Asked by: Satvir Kaur (Labour - Southampton Test)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress he has made on decreasing the killing of birds of prey (a) generally and (b) by the (i) incorrect and (ii) illegal use of rodenticides.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra supports the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) which helps prevent and detect bird of prey crime by gathering intelligence, undertaking analysis and directly assisting law enforcers. Defra also provides funding to the Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme which makes enquiries into the death of wildlife that may have resulted from pesticide or rodenticide poisoning.
It is challenging to confirm whether the efforts of NWCU and partners is leading to a decrease in crimes against birds of prey as figures are not officially collected at a national level. The decision to make such offences ‘notifiable’ sits with the Home Office.
In answer to b(i), to ensure risks associated with professional use of anticoagulant rodenticides could be properly managed, the Health and Safety Executive (having policy responsibility for rodenticides) worked with the Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use UK to develop an industry-led stewardship regime to promote responsible use. The stewardship scheme is overseen by Government and is currently under review.
For b(ii), it is illegal to supply rodenticides unless they are authorised, and they must only be used in accordance with the conditions of that authorisation. There are robust, multi-agency arrangements in place for taking enforcement against the misuse of rodenticides.
Asked by: Satvir Kaur (Labour - Southampton Test)
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 (a) agricultural and (b) horticultural pesticide use.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Integrated Pest Management (IPM) lies at the heart of our approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides. IPM is a holistic approach that promotes a range of plant protection methods and keeps the use of pesticides to levels that are ecologically and economically justified.
The UK Pesticides National Action Plan will be published next year and will set out the government’s strategy for sustainable use of pesticides.
Asked by: Satvir Kaur (Labour - Southampton Test)
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 agricultural run-off into rivers and streams.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The levels of water pollution are unacceptable. Defra and its Arm’s Length Bodies, continue to take action to tackle agricultural pollution through a suite of regulations, advice and incentives, and advice led enforcement, in order to achieve the Environment Act 2021 target, to reduce nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment from agriculture entering the water environment by 40% by 2038.
Asked by: Satvir Kaur (Labour - Southampton Test)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the number of (a) non-compliances and (b) legal breeches in (i) publicly funded and (ii) all other slaughterhouses in the UK.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Standards Agency (FSA) monitors and enforces animal welfare legislation in slaughterhouses in England and Wales. Food Standards Scotland operate in Scotland and the Department for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs are responsible in Northern Ireland.
FSA animal welfare enforcement non-compliance data can be accessed on their website here. The FSA records non-compliances in all slaughterhouses in the same way irrespective of if the slaughterhouse receives Government funding.