Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
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 27 May 2025 to Question 53765 on Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, whether he has held discussions with his counterpart in the Scottish government on this fund.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund will be investing £360 million over the next 12 years. Ministers are committed to working closely with the industry and local communities in order to ensure investment is targeted to where it is needed most. As part of that planned engagement we will work closely with Devolved Governments. We will look to provide more details on the fund, including devolution, at the earliest possible opportunity.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding his Department is allocating to Darwin Plus grants; and whether this funding has changed since the Spending Review 2025.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra is continuing to support the UK Overseas Territories through Darwin Plus. This includes bringing the new biodiversity strategy to publication thereby improving the reach and effectiveness of not just the programme but also wider efforts to improve and protect biodiversity across the territories.
Following the Spending Review, the department has secured a multi-year funding commitment from HM Treasury. Whilst decisions have yet to be made in respect of the totality of future funding available to Darwin Plus, the department will continue to engage closely with stakeholders to ensure transparency and to support continuity wherever possible.
The department will provide updates in the usual way as soon as they are available.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the press release entitled Government to launch £360m Fishing and Coastal Growth Fund, published on 19 May 2025, whether the fund will be UK-wide; and what the Barnet consequentials will be for each of the devolved Administrations.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Fishing & Coastal Growth Fund will be investing £360 million over the next 12 years. As part of that fund Ministers committed to working closely with the industry and local communities in order to ensure investment is targeted to where it is needed most. As part of that planned engagement we will work closely with Devolved Governments.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her Department's planned timetable is for publishing the Government's response to the consultation entitled Fur Market in Great Britain, published on 31 May 2021.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer Seamus Logan to the reply given to Neil Duncan-Jordan on 3 March 2025, PQ UIN 32808.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Animal Welfare Committee will consider the public health risks associated with global fur production in its review on the responsible sourcing of fur.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The remit of the Animal Welfare Committee (AWC) is to provide advice on animal welfare standards relating to animals kept by people. As such, public health matters fall outside of the Committee’s remit.
More information on AWC’s terms of reference is available on the AWC gov.uk page (here).
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Animal Welfare Committee will publish its review on the responsible sourcing of fur.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
I refer Seamus Logan to the reply given to Neil Duncan-Jordan on 21 February 2025, PQ 32807.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on the potential inclusion of US (a) beef and (b) chicken products being included in a trade deal with the US.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK and US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have $1.5 trillion invested in each other’s economies and over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.
The Prime Minister and President Trump agreed to deepen this relationship and that we should work together to agree a trade deal focused on technology.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
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 (a) made an assessment and (b) commissioned analysis of the potential impact of a trade deal with the US on agriculture.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK and US have a strong economic relationship which is fair, balanced and reciprocal. We have $1.5 trillion invested in each other’s economies and over 2.5 million jobs across both countries.
The Prime Minister and President Trump agreed that we should work together to deepen this relationship and to agree a trade deal focused on technology.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
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 requested special arrangements for seafood consignments leaving the UK as part of the European Union Entry/Exit System.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of seafood exports to the economies of many coastal communities around the United Kingdom. We will tackle trade barriers through seeking to negotiate a veterinary/SPS agreement. We will continue to work closely with seafood exporters to ensure that they can continue to sell their world-class produce to markets around the world.
Asked by: Seamus Logan (Scottish National Party - Aberdeenshire North and Moray East)
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 impact of the European Union Entry/Exit System on seafood exports.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the importance of seafood exports to the economies of many coastal communities around the United Kingdom. We will tackle trade barriers through seeking to negotiate a veterinary/SPS agreement. We will continue to work closely with seafood exporters to ensure that they can continue to sell their world-class produce to markets around the world.