Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the paper published in The Veterinary Record in March 2022 entitled analysis of the impact of badger culling on bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the high-risk area of England, 2009–2020, what assessment she has made of the implications for her Department's policies of that paper's findings; and if she will make it her policy to prevent industry-led badger culling.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Dr Christine Middlemiss, and Defra's Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor Gideon Henderson, have made clear their views on the paper referenced in their letter to the Veterinary Record of 18 March and in the correction published on 21 May, which had no impact on their original conclusions.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to improve accessibility of Britain’s nature for (a) children and teenagers, (b) low-income households and (c) older people.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have no plans to change legislation as it is unnecessary to do so to encourage people to enjoy nature. These are just some of the examples of the work being undertaken to increase access for all.
For children and young people the Government has launched the Sustainability and Climate Change Strategy a commitment to increase opportunities for all children and young people to spend time in nature, learn more about it, and get involved in improving their environment. This includes the introduction of a new Natural History GCSE, the climate change award which will formally recognise and celebrate the achievements of children and young people and the establishment of the National Education Nature Park an initiative aimed at harnessing the collective potential of the education estate in England to increase and improve biodiversity.
For low-income households the £9 million Levelling Up Parks Fund launched in August 2022 will create or significantly refurbish over 100 green spaces, instilling pride in place, and targets the 100 most deprived urban communities across the UK who also lack accessible green space.
For older people the Green Social Prescribing Programme is targeting under-represented groups and those most affected by health inequalities, and as such includes interventions targeted at older people. For example, in the Greater Manchester site, the programme has set up a dementia gardening and nature arts group at a local GP surgery.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce barriers to people transporting their pets to and from Europe.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are continuing to seek agreement from the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1' listed status and recognition of the UK's tapeworm-free status. We see no valid animal health reason for these not to be granted. Achieving these would reduce barriers for pet owners and assistance dog users transporting their pets to the EU and allow them to use pet passports.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
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 benefits of reinstating the pet passport system for travel to Europe.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are continuing to seek agreement from the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1' listed status and recognition of the UK's tapeworm-free status. We see no valid animal health reason for these not to be granted. Achieving these would reduce barriers for pet owners and assistance dog users transporting their pets to the EU and allow them to use pet passports.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will make it their policy to expand the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 to give a legal right of public access to rivers, woods and green belt land.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We have no plans to change legislation as it is unnecessary to do so to encourage people to enjoy nature.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of including mandatory visual checks of imported puppies at the UK border as part of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Now that we have left the EU, we are making significant changes to domestic law through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, bringing in legislation to further protect the welfare of pets, farmed and kept wild animals in Great Britain.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill allows us to further protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill also includes powers to introduce further restrictions on pet travel and on the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. We have no plans to introduce further visual checks as part of the Bill.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government is taking steps to increase regulations on animal welfare within greyhound racing.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Act 2006 already allows action to be taken where there is evidence of cruelty to an animal or a failure to provide for that animal's welfare needs. This includes where greyhounds are raced at greyhound racing tracks or kept at trainers' kennels. Further to these general provisions, specific welfare standards, including the requirement to have a veterinary surgeon present while dogs are running, for all greyhound racing tracks in England are set out in the Welfare of Racing Greyhound Regulations 2010. We have no plans at this time to introduce more regulation.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps the Government has taken to improve public accessibility to Britain’s rivers.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Access on regulated waterways can be granted through licenses from the appropriate navigation authority. Access on unregulated waterways can be arranged through voluntary access agreements. We will continue to be supportive of navigation authorities' work to enhance and develop their waterways to encourage greater levels of access. Local authorities can also apply for bathing water status.
A total of 25 projects funded by the Green Recovery Challenge Fund across England have included activities to improve access and enjoyment of inland waterways, generally as part of a wider project. These projects total almost £16m of investment. The £80m Fund overall has funded 159 nature-based projects to restore nature, tackle climate change and connect people with the natural environment.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Climate Change Committee report entitled Net Zero: The UK’s contribution to stopping global warming, published in May 2019, if he will take steps to implement that report's recommendation to increase the hedgerow network by 40 per cent by 2050.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We are required by the Environment Act 2021 to set at least one long-term biodiversity target, in addition to our target to halt the decline in species abundance by 2030. This target, and others set under the Act, will help target the causes of decline and drive actions to deliver nature recovery. To meet our species abundance target we will need to create more, better joined up habitats, which will include hedgerows.
Defra will encourage and support increased hedgerows through our environmental land management schemes. We are working with Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot participants to gather learning from the pilot version of the Standard and are incorporating this feedback into the development of the live version of the Hedgerow Standard and its supporting capital items, which are due to be rolled out into the scheme in 2023.
Asked by: Fleur Anderson (Labour - Putney)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is encourage investment in (a) hedgerows and (b) other nature-based climate solutions.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
HM Government is investing in nature based solutions more than ever before, from a range of sources. This includes our £750m Nature for Climate Fund. We are also introducing three new environmental land management schemes that will invest in a range of nature based solutions: the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI); Local Nature Recovery; and Landscape Recovery. These schemes will pay for sustainable farming practices, such as reducing carbon emissions, creating, and preserving habitat, such as hedgerows, and making landscape-scale environmental changes, all of which are important steps towards achieving our 25 Year Environment Plan ambitions and our carbon net zero goals. A Hedgerow Standard has been included within the initial phase of piloting of the SFI scheme. Capital grants to support the planting and reinstatement of hedgerows are currently available via the Countryside Stewardship scheme. The SFI will also focus on grassland management, agro-forestry, cropland management, soil management, and nutrient management.
In addition to the public funding, we are enabling a step change in investment flows from the private sector, and we are developing our environmental land management schemes for farmers and landowners so that they can crowd in private investment. HM Government has set a new target to raise at least £500 million in private finance to support nature's recovery every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion per year by 2030. We are putting in place the conditions for the private sector to invest in nature-based solutions, including through our Natural Environment Investment Readiness Fund which is supporting the development of 86 projects across England, which have the potential to generate revenue from ecosystem services in order to attract and repay investment. We are also developing a blended finance Big Nature Impact Fund which will leverage private capital to invest in such projects.