Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
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 taking to help ensure that guide dogs and their owners are able to travel to the EU without having to produce an animal medical certificate.
Answered by Scott Mann
The United Kingdom has been formally 'listed' as a 'Part 2' third country for the purposes of the European Union pet travel scheme, which means that new rules apply to pet movements from Great Britain to the European Union and to Northern Ireland. The pet health and documentary requirements for such pet travel are set out under the European Union Pet Travel Regulations. These rules also apply to assistance dogs.
Defra recognise the undue impact that these changes are having on many people, including pet owners and assistance dog users. We are continuing to seek agreement from the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1' listed status and recognition of the United Kingdom's tapeworm-free status, and we see no valid animal health reason for these not to be granted.
Achieving these would alleviate a number of pet travel rules for all travellers, including the need for an Animal Health Certificate (AHC). We have one of the most rigorous pet checking regimes in Europe to protect our biosecurity and we continue to discuss pet travel issues with the European Union at appropriate forums.
We are proactively engaging with the assistance dog community and relevant external partners on the impacts on dog movements from Great Britain to the European Union. We will continue to work closely with assistance dog organisations on these issues and to share the latest advice and guidance (in accessible formats) with their members on pet travel requirements.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of facilitating a fast-track route for exports of perishable goods from the UK to the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government works with relevant authorities to mitigate delays for passengers and freight travelling from the UK to the EU. In traffic management plans any prioritisation or fast-track route is extremely difficult and open to legal challenge. Therefore the most effective approach is to keep all traffic moving safely. Previous prioritisation schemes designed to pre-empt readiness issues associated with EU-exit did not need to be deployed and the legal gateway for them has closed.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
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 (a) the minutes of the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee, (b) a full list of Ministers who attended the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee, (c) a list of all attendees of the last meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee and (d) the date of the next scheduled meeting of the Trade Specialist Committee; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The minutes and attendees of the first meeting of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures are published on the GOV.UK website: Trade Specialised Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk).
The meeting is co-chaired by senior officials from the UK and EU.
As set out in Article 8 (7) and (8) of the TCA, the Committee shall meet at least once a year, and the meeting schedule is set by mutual consent. No date has yet been agreed for the second meeting.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking towards a veterinary agreement between the UK and the EU to help reduce trade barriers on both imports and exports between the UK and the EU; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement (TCA) includes a Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) chapter which allows the UK and the EU to take a risk-based approach to our respective SPS border controls and provides a basis for cooperation on avoiding unnecessary barriers to trade.
We are open to discussions with the EU on additional steps to further reduce trade friction, but these cannot be on the basis of future alignment with EU rules. This would compromise UK sovereignty over our own laws. Our focus continues to be on supporting businesses adjust to the new trading arrangements. This includes:
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Export Health Certificates (a) have been issues in each of the last five years and (b) his Department has estimated will need to be issued in each year between 2022 and 2026 inclusive; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) issues Export Health Certificates (EHC) for animals and products of animal origin.
EHCs issued in the last four years | ||||
Year | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 |
Total EHCs issued | 87,618 | 108,462 | 112,660 | 410,529 |
Due to APHA’s data retention period for export certification, APHA no longer holds any records for export consignments carried out during 2017.
Estimated volumes based on percentage increase from previous years (Figures rounded to nearest 1,000) | |||||
Year | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 | 2026 |
EHCs to be issued | 427,000 | 444,000 | 462,000 | 480,000 | 500,000 |
Percentage increase based on 4% rise from 2019-2020. 2021 data is following EU exit which shows an increase of 264%.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many Animal Health Certificates (a) have been issued in each of the last five years and (b) his Department has estimated will need to be issued in each year between 2022 and 2026 inclusive; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill
For the purposes of the EU Pet Travel Scheme, Great Britain and the Crown Dependencies are considered a Part 2 listed third country which requires an Animal Health Certificate (AHC) for pet travel to the EU and Northern Ireland (NI). AHCs are issued for a maximum of five pets.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) does not issue the actual AHCs but provides Unique Certificate Numbers (UCNs) to Official Veterinarians (OVs), on request, which they then use to issue individual AHCs to their clients.
APHA has issued 38 batches of UCNs (with 50 UCNs in each batch) to OVs since 1 January 2022 to date, allowing for approximately 1,900 AHCs to be issued by vets. Prior to 1 January 2022, AHCs were not required to enter the EU and NI with UK pet passports being issued instead, so the number of AHCs issued for previous years is zero.
APHA is unable to estimate the number of AHCs which will need to be issued in each year between 2022 to 2026 inclusive. APHA has been issuing UCNs since 1 January 2022 so does not have previous year trends to estimate figures, and with the uncertainty of the Covid-19 pandemic it is difficult to predict future numbers.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Department for International Trade regarding the potential merits to the UK’s commitment on sustainable fishing of an Economic Partnership Agreement with the Republic of the Maldives; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Defra and DIT officials work closely together on trade negotiations. The Republic of the Maldives did not have a trade agreement (a Free Trade Agreement or a development-focused Economic Partnership Agreement), with the EU, and therefore, the UK could not include the Maldives as part of its continuity programme. We currently trade on World Trade Organisation terms with the Maldives.
The UK Government is strongly committed to tackling unsustainable fishing and would welcome the opportunity to continue its engagement with the Maldives through the London Stock Exchange Group on raising green and blue bonds and financing options to fund sustainable projects.
Additionally, both the UK and the Maldives are contracting parties to the Indian Ocean Tuna Commission, where the UK is continuing to seek adoption of new measures for the protection of tuna stocks in the Indian Ocean.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
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 has had any (a) financial contract and (b) meetings with (i) Clifford Chance LLP, (ii) FTI Consulting and (iii) Fenchurch Advisory Partners in the last five years; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Defra has not identified any records of any financial contracts with Clifford Chance LLP, FTI Consulting or Fenchurch Advisory Partners within the last five years.
Details of ministerial meetings are published quarterly and can be found on GOV.UK.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
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 or his Cabinet colleagues at COP26 had with their international counterparts on the impact of deposit return schemes on tackling plastic pollution.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The consultation held earlier this year proposed the scheme would go live in late 2024, subject to views from the consultation. Final details of the timeline for bringing the deposit return scheme (DRS) into operation, as well as the scope of the scheme for material and size of drinks containers to be included, will be presented in a Government response which will be published in due course.
No specific discussions were had by the Secretary of State or Cabinet colleagues at COP26 regarding DRS. However, we know that successful international schemes have achieved upwards of 90% collection rates for drinks containers which can play a big part in tackling plastic pollution.
Asked by: Gareth Thomas (Labour (Co-op) - Harrow West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his timetable is for the Government’s planned Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) to begin operation; whether that DRS will be an all-in scheme; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill
The consultation held earlier this year proposed the scheme would go live in late 2024, subject to views from the consultation. Final details of the timeline for bringing the deposit return scheme (DRS) into operation, as well as the scope of the scheme for material and size of drinks containers to be included, will be presented in a Government response which will be published in due course.
No specific discussions were had by the Secretary of State or Cabinet colleagues at COP26 regarding DRS. However, we know that successful international schemes have achieved upwards of 90% collection rates for drinks containers which can play a big part in tackling plastic pollution.