Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
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 with Cabinet colleagues to support fishing communities.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are supporting fishing communities by:
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made with Cabinet colleagues of the potential impact of the Seasonal Worker visa on the adequacy of the number of people available to fill seasonal farming roles.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to ensuring that the farming sector has the labour it needs to support food security, including supporting domestic workers and skills, and investment in automation.
We commissioned the Independent Review into Labour Shortages in the Food Supply Chain to consider how we can further support this, and look forward to receiving the report by the summer.
As set out at the recent UK Farm to Fork Summit, we will make 45,000 Seasonal Worker visas available for 2023 and 2024, with an additional 10,000 if needed.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many animal cruelty (a) offences and (b) convictions have taken place in South East Cornwall constituency.
Answered by George Eustice
The number of offenders found guilty of offences under Sections 4 to 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006, in the Devon and Cornwall Police Force area, from 2012 to 2016, can be viewed in the table
Force / Local Justice Area | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | |||||
Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | Proceeded against | Found guilty | |
Devon and Cornwall | 40 | 25 | 29 | 18 | 22 | 15 | 24 | 11 | 25 | 16 |
of which |
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Cornwall Local Justice area (4) | 15 | 12 | 14 | 8 | 9 | 8 | 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 |
(1) Defined as SS4-8 Animal Welfare Act 2006
(2) The figures given in the table relate to persons for whom these offences were the principal offences for which they were dealt with. When a defendant has been found guilty of two or more offences it is the offence for which the heaviest penalty is imposed. Where the same disposal is imposed for two or more offences, the offence selected is the offence for which the statutory maximum penalty is the most severe
(3) .Every effort is made to ensure that the figures presented are accurate and complete. However, it is important to note that these data have been extracted from large administrative data systems generated by the courts and police forces. As a consequence, care should be taken to ensure data collection processes and their inevitable limitations are taken into account when those data are used.
(4) East Cornwall Local Justice Area, which included South East Cornwall constituency merged into Cornwall Local Justice Area from 1 January 2012
Source: Justice Statistics Analytical Services - Ministry of Justice.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
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 prohibit the sale and keeping of primates as pets; and whether the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Privately-Kept Non-Human Primates will be included in his Department's review of statutory animal welfare codes.
Answered by George Eustice
Monkeys and other primates are wild animals with specific, complex needs and it is against the law to keep them in the same sort of environment you would keep a domesticated pet animal. Defra is working closely with the Pet Advertising Advisory Group to apply minimum standards to online pet advertising. The standards include a requirement on the five participating websites, Gumtree, Pre Loved, Pets4Homes, Viva St and Friday Ads to remove any adverts for primates. In addition Defra is updating the licensing regime for certain activities involving animals including pet shops and other pet sellers.
Under the new plans, businesses selling pets, including those selling online, will be required to give buyers written information about the animals they buy, with details of how to meet the five welfare needs of their pets under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. This advice is particularly important when buying exotic pets, which have very specific welfare needs. Defra keeps all the welfare codes under review, and amongst the companion animal codes, the ones for cats, dogs and horses were considered most in need of updating. A review of the primate code will be undertaken in due course.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to support UK fishermen (a) in general and (b) in the under 10 metre fleet.
Answered by George Eustice
UK-led Common Fisheries Policy reforms have given UK fishermen a more sustainable long-term future.
The inshore fleet will particularly benefit from an extra 1,000 tonnes of quota this year. This comes on top of the permanent transfer of under-used quota to the Under-10s, which was worth an extra 678 tonnes in 2015.
In addition, over £100m of European (EMFF) Funding is now available to support the UK catching, processing and aquaculture sectors.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote local food and drink.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government recognises the value that high-quality, locally produced food has to consumers, communities and the economy. The Great British Food Campaign will celebrate the achievements of British food and drink.
2016 will be the Year of British Food. It will celebrate the quality and creativity of Britain’s producers, manufacturers, retailers and restaurateurs allowing everyone to benefit from the UK’s culinary heritage.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
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 24 November 2015 to Question 16561, if she will publish her response to the European Commission's proposals referred to on bass management.
Answered by George Eustice
I am finalising the UK approach on management of all stocks, including bass, for negotiation at the December Fisheries Council. We do not publish the UK negotiating position, however my officials, in consultation with me and their counterparts in the Devolved Administrations, have been discussing our views with the European Commission, the Presidency and other Member States. We have also been taking on board the views of stakeholders. I can assure the honourable member that I will be seeking an outcome on bass management which is based on achieving sustainability of the stock and which recognises the interests of the commercial and recreational fishing sectors.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the level of stocks of sea bass since the implementation of restrictions on landing that fish by (a) commercial and (b) recreational fishermen in 2015.
Answered by George Eustice
The European Commission has issued proposals[1] on fishing opportunities to be agreed for 2016, which includes EU bass management measures for the commercial fishing and recreational sea angling sectors consisting of a moratorium on fishing for bass in the first six months, and reduced catch limits for the latter half of the year. The UK response to these proposals is being considered in advance of negotiations at the December Fisheries Council.
The latest available assessment of the bass stock, from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, was published in June this year before the full set of EU bass management measures for 2015 was finalised in September. Its next assessment is due in June 2016.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures she proposes to introduce to regulate commercial fishermen catching sea bass for the period from 1 January to 30 June 2016.
Answered by George Eustice
The European Commission has issued proposals[1] on fishing opportunities to be agreed for 2016, which includes EU bass management measures for the commercial fishing and recreational sea angling sectors consisting of a moratorium on fishing for bass in the first six months, and reduced catch limits for the latter half of the year. The UK response to these proposals is being considered in advance of negotiations at the December Fisheries Council.
The latest available assessment of the bass stock, from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, was published in June this year before the full set of EU bass management measures for 2015 was finalised in September. Its next assessment is due in June 2016.
Asked by: Sheryll Murray (Conservative - South East Cornwall)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proposed measures are being introduced for the fishing of sea bass by commercial fishermen in the period from 1 July to 31 December 2016.
Answered by George Eustice
The European Commission has issued proposals[1] on fishing opportunities to be agreed for 2016, which includes EU bass management measures for the commercial fishing and recreational sea angling sectors consisting of a moratorium on fishing for bass in the first six months, and reduced catch limits for the latter half of the year. The UK response to these proposals is being considered in advance of negotiations at the December Fisheries Council.
The latest available assessment of the bass stock, from the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea, was published in June this year before the full set of EU bass management measures for 2015 was finalised in September. Its next assessment is due in June 2016.