Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 March 2025 to Question 38358 on Fisheries, what steps his Department is taking to update the data it provides to the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is responsible for updating UK fishing vessel data on the Global Record of Fishing Vessels, Refrigerated Transport Vessels and Supply Vessels. The MMO last updated the record on 24 March 2025.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 potential merits of operating a carding system to (a) warn and (b) sanction states which (i) export seafood to the UK and (ii) do not cooperate with efforts to tackle illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK, after leaving the European Union, retained the powers originally set out in the EU’s Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing Regulation (1005/2008) to ban imports from countries that do not cooperate with efforts to tackle IUU fishing. Import bans are currently in place on seafood from Cambodia, Comoros and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. The UK’s legislative framework also requires the banning of imports and landings of seafood from fishing vessels that are included on the UK’s IUU vessel list as having been identified as engaging in IUU fishing. Other control measures are also in place to manage imports of seafood into the UK from other countries. Such measures include the operation of a catch documentation scheme to ensure seafood imported into the UK is caught in line with national and international regulations on fisheries conservation and sustainable management. Defra will continue to keep under active review steps to combat IUU fishing.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 bring forward legislative proposals to tackle the use of products created through illegal deforestation in supply chains.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We recognise the need to take action to ensure that UK consumption of forest risk commodities is not driving deforestation, and we will set out our approach to addressing this in due course.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 prevent microplastics entering nature from washing machines.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is concerned about the possible risks to public health and wildlife from microplastics which enter the environment from the atmosphere and road runoff and from washing machines.
Previous collaborative work with the water industry found that microplastic from clothing and textiles make up a small proportion (around 1%) of the total microplastics found within wastewater treatment works.
We are continuing to investigate microplastics and the risks they may have to public health and to the environment. Defra is working with water companies to investigate microplastics detected during wastewater treatment and their potential to enter the receiving aquatic environment.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 adequacy of the progress of industry and businesses in developing cost-effective microplastic filter solutions for washing machines.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials gratefully received information which the honourable member kindly provided in her recent letter to me. The information was reported by a washing machine filter technology group describing solutions to tackling microplastics and microfibres as a product of washing textiles and clothing. Officials are currently assessing the details.
The Government is concerned about the risks microplastics in our water environment may pose to public health and to the environment. Defra is working with water companies to investigate microplastics detected during wastewater treatment and their potential to enter the receiving aquatic environment.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 27227 on Shellfish: Animal Welfare, whether he has made an assessment of the potential merits of including all animals recognised as sentient beings in the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Pursuant to the Answer of 13 February 2025 to Question 27227, no policy decisions about these animals in relation to the Animal Welfare Act (2006) have been made whilst the evidence-base is being built.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 make a decision on the inclusion of decapod crustaceans in the Animal Welfare Act 2006; and what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for the Home Department on their inclusion in the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to an evidence-based approach to improve welfare standards for decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs. Defra is commissioning research and expert opinion to inform any future policy decisions and welcomes the continued dialogue with stakeholders. No policy decisions have been made.
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues, and Cabinet discussions are considered confidential.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 potential merits of amending the definition of animals in the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to include (a) decapod crustaceans and (b) cephalopod molluscs.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to an evidence-based approach to improve welfare standards for decapod crustaceans and cephalopod molluscs. Defra seeks to commission research and expert opinion to inform any future policy decisions and welcomes the continued dialogue with stakeholders.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made in building an evidence base on the fur sector.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to build the evidence base on the fur sector in Great Britain. This includes commissioning our expert Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) to produce a report on what constitutes responsible sourcing of fur. The AWC report will add to our understanding of the fur industry and help inform our next steps.
Asked by: Sarah Champion (Labour - Rotherham)
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 potential merits of extending food labelling legislation so that sourcing information of ingredients is required on pre-packed food and drink products.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK maintains high standards on the information that is provided on food labels so that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy. The fundamental principle of food labelling rules is that information provided to the consumer must not mislead and must enable consumers to make informed decisions.
Country of origin information is required for fresh and frozen meat of beef cattle, sheep, goat, pigs and poultry, as well as uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, wine and some fish products. It is also required for all prepacked food where its omission would be misleading to consumers.
Additional labelling rules apply for foods with primary ingredients. For processed food, where the origin of the primary ingredient is different to that of the food itself and the origin of the food is given, an indication that the origin of the primary ingredient is different must also be provided, for example 'British cheese made with milk from Ireland.’
In any case, where an origin or provenance is given or indicated including when provided voluntarily this must always be accurate.