Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 implications for his policies of the survey by the National Farmers' Union of England and Wales, published in August 2022, on the potential impact of the shortage of agricultural workers on the harvest in the first half of 2022.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A total of 40,000 seasonal worker visas were available in 2022, with 38,000 of these going to the horticulture sector and 2,000 to the poultry sector. HM Government recognises the importance of a reliable source of seasonal labour for crop picking and packing, and that it is a key part of bringing in the harvest for the horticultural sector. That is why the Prime Minster committed to look at expanding seasonal workers schemes in the leadership campaign. In the meantime, we will continue to monitor the labour needs of the agriculture sector and the impacts of these additional visas.
My Department works with the agriculture sector - including the National Farmers Union of England and Wales - and other Government Departments to understand labour supply and demand, including for both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the farming workforce.
As announced in the Government Food Strategy in June, HM Government has now commissioned an independent review which will consider how automation, domestic labour and migrant labour can contribute to tackling labour shortages in the food supply chain. The review will focus on farming, processing, and food and drink manufacturing as sectors which are critical for food production and food security.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 (a) increase the speed and (b) reduce the administrative costs of border checks to enable the UK's insect breeding industry to sell their products in the EU market.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Exports to the EU are subject to the EU’s import controls. All border checks at EU Border Control Posts are managed by the EU and associated costs are set out in EU law.
Exports of live insects for human consumption require the relevant Export Health Certificate (EHC), which are available via EHC Online. Exports of live insects not-for human consumption are subject to National Rules, meaning individual Member States can set their own import requirements.
There is no fee for the EHC itself when issued by the Animal and Plant Health Agency; however, an EHC needs to be certified by a suitably qualified certifying officer who will likely charge for their time. Official Veterinarians (OV) operate in a private market and will charge accordingly. Local authorities can charge on a cost recovery basis for the time of their Food Competent Certifying Officers. The number of OVs qualified to certify products of animal origin has increased from around 600 in 2019 to over 2,000 to date.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 plans to bring forward legislative proposals enabling the use of insect protein in pelleted chicken and pig feed in the UK, as approved by the EU in 2020.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
In 2021 the EU amended their Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) legislation to allow the use of insect protein in pig and poultry feed.
The EU had been working on these changes since the publication of their TSE Roadmap 2 in 2010. The European Food Safety Authority completed multiple risk assessments on behalf of the EU to inform the changes to their feed controls.
Following EU exit, Defra has been working with devolved administrations and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on a review of our domestic controls of livestock feed. Risk assessments were commissioned from the Animal Plant and Health Agency in summer 2021, to assess the animal health risk of the changes. These risk assessments are being finalised and public health considerations assessed by the FSA.
The conclusions of these risk assessments will inform decisions on whether to revise our existing feed controls.
Defra has also recently commissioned a scientific review on the use of insects as animal feed, including examining the evidence around nutritional, socio-economic and environmental considerations.
An enhanced evidence base will help us to better understand how insect farming could contribute to sustainable poultry and pig feed production.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 insect farming as a potentially sustainable source of protein for use in pig and poultry feed in the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
In 2021 the EU amended their Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) legislation to allow the use of insect protein in pig and poultry feed.
The EU had been working on these changes since the publication of their TSE Roadmap 2 in 2010. The European Food Safety Authority completed multiple risk assessments on behalf of the EU to inform the changes to their feed controls.
Following EU exit, Defra has been working with devolved administrations and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on a review of our domestic controls of livestock feed. Risk assessments were commissioned from the Animal Plant and Health Agency in summer 2021, to assess the animal health risk of the changes. These risk assessments are being finalised and public health considerations assessed by the FSA.
The conclusions of these risk assessments will inform decisions on whether to revise our existing feed controls.
Defra has also recently commissioned a scientific review on the use of insects as animal feed, including examining the evidence around nutritional, socio-economic and environmental considerations.
An enhanced evidence base will help us to better understand how insect farming could contribute to sustainable poultry and pig feed production.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 impact on biodiversity and deforestation of soya cultivated globally for use in animal feed in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2020, the UK imported approximately 2.7 million tonnes of soybean meal equivalents directly as beans, meal, and oil.1 This is in turn equivalent to a total of approximately 3.7 million tonnes of soybean. Of the 2.7 million tonnes of soymeal equivalents imported in 2020, the majority (2.3 million tonnes or 85%) can be attributed to use in animal feed.
The UK Government is committed to tackling forest and biodiversity loss associated with all domestic uses of soya, and as such, does not specifically assess the impact on biodiversity and deforestation of soya cultivated for use in animal feed in the UK. In 2018, the Government convened the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya for industry actors to work together towards the common goal of legal and sustainable soya. The Roundtable’s 2021 Annual Progress Report shows that 62% of the UK’s soya consumption is either covered by a certification standard, has been produced in compliance with the Amazon Soy Moratorium contract, or has been sourced from an area where there is a low risk of deforestation linked to production.
The Government recognises that voluntary commitments by businesses have not been sufficient to tackle deforestation and is committed to ensuring there is no place for illegally produced commodities on our supermarket shelves or in our supply chains. That is why we have introduced a world-leading due diligence law through the Environment Act. The law will prohibit larger businesses from using commodities produced on land occupied or used illegally and make it mandatory for businesses to conduct due diligence on their supply chains. Once operational, it will help to eradicate illegal deforestation from our supply chains.
1 UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya: Annual Progress Report 2021
(www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf)
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, the estimated amount of soya cultivated each year for use in animal feed in the UK.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In 2020, the UK imported approximately 2.7 million tonnes of soybean meal equivalents directly as beans, meal, and oil.1 This is in turn equivalent to a total of approximately 3.7 million tonnes of soybean. Of the 2.7 million tonnes of soymeal equivalents imported in 2020, the majority (2.3 million tonnes or 85%) can be attributed to use in animal feed.
The UK Government is committed to tackling forest and biodiversity loss associated with all domestic uses of soya, and as such, does not specifically assess the impact on biodiversity and deforestation of soya cultivated for use in animal feed in the UK. In 2018, the Government convened the UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya for industry actors to work together towards the common goal of legal and sustainable soya. The Roundtable’s 2021 Annual Progress Report shows that 62% of the UK’s soya consumption is either covered by a certification standard, has been produced in compliance with the Amazon Soy Moratorium contract, or has been sourced from an area where there is a low risk of deforestation linked to production.
The Government recognises that voluntary commitments by businesses have not been sufficient to tackle deforestation and is committed to ensuring there is no place for illegally produced commodities on our supermarket shelves or in our supply chains. That is why we have introduced a world-leading due diligence law through the Environment Act. The law will prohibit larger businesses from using commodities produced on land occupied or used illegally and make it mandatory for businesses to conduct due diligence on their supply chains. Once operational, it will help to eradicate illegal deforestation from our supply chains.
1 UK Roundtable on Sustainable Soya: Annual Progress Report 2021
(www.efeca.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/UK-RTSS-APR-2021.pdf)
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 using insect protein in pelleted chicken and pig feed.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Animal feed legislation permits the use of insects in animal feed, however, its use is subject to the requirements of both the Animal by Product (ABP) and Transmissible Spongiform Encephalopathies (TSE) Regulations which restrict the use of certain feeds.
In the United Kingdom it is currently permissible to use live invertebrates as chicken or pig feed as they do not fall within the scope of these controls, but pellets are currently not permissible in Great Britain. The potential merits and uses for insect protein as a livestock feed (including for chickens and pigs) is currently being considered by Government.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 take steps to reduce the cumulative costs of vet health checks and employing export and import agents for companies selling live insect eggs to the EU.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Animal and Plant Health Agency does not charge exporters for Export Health Certificates. Official Veterinarians operate in a private market and will charge exporters for certification. Decisions on the use of import and export agencies remain commercial matters for traders.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 remove trade barriers for UK-based companies exporting live insect eggs to EU countries.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) chapter of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement puts in place a framework that allows the UK and the EU to take informed decisions to reduce their respective SPS controls, with a commitment to avoid unnecessary barriers to trade. It is in both the UK’s and the EU’s interests to use this framework to reduce or streamline SPS checks where possible, ensuring that they are proportionate to the biosecurity risks.
The trade in live insects where they are not for human consumption is subject to national rules, meaning the individual importing country sets the requirements in an SPS context. If they are for human consumption, then this is an EU harmonised area and is subject to the EU’s harmonised import controls. The UK has secured listing from the EU to export insects for human consumption and the relevant Export Health Certificate is available via EHC Online.
Asked by: Owen Thompson (Scottish National Party - Midlothian)
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 takes to ensure that at least one official from his Department is present during all (a) meetings and (b) phone calls relating to Government business between Ministers and third parties.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Ministers holding meetings or phone calls on Government business are routinely accompanied by a private secretary or other official, in line with the expectations of paragraph 8.14 of the Ministerial Code.