Environment Act 2021 Targets Debate
Full Debate: Read Full DebateDepartment: Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Lord Krebs
Main Page: Lord Krebs (Crossbench - Life peer)Department Debates - View all Lord Krebs's debates with the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
(1 month, 1 week ago)
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Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)
River health is incredibly important for all sorts of reasons. Coming back to invasive species, we have issues with invasive species, such as mink, in rivers, so we need to look at it in the round. We have agriculture pollution, and there is run-off from other areas as well. We also have the issues around invasive species; Himalayan balsam, which I mentioned earlier, destroys riverbanks. There is lots of work that needs to be done. We need to get the data and information correct so that we can target resources to make the biggest difference. But if we do not get our freshwater rivers sorted out, we are not going to resolve the biosecurity issues, and we are not going to meet our targets. It is something that we are absolutely focused on delivering on.
Lord Krebs (CB)
My Lords, I am grateful to the Minister for arranging a meeting with her officials earlier this year to discuss Defra’s Habitats Regulations General Implementation Report for the Reporting Period 2019 to 2024. The report makes discouraging reading: of the 71 habitat types covered by these regulations, only 3% are in favourable condition. These include some of the most valuable habitats in the country, such as Dartmoor, the Ouse Washes, and so on. What steps is Defra now taking to improve the conservation status of these protected habitats, bearing in mind that one of the major causes of them being in poor condition is nitrogen pollution from agriculture and other sources?
Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Lab)
With the interim and statutory targets that we have on habitat, a mix of groups—farmers, environmental NGOs, businesses and the public—are going to have to come together to meet them. To meet the habitat targets, we have lots of inter- dependencies, which makes it more difficult. The noble Lord is right to point to nitrogen, which is a particular problem. This comes back to the noble Baroness’s question about rivers; this is an important part of our delivery around habitats. I know that the noble Lord has been meeting officials, and we very much value his expertise in this matter. I suggest that we continue to work together, because these targets are challenging.