Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to publish a response to the consultation in 2022 on public sector food and catering policy.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is reviewing the policy. Our ambition, set out in our election manifesto, is for half of all food supplied into the public sector to be from local British producers, or certified to higher environmental standards whilst being in line with World Trade Organisation and domestic procurement obligations.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 farmers have a stable income.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government strongly believes in the importance of farming. For this Government, food security is national security, requiring a sustainable, resilient and healthy food system that works with nature and supports British Farmers.
The Government understands the importance of stability for the sector and so have delivered on our commitment to restore stability by continuing the rollout of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) scheme.
Record numbers of farmers are now in an Environmental Land Management scheme, and the Government wants to maintain the momentum built over recent months. This Government will continue to support farmers by optimising its schemes and grants in an orderly way, ensuring they produce the right outcomes for all farmers while delivering food security and nature recovery in a just and equitable way.
We recognise the pressures that so many farmers are under, including cost pressures. We need to make sure the agricultural transition is fair and will back British farmers in everything we do.
The Government is offering a new deal for farmers giving farmers their future back, including:
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the standard of welfare of farmed fish in the UK.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal Welfare Committee’s updated opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing was published last year. A GB-wide farmed trout joint Government and industry working group is now examining the issues raised in the report to explore the potential options for more detailed welfare at killing requirements. The Scottish Government are also working closely with the salmon industry.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effectiveness of Ofwat in regulating Northumbrian Water.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ofwat will not hesitate to hold water companies to account where they fall short of our expectations. For example, Ofwat recently issued a proposed enforcement order against Northumbrian Water for the management of wastewater treatment works which proposes financial penalties of £17 million (5% of their relevant annual turnover). The consultation period closed on 10th September after which Ofwat will make their final decision. The Water (Special Measures) Bill will also give Ofwat further powers to hold water companies to account where they do not deliver for customers and the environment.
The Government will also soon carry out a review to shape further legislation that will fundamentally transform how our water system works and clean up our rivers, lakes and seas for good, ensuring that the regulatory framework that underpins our water sector delivers long-term stability, with clear, achievable targets.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to change existing policies to prevent the use of neonicotinoid pesticides.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to preventing the use of those neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten our vital pollinators. At this stage, officials are currently determining the most effective way to implement this commitment.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 reduce the level of pollution in the River Wear.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Environment Agency (EA) routinely assesses the level of pollution in the River Wear, taking water samples from multiple sampling sites. The EA is working with the Coal Authority, Northumbrian Water and local farmers to reduce pollution levels in the River Wear.
Northumbrian Water who operate in and around the River Wear has been informed that the inspection rates of their facilities will increase fourfold over this financial year. This will put the onus on Northumbrian Water to increase compliance at their sites which discharge into the River Wear.
The government's Storm Overflow Discharge Reduction Plan is driving investment to reduce sewage discharges from storm overflows. This includes storm overflows discharging into the River Wear.
Since 2011, the Water and Abandoned Metal Mine programme has delivered a number of small-scale interventions in the Wear catchment to begin to address the approximately 80km of the River Wear and its tributaries that are polluted by lead, cadmium or zinc.
Defra and the EA continue to work with farmers in the River Wear catchment, and across the country, to minimise and prevent agricultural pollution. This includes through advice-led enforcement of farm regulations to bring farmers into compliance, providing significant grant funding to improve infrastructure and adopt new technologies, and paying farmers through Environmental Land Schemes to deliver improved environmental outcomes.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 made an assessment of the potential merits of appointing a Commissioner for the tenant farming sector.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra is currently considering next steps following analysis of a Call for Evidence that it undertook with selected industry organisations and discussions with the Farm Tenancy Forum on the role of a Commissioner. We are committed to supporting the tenanted sector and continue to put their needs and voices at the heart of our decisions.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 to help ensure effective implementation of the Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Agricultural Landlord and Tenant Code of Practice (the Code) was published following full endorsement by all organisations represented in the joint Government and industry Farm Tenancy Forum (the Forum) across the industry, including in farming media. Forum members are proactively embedding the Code within their organisations, as well as advising on other industry organisations’ uptake of the Code. The Forum Chair has written to land agents to establish their proposals for embedding the Code. Defra is working closely with the Forum to assess the response to the Code and its effectiveness.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 adequacy of current legal protections afforded to tenant farmers.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra is working with the Farm Tenancy Forum to closely monitor and understand the application and impact of current legal protections afforded to tenant farmers. This will be further explored in Defra’s June Survey of Agriculture and Horticulture. We will keep the need to consult or legislate, or both, under review.
Asked by: Mary Kelly Foy (Labour - City of Durham)
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 effectiveness of hedgerow protections.
Answered by Mark Spencer
There has been no formal assessment made of the effectiveness of hedgerow protections. The majority of hedgerows on agricultural land were previously managed in accordance with rules contained in cross compliance that were conditioned to payments made through the Basic Payment Scheme and some agri-environment schemes. As we moved away from the Basic Payment Scheme at the end of last year, cross compliance and the hedgerow management rules also ended. The Government consulted last year on the best approach following the end of cross compliance and on the 16 April laid new regulations that, if approved, will put management practices for hedgerows on agricultural land into law.
Certain hedgerows are also protected from removal under the Hedgerows Regulations 1997 if they meet specific criteria. These regulations are enforced by Local Planning Authorities, who can utilise their understanding of the local context and landscape character.