Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
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 delaying the implementation of (a) reporting requirements and (b) charges under the extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Work is ongoing to deliver our Extended Producer Responsibility scheme and we’re continuing to engage closely with manufacturers, retailers, and packaging companies on the design of the scheme.
We will continue to work with industry as we finalise plans to ensure that the scheme will deliver our environmental goals.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to announce the charges to be levied under the extended producer responsibility scheme for packaging; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Work is ongoing to deliver our Extended Producer Responsibility scheme and we are continuing to engage closely with manufacturers, retailers, and packaging companies on the design of the scheme.
We will continue to work with industry as we finalise plans to ensure that the scheme will deliver our environmental goals.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether her Department plans to consult on the proposed Target Operating Model for non-commercial imports of live animals.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Under the Target Operating Model, the requirements for the movement of non-commercial pets to/from GB will not change. Requirements can be found here on Gov.uk.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from (a) the Scottish Government, (b) its Executive Agencies and (c) its Non Departmental Public Bodies on which areas to designate as Highly Protected Marine Areas.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Scottish Government has the powers to designate MPAs and HPMAs in Scottish inshore waters (up to 12 nautical miles from the coast). The designation of MPAs and HPMAs in offshore waters (more than 12 nautical miles from the coast) are reserved to the UK Government and we work closely with the Scottish Government on matters related to the offshore area. No representation have been received from Scottish Government or others regarding which areas to designate as HPMAs
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs have been imported under the Pet Travel Scheme since December 2019.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Year | Total number of Dogs |
Dec 2019 only | 21,013 |
2020 | 186,629 |
2021 | 165,871 |
2022 | 282,909 |
This is a summary of animals entering Great Britain under the Pet Travel Scheme via an approved route. It does not include pet animals that enter other parts of the UK (such as Northern Ireland or the Channel Islands) or pet animals that enter Great Britain from other parts of the UK. It does not include any animals that enter Great Britain under the Pet Travel Scheme from the Republic of Ireland (as these movements do not need to follow an approved route).
The data regarding the Pet Travel Scheme covers pets entering Great Britain and is based on information provided by checkers employed by approved carriers of pet animals. This data can be subject to change as often throughput data from carriers can be received late.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs have been imported under the Balai Directive since December 2019.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Year | Number of dogs imported under the Balai Directive (EU) |
December 2019 | 2,938 |
2020 | 60,189 |
2021 | 72,766 |
2022 | 37,284 |
2023 (to May 2023) | 15,152 |
This information is drawn from the external TRACES and IPAFFS online systems not directly controlled by the department.
TRACES (Trade Control and Expert System)
IPAFFS (Import of products, animals, food and feed system)
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has any statutory responsibilities for highly-protected marine areas in Scottish waters that are outside the limit of the territorial sea.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Scottish Government has the powers to designate MPAs and HPMAs in the Scottish inshore waters (up to 12 nautical miles from the coast). The designation of MPAs and HPMAs in offshore water (more than 12 nautical miles from the coast) are reserved to the UK Government.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
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 she has taken to help tackle labour shortages in food and drink supply chains.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to ensuring that the farming sector has the labour it needs to support food security, including supporting domestic workers and skills, and investment in automation.
We commissioned the Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain to consider how we can further support this, and look forward to receiving the report by the summer.
As set out at the recent UK Farm to Fork Summit, we will make 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas available for 2023 and 2024, with an additional 10,000 if needed.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has made an assessment of the potential zoological impact of illegally imported dogs on the indigenous dog population.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We regularly undertake risk assessments on zoonotic pathogens associated with the trade of commercial dogs or movement of pet dogs to inform our risk management. For example, we have been working on assessments of Echinococcus multilocularis, tick borne diseases, Brucella canis, Leishmaniasis and dog-mediated rabies. The data on illegal dogs are very difficult to gather, therefore our risk assessments assume non-compliance with the existing requirements for imports. Some of these assessments are focussed on the risk to public health and others on the risk to animal health. For pathogens which are not zoonotic and are not notifiable, as infection does not have a significant impact on the health of the dog, there is no reason for government intervention and therefore we have not undertaken specific assessments.
Asked by: Kenny MacAskill (Alba Party - East Lothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many cases of Echinococcus Multilocularis were reported in each year from 2011 to 2022.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
From the 1st January 2021 to the 31st December 2022 there have been no cases of Echinococcus multilocularis detected in the UK fox population, based on annual, randomised, opportunistic testing for fox carcases to give a 95% confidence of detecting 1% prevalence.