Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 impact of his Department's weight-based Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme on the use of aluminium containers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In autumn last year my department published an assessment of the impacts of implementing extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR), including on inflation, when the regulations were laid in parliament. However, this impact assessment does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors.
The aim of pEPR is to ensure businesses - rather than taxpayers - are responsible for the cost of dealing with packaging when it becomes waste. These regulations will encourage manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging they use and increase recyclable and reusable alternatives. It is up to individual producers to decide whether and how much of these costs are passed on to consumers. While pricing decisions by producers will differ by product, the impact of pEPR on overall inflation is estimated to be small, increasing consumer costs by less than £1 a week per household, or 0.1%.
From year 2 of pEPR, fee modulation will be introduced and this will benefit the most recyclable materials by providing a fee discount. In contrast, less recyclable alternatives will incur an increased fee.
Since January 2025 the Recyclability Assessment Methodology has allocated packaging to fee modulation sub-categories, ensuring less-recyclable materials attract higher fees and drive investment in recyclability and innovation.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 impact of applying a weight-based approach to the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme on the glass bottle industry.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In autumn last year my department published an assessment of the impacts of implementing extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR), including on inflation, when the regulations were laid in parliament. However, this impact assessment does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors.
The aim of pEPR is to ensure businesses - rather than taxpayers - are responsible for the cost of dealing with packaging when it becomes waste. These regulations will encourage manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging they use and increase recyclable and reusable alternatives. It is up to individual producers to decide whether and how much of these costs are passed on to consumers. While pricing decisions by producers will differ by product, the impact of pEPR on overall inflation is estimated to be small, increasing consumer costs by less than £1 a week per household, or 0.1%.
From year 2 of pEPR, fee modulation will be introduced and this will benefit the most recyclable materials by providing a fee discount. In contrast, less recyclable alternatives will incur an increased fee.
Since January 2025 the Recyclability Assessment Methodology has allocated packaging to fee modulation sub-categories, ensuring less-recyclable materials attract higher fees and drive investment in recyclability and innovation.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment has he made of the potential impact of his Department's weight-based approach to the Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme on levels of food inflation.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In autumn last year my department published an assessment of the impacts of implementing extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR), including on inflation, when the regulations were laid in parliament. However, this impact assessment does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors.
The aim of pEPR is to ensure businesses - rather than taxpayers - are responsible for the cost of dealing with packaging when it becomes waste. These regulations will encourage manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging they use and increase recyclable and reusable alternatives. It is up to individual producers to decide whether and how much of these costs are passed on to consumers. While pricing decisions by producers will differ by product, the impact of pEPR on overall inflation is estimated to be small, increasing consumer costs by less than £1 a week per household, or 0.1%.
From year 2 of pEPR, fee modulation will be introduced and this will benefit the most recyclable materials by providing a fee discount. In contrast, less recyclable alternatives will incur an increased fee.
Since January 2025 the Recyclability Assessment Methodology has allocated packaging to fee modulation sub-categories, ensuring less-recyclable materials attract higher fees and drive investment in recyclability and innovation.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 impact of the weight-based Extended Producer Responsibility Scheme on the use of plastic containers.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In autumn last year my department published an assessment of the impacts of implementing extended producer responsibility for packaging (pEPR), including on inflation, when the regulations were laid in parliament. However, this impact assessment does not include an assessment of the impact on specific materials or sectors.
The aim of pEPR is to ensure businesses - rather than taxpayers - are responsible for the cost of dealing with packaging when it becomes waste. These regulations will encourage manufacturers to reduce the amount of packaging they use and increase recyclable and reusable alternatives. It is up to individual producers to decide whether and how much of these costs are passed on to consumers. While pricing decisions by producers will differ by product, the impact of pEPR on overall inflation is estimated to be small, increasing consumer costs by less than £1 a week per household, or 0.1%.
From year 2 of pEPR, fee modulation will be introduced and this will benefit the most recyclable materials by providing a fee discount. In contrast, less recyclable alternatives will incur an increased fee.
Since January 2025 the Recyclability Assessment Methodology has allocated packaging to fee modulation sub-categories, ensuring less-recyclable materials attract higher fees and drive investment in recyclability and innovation.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to ensure that all commercial fish stocks have catch limits that do not exceed scientific advice.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This is in line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with international partners to set annual catch limits for shared fish stocks, informed by the best available scientific advice on the state of those stocks. This is principally advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of commercial fish stocks have catch limits set (a) at and (b) below levels recommended by scientific advice.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We strive to improve the sustainability of our fisheries and publish an annual independent assessment of the outcomes of our negotiations to set catch limits with other coastal states. The Government’s independent report for 2025 found that 46% of all assessed stocks had catch limits that were set at or below the recommended scientific advice.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to ensure that North Sea cod is fished at sustainable levels.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to restoring our stocks to sustainable levels and supporting the long-term viability of the UK fishing industry. This is in line with our domestic and international obligations, including those of the Fisheries Act 2020 and Joint Fisheries Statement. We work with the EU and Norway to set annual catch limits for shared North Sea cod stocks, informed by the best available scientific advice on the state of these stocks. This is principally advice from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea. The UK continues to lead the trilateral (UK, EU and Norway) cod management working group to further our joint understanding and collaboration on existing management measures, and to consider improvements or modifications which could provide additional protection to cod substocks.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility costs on the beer and pub sector.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a range of issues, including the potential impact of Extended Producer Responsibility for packaging (pEPR) costs on obligated producers, local authorities and the waste management sector. The updated assessment of the pEPR scheme, published in October 2024, evaluated overall effects on packaging producers without disaggregating by sector.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
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 impact of the application of VAT to unredeemed deposits within the Deposit Return Scheme on (a) inflation and (b) consumer costs.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
HM Treasury, as the lead department, and HM Revenue & Customs are continuing to consider the best way of accounting for VAT on DRS deposits and will set out further detail in due course. The Government is committed to ensuring that the DRS operate effectively, and that VAT is not a barrier to them doing so.
Asked by: Sammy Wilson (Democratic Unionist Party - East Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, in what way is the Animal and Plant Health Agency verifying that approved methods are used in (a) farms with large integrated businesses and (b) other sized farms.
Answered by Angela Eagle - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has legal powers under Section 28 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to inspect farm premises. These inspections help ensure that animals bred or kept for farming purposes are treated in accordance with welfare regulations.
APHA conducts a set number of welfare inspections on farms each year. These visits are often unannounced and are intended to assess compliance with animal welfare legislation.
In addition, APHA investigates complaints of the illegal slaughter or killing on farms. APHA provides advice on how to achieve compliance and where necessary, APHA supports the local authority in carrying enforcement actions, including prosecutions, to ensure compliance.