic appraisal so that decisions to address unsustainable use can be directed towards those that will deliver benefit to society relative to alternative actions.
We recognise that we have knowledge that can help answer these questions and will therefore work with NCC in the run up to its final report to consider how they can be addressed with an aim to find practical steps that can be taken to improve the state of England’s natural capital. We also wish to ensure that the NCC’s expertise is available to advise Government on the recommendations in its final report. For this reason the committee’s term is being extended for six months so, while the Government of the day may wish to consider which structures are needed to sustain our natural capital, under this extended remit it would conclude its work by end September 2015.
Sustainable Drainage Systems
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(10 years, 2 months ago)
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
As part of the Government’s commitment to reducing flood risk, which will see us spend £3.2 billion over the course of this Parliament, we are determined to deliver the outstanding recommendations made by Sir Michael Pitt in his 2008 Review. His recommendations included encouraging sustainable drainage systems to reduce flood risk from new developments. A key element of this is providing certainty on who will own and maintain the drainage systems in the long term.
My Department has worked closely with the Department for Communities and Local Government to explore options to use the existing planning system to deliver effective and well-maintained sustainable drainage systems. We have sought an approach which meets Sir Michael’s recommendations, enables a rapid roll-out of sustainable drainage solutions at a local level and allows local planning authorities to best address site-specific local surface water run-off management concerns.
The next step is to consult on this approach. My Department, along with the Department for Communities and Local Government, is launching a joint consultation document today, setting out a possible approach for implementing sustainable drainage systems and mechanisms for ensuring their long term maintenance. A copy of this consultation document will be placed in the House Library.
Alongside this consultation, officials will continue to work with key partners to address outstanding issues.
Once we have the results of this work, the Government will reach final decisions on implementation.
Bovine TB
Elizabeth Truss Excerpts(10 years, 2 months ago)
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
I am today announcing that the second year of our planned, four-year badger culls is underway. This is part of our comprehensive strategic approach to make England TB-free. This approach includes cattle movement restrictions, vaccination in the edge area, and culling where the disease is rife. Culling operations started last night in the same areas as last year, west Gloucestershire and west Somerset.
It is vital that we work to make England bovine TB-free—doing nothing is not an option. England now has the highest incidence of TB in Europe—greater than the sum of all other EU member states combined. Between 1997 and 2010, TB in cattle increased ninefold, threatening the future of our beef and dairy industries and our nation’s food security.
That is why this Government are pursuing a comprehensive strategic approach, based on best international practice, supported by leading vets and endorsed by the Government’s chief scientific adviser, DEFRA’s chief scientist and the chief veterinary officer.
Overseas experience shows that in order to eradicate the disease, the problem must be tackled in both cattle and wildlife. Therefore, our approach includes tighter cattle testing and movement restrictions, vaccination of badgers in the edge area and culling of badgers in those areas where the disease is rife. This approach has worked in Australia which is now bovine TB-free, and Ireland and New Zealand, where incidence has dramatically reduced.
Last week I launched the badger edge vaccination scheme to support badger vaccination projects in those areas next to the high- risk area. Vaccinating healthy badgers in this way is intended to create a buffer zone to help prevent the spread of bovine TB to new parts of the country where the incidence of the disease is currently very low. Vaccination cannot, however, replace culling in TB hot spots such as Gloucestershire and Somerset as it does not cure infected badgers who will continue to spread disease.
This year’s culls incorporate improvements learned from last year’s culls and those set out in the independent expert panel’s report. We have made changes to improve the humaneness and effectiveness, including better training and monitoring.
The culls will be monitored closely and we have published details of the monitoring procedures that AHVLA and Natural England will follow on gov.uk. As with last year, these results will be independently audited.
Elliott Review
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
Today Professor Chris Elliott has published his independent review into the integrity and assurance of food supply networks to ensure that consumers have confidence in the food they buy. The final report and the Government’s response are available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications and copies have been placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
The review
Professor Elliott’s final report sets out a systems approach to improve the food supply chain. As last February’s horsemeat fraud incident demonstrated, it is vital that we move towards a more open culture that allows consumers to understand where their food comes from and encourages industry to take more responsibility. We are determined to take action against food fraudsters.
Recommendations
I welcome Professor Elliott’s report and would like to thank him for his important work in this area. I accept all of his recommendations, many of which we are already implementing:
Giving top priority to the needs of consumers in relation to food safety and food crime prevention, including through targeted testing, intelligence gathering and surveys
A zero tolerance approach to food fraud including by the development of whistleblowing and reporting of food crime
A shared focus by Government and industry on intelligence gathering and sharing
Improving laboratory testing capacity and capability to ensure a standardised approach for testing for food authenticity
Introducing new unannounced audit checks by the food industry to protect businesses and their customers
Government support for the integrity and assurance of food supply networks through the creation of a national food safety and food crime committee
Leadership and co-ordination of effective investigations through the creation of a new food crime unit
Ensuring mechanisms are in place for serious food safety and or food crime incident management by implementing the recommendations of the troop report.
Action to date
Food and farming is the UK’s largest manufacturing sector, contributing £96 billion to the economy and employing almost 4 million people. That is why we are taking action to ensure that British food remains world leading and to give consumers absolute confidence in what they are buying.
As well as maintaining confidence at home, it is also vital for the reputation of our exports. This reputation is helping us to expand trade internationally through the export action plan, opening up new markets in China and the US and increasing exports of UK food and drink by 7% since 2010.
This Government are committed to helping consumers know what they are buying. We are giving them more power by improving labelling to make it easier for them to understand where their food comes from. Consumers are increasingly choosing British food, with an increase of about 10% in the amount of British beef on sale in UK retailers.
Through our plan for public procurement we are making it easier for food procurers to make decisions about the locality, authenticity and traceability of their food, enabling schools and hospitals to provide their pupils and patients with high- quality British food. This will also boost UK farming by opening up £400 million of potential new business.
From this month, practical cookery and food education is compulsory in the new national curriculum up until the age of 14. This will empower the consumers of the future, giving children a better understanding of where their food comes from and why it is important that we know what is in our food.
Forthcoming action
Professor Elliott’s report states there is a lack of direct evidence of food crime in the UK but that we should not be complacent if we want consumers to be confident in the food that they buy. That is why we intend to act immediately with the Food Standards Agency to establish a food crime unit by the end of the year. In the first instance the unit will focus on developing the evidence and intelligence picture so that we better understand the risks. The unit will be trialled for two years after which we will review progress and likely future needs.
The report recognises that we have some of the most robust food safety controls in the world and that we are working closely with public analyst laboratories to achieve more effective and efficient working in scientific services to support food standards. We have also provided an additional £2 million this year to support local authority sampling and testing to help protect consumers.
Professor Elliott has also highlighted the role that the food industry needs to play in the gathering and sharing of intelligence. We will build on what Professor Elliott has already achieved by helping to facilitate discussions across the industry and we will work with businesses to remove the duplication in the current industry-driven audit system while ensuring consumers remain protected.
Finally, to oversee the delivery of these recommendations I am establishing a cross-government group on food integrity and food crime. This group will build the better collaboration identified as being necessary between the departments with an interest in food integrity, surveillance and crime.
Industry action
I have had assurances from industry and Professor Elliott that food businesses are already implementing many of the report’s recommendations. The current industry focus on developing shorter supply chains is an important contribution to having a more resilient food supply chain. Since February 2013 industry and Government have reported over 55,000 tests on processed beef products, with no horsemeat found since April 2013. This demonstrates the effectiveness of the action being taken to assure supply chains and protect consumers.
Protecting the integrity of our food and empowering consumers is central to this Government’s vision of a competitive, resilient and growing UK food supply chain.
Extraordinary Agriculture and Fisheries Council
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The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Elizabeth Truss)
An extraordinary Agriculture and Fisheries Council will take place in Brussels on 5 September. I will represent the UK. Richard Lochhead MSP, Michelle O’Neill MLA and Rebecca Evans AM will also attend.
The extraordinary Council has been called to discuss the Russian import ban on EU agricultural products.
There are currently no other confirmed items on the agenda.