Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which (a) plant and (b) animal diseases are screened for when importing products into the UK.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has a strong, risk-based regulatory regime in place which implements a comprehensive range of the Government's measures across the plant biosecurity continuum (pre-border, at the border, and inland) to minimise biosecurity risks and meet World Trade Organisation standards. Import requirements for Great Britain are in place to guard against a wide range of regulated plant pests and diseases and to detect any new and emerging issues requiring assessment and possible mitigation. These requirements include a prohibition on the highest risk trees and the phytosanitary certification of regulated plants (including trees) which are permitted for import, to provide official confirmation that prescribed conditions have been complied with. Such imports must be pre-notified to the Government and are subject to an official inspection and surveillance programme. Similar arrangements are in place in Northern Ireland, under the Northern Ireland P rotocol.
We constantly review whether further safeguards are needed and have a scientific process to assess the changing threats to plant biosecurity. The UK Plant Health Risk Register contains details of over 1400 plant pests and pathogens, 30% of which can affect trees. Risks are reviewed monthly with Ministers and prioritised for action such as further regulation or increased inspections.
The UK requires competent authorities in EU and non-EU countries to provide health certificates to exporters of animals and animal products to the UK. The health certificates are tailored for the species or type of product imported into the UK and sum up a number of compulsory conditions for animals and products of animal origin to be imported into the UK . The certificates require guarantees of freedom from exotic and notifiable animal diseases in the UK, including Foot and Mouth Disease, Avian Influenza, Newcastle Disease and also all other exotic 1 and endemic 2 diseases of animals.
_
1Exotic disease - not normally present in the UK, such as foot and mouth disease
2Endemic disease - already present in the UK, such as bovine TB
The gov.uk page is the main source of information on notifiable and exotic disease available at the following link: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/notifiable-diseases-in-animals.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 impact of Shell's proposal to commence seismic blasting on the Wild Coast of South Africa on (a) whales and (b) other marine life in that area.
Answered by Steve Double
The issue of seismic exploration off the east coast of South Africa is before the judiciary in South Africa. The UK will continue to track developments.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many people have been (a) issued with a fixed penalty notice for failing to comply with a noise nuisance warning notice and (b) prosecuted following a noise nuisance warning notice in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Defra does not hold information on Noise Abatement Notices and Fixed Penalty Notices. This information is only held at local authority level.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many noise (a) abatement notices and (b) warning notices have been issued in England in each of the last five years.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
Defra does not hold information on Noise Abatement Notices and Fixed Penalty Notices. This information is only held at local authority level.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received representations from (a) national parks and (b) areas of outstanding natural beauty requesting additional powers to control the use of motorcycles.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government published its response to the Landscapes Review on 15 January. This included some consultation questions on potential restrictions to motor vehicles on unsealed unclassified roads and making a greater range of enforcement powers available to National Park Authorities and the Broads Authority to help manage visitor pressures. We have received 15,000 responses to our consultation and are currently in the process of analysing these. We will publish a response to the consultation in due course.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether people are able to adopt and bring to the UK abandoned animals from the Ukraine.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has already put in place new emergency support for those fleeing Ukraine with their pets. Using an emergency licence, people fleeing Ukraine can bring their pets to the UK with any quarantine costs met by the Government.
We understand, that as a nation of animal lovers, UK citizens may want to help offer a safe and permanent home to rescue animals that are in Ukraine.
However, Ukraine is an unlisted country due to the confirmed presence of rabies and rabies is likewise present in Romania, Poland and Belarus. We are concerned about risks to human and animal health in light of the rabies risk posed by commercial and rescue movements from Ukraine, which come through particular third countries (Belarus, Poland or Romania), given the animals are often of unknown background and disease status, unlike family pets.
We are aware of non-compliant commercial movements from these countries which has been exacerbated by the crisis in Ukraine. We have assessed the disease risk posed to human and animals from commercial dogs, cats and ferrets who are non-complaint. We have concluded, given the already high-risk of rabies from these countries, and the additional risk of serious non-complaint commercial movements, we have taken the difficult decision to temporarily suspend commercial movements of dogs, cats and ferrets, including rescue animals, from these countries.
This temporary safeguarding measure, ending on 14 May, will keep the public and peoples pets safe. Stopping these non-complaint commercial movements form entering the UK will also prevent vital quarantine spaces having to be reallocated from pets belonging to those fleeing Ukraine.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on (a) cats and (b) dogs being transported to the UK with their owners in the passenger cabin of aircraft; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government takes the importation of pets seriously and we are committed to preserving our high standards of biosecurity and animal welfare.
All pets travelling into Great Britain (GB) are checked for compliance prior to entry. To facilitate this, Defra requires that all pets entering GB airports are transported safely and securely to the pet checking facility. Operations at airports are sensitive and complex, and other vital border controls need to be considered. In practice, this means that most pets currently travel to GB by air as 'manifest cargo'. This enables the pets to be transferred directly to the pet checking facility and means that a documentary record of the pet’s arrival is available to customs and other border control officials.
The safety and welfare of the animals is given prime importance before approval to transport the animals is granted. Carriers are required to ensure that air quality and quantity, temperature and pressure is maintained while the animals are on board. Food and water must also be provided, according to the journey duration. Stringent requirements are also in place for pet transport containers under the International Air Transport Association Live Animals Regulations, with space and ventilation concerns paramount.
Currently, the only animals that are authorised to travel in the cabin of a commercial aircraft into GB are Recognised Assistance Dogs.
We have no immediate plans to change the means by which pet cats and dogs may enter GB by air.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 made an assessment of the impact of 5G on insect populations.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has funded national and global assessments of the status of pollinating insects and the factors driving changes in their populations. These assessments do not identify 5G as a driver.
Defra has not undertaken any formal assessment of the potential effect of the roll out of the 5G network on insects, other animals or other wildlife. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead Department for 5G roll out and I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Stroud, Dr David Drew, on 29 May 2019 to PQ 256919.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 list all the food products that are currently blocked from entering Northern Ireland from Great Britain as a result of the Northern Ireland Protocol.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The vast majority of food products can currently move from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI). However, there are various products affected by EU prohibitions and restrictions which apply on movements from GB to NI due to the Northern Ireland Protocol. This includes bans on specific products, such as mechanically separated meat, Live and Un-depurated Live bivalve Mussels from class b and class c waters and seed potatoes.
POAO goods moving from GB to NI must be accompanied with an Export Health Certificate, unless it moves under STAMNI (Scheme for Temporary Agri-food Movements to Northern Ireland). The UK has been successful in achieving a derogation from the EU prohibition on chilled meat. Under our Unilateral Declaration chilled meat may continue to move from GB into NI using model health certificates while we work with the EU on a more sustainable solution. [ Declaration by the United Kingdom on Meat Products: 30 June 2021 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)]
There are also certifications for products regulated for plant health purposes, such as most fruit and vegetables, which must be accompanied by a Phytosanitary Certificate. All fresh produce is covered by STAMNI and moves without plant health paperwork. However, not all traders are eligible for STAMNI.
This is not sustainable, and it is an example of the bottom line that the Protocol is not working. We are proposing a common-sense solution: goods going to the EU should go through regulatory checks and customs formalities, and those staying in the United Kingdom should not. That means no checks or documentation for goods moving from GB to NI and staying there.
Asked by: Hilary Benn (Labour - Leeds Central)
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 list the types of kosher food that currently cannot be sent from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The vast majority of Kosher foods, including Products of Animal Origin (POAO), can currently move from Great Britain (GB) to Northern Ireland (NI). A small proportion of POAO commodities are classed by the EU as ‘Prohibited and Restricted’ (P&R), which ordinarily would prevent them from moving into the EU or NI from a third country. At present, these POAO P&R goods are still able to move from GB to NI by virtue of the ‘standstill period’, which has preserved existing grace periods for GB-NI trade while we work with the EU on a more sustainable solution. This includes the Kosher commodities that fall into a P&R category.
However, POAO (including Kosher) commodities moving from GB to NI must be accompanied by an Export Health Certificate, and also meet further regulatory conditions. The certification process is complicated and time consuming, which has rendered the supply of Kosher commodities to the small NI Jewish community uneconomical for most suppliers. The community can therefore technically access Kosher goods, but in practice they are still unable to do so by virtue of how the NI Protocol works.
This is not sustainable, and it is an example of the bottom line that the Protocol is not working. We are proposing a common-sense solution: goods going to the EU should go through regulatory checks and customs formalities, and those staying in the United Kingdom should not. That means no checks or documentation for goods moving from GB to NI and staying there, such as Kosher foods for the NI Jewish community.