Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the presence of antibiotic resistant bacteria in waterways.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has been working with the Environment Agency, the UK Health Security Agency, and others, to trial methods for detecting and quantifying antibiotic resistant bacteria in 3 river catchments in England as part of the PATHSAFE programme. The work involved sampling river waters at sites along the length of each river and subject to different land uses and potential sources of resistant bacteria. This work is still in progress, although the Environment Agency has already published some of the preparatory aspects and will publish further reports in the coming months.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 impact of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme 2023 on (a) UK food security and (b) associated agribusinesses.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
As part of the design of the Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) we have made both qualitative and quantitative assessments of the impact actions will have on food production and as such food security. Long term food security and agribusiness viability relies on farming becoming more sustainable and SFI is designed to support farmers in this. Many SFI actions are undertaken alongside agricultural operations and do not require land be taken out of production. Some actions within SFI are likely to take small areas of often marginally productive land out of production, lowering overall output for the farm in the short term. In the longer term this is likely to be offset by long term improvements in soil health and pollinator abundance which will support increased yields. Some actions in SFI will also reduce the need for fertilisers or pesticides leading to lower inputs and higher productivity. We have further schemes within the farming and countryside programme including for example the Farming Resilience Fund, the Farming Investment Fund and the Farming Innovation Programme which will further help to improve farm productivity in line with the government commitment on food security set out in the food strategy. Innovation funding will help to support and build the agribusiness economy and new opportunities may arise from environmental land management as markets for environmental goods and services are expanded or created.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support abattoirs to ensure animals' journey times to slaughter are minimised; and whether he is taking steps to help improve transport conditions for animals when they undertake a journey.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In line with our aim to support the highest standards of animal welfare, the Government launched the Smaller Abattoir Fund on 13 December 2023 to provide £4 million in grant funding to support smaller abattoirs, with one of the fund’s aims being to help preserve a sustainable network of local smaller abattoirs, which will in turn help maintain reduced journey times to slaughter for livestock.
The Government is also banning export journeys to slaughter through the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill which is progressing through Parliament.
We have consulted on a number of improvements to welfare in transport, such as maximum journey times, space allowances and temperature ranges. We published the summary of responses and Government response to this consultation in August 2021. We have been engaging with a wide range of stakeholders across all sectors on the next steps.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to help ensure that abattoirs are appropriately staffed; and whether he is taking steps to help ensure the resilience of the carbon dioxide supply required for the slaughter of pigs and poultry.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK benefits from having a resilient and successful meat processing sector. However, we recognise the challenges it continues to face with the recruitment of skilled labour. The Government supports the industry in its recruitment and training of more domestic workers including through apprenticeship schemes, and in utilising the benefits that automation can bring. Defra also works closely with stakeholders across the food industry, including the meat processing sector, to encourage CO2 contingency planning and resilience. The recent tightness in the supply of CO2 has eased with the market now more stable. The industry has also taken steps to make efficiencies and to use alternative CO2 sources where possible.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps is he taking to support the Animal and Plant Health Agency.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is a critical delivery partner for the UK, Welsh, and Scottish Governments, helping to safeguard animal and plant health for the benefit of people, the environment, and the economy.
APHA’s achievements and financial position for 2022/23 are set out in its latest Annual Report and Accounts, published in July 2023. Recognising the impact of persistent incursions of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 into the UK over the last two years, additional funding has been made available this year to APHA to ensure it has the resources needed to meet the increased demands of HPAI without affecting other vital biosecurity work. The Government continues to invest substantially, including £200m across the current spending review, in the Science Capability in Animal Health (SCAH) Programme that oversees major re-development of APHA’s Weybridge labs, safeguarding its long-term future as a centre for scientific excellence in tackling high-risk diseases.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 steps to control the number of grey squirrels; whether she is using technology to (a) assess and (b) control the numbers of grey squirrels; and whether she has had discussions with the Welsh Government on implementing a UK-wide strategy on the control of grey squirrels.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The management of grey squirrel populations is a devolved matter.
In England, Defra is committed to doing more to tackle the impact of grey squirrels by updating the Grey Squirrel Action Plan. The Grey Squirrel Management Action Plan for Wales and the Saving Scotland’s Red Squirrels project include similar management objectives. A refreshed GB Invasive Non-Native Species Strategy was published this year, setting out the high-level vision and key actions for invasive species management in England, Scotland, and Wales. The Forestry Commission works informally with colleagues in Natural Resources Wales and Welsh government to facilitate a common approach where possible.
Defra contributes funding to innovative fertility control research led by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the UK Squirrel Accord, a UK-wide partnership that includes the Welsh and Scottish governments as well as Defra. If successful, this novel management method will complement the actions set out at the level of individual governments, such as maintaining the grey squirrel eradication that partners have carried out on Anglesey.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 the (a) adequacy and (b) resilience of supplies of ammonia as a feedstock for fertiliser.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are aware of recent announcements in industry which mean a reduction to prospects for domestic production of ammonia, however Defra and wider government do not anticipate issues as we have recently been reliant on an import model without experiencing any issues. If companies experience difficulties in accessing the chemicals they need, then Defra and wider government encourage them to engage with their suppliers. If this does not resolve any challenges, then they should engage with their industry bodies.
With regards to ammonium nitrate fertilisers, the UK typically imports fertiliser products from more than 20 countries. The supply chain has remained dynamic and we understand farmers have been able to purchase fertiliser for the 2023 growing season. Defra continues to monitor the situation and work closely with other government departments and industry to understand fertiliser supply, demand and price challenges.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 assess the impacts of rising sea levels; and what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of rising sea levels.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
UK marine and coastal areas are being impacted by climate change, including through sea level rise. These impacts have consequences throughout the UK on livelihoods, ecosystems, communities and society. We are improving our understanding of the impact of climate change and rising sea levels through the Marine Climate Change Impacts Partnership (MCCIP). MCCIP engages with a wide range of scientific authors to supply policy makers and the public with updates on the current and predicted impacts of climate change.
In the UK we are committed to ensuring that climate change adaptation, resilience and mitigation are fully considered and integrated in our policies. Under the Climate Change Act, government committed to laying policies and proposals before parliament to address risks identified by the third Climate Change Risk Assessment. We will do so through the third National Adaptation Programme, published 17 July 2023.
As climate change leads to sea level rise and more extreme rainfall, the number of people at risk from flooding and coastal erosion is likely to grow. The Government announced in March 2020 a record £5.2 billion investment over six years in flood and coastal erosion schemes to better protect communities across England. In July 2020, the Government published a long-term Policy Statement, which sets out our ambition to create a nation more resilient to future flood and coastal erosion risk.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 meat is labelled clearly to inform consumers about provenance from (a) animals reared and slaughtered (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad and (b) meat grown in a lab.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Country of Origin labelling is compulsory for prepacked unprocessed beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat and poultry meat. For beef an indication of where the animal was born, reared and slaughtered is required while for the other meats, reared and slaughtered is required. The word ‘origin’, where used on unprocessed fresh or frozen meat, means it is from an animal that was born, reared and slaughtered in the indicated country. Additional labelling rules apply for foods with primary ingredients. Where meat is the primary ingredient of a food product, for example a sausage or bacon, the origin of the primary ingredient must be given if different to the origin that is provided for the food product (which will be where the product is manufactured). This means consumers can have confidence in provenance and quality of the food they buy.
Each ingredient of pre-packed food must be included on the label. The ingredient must be the legal name of the food or, if there is no legal name, the customary name or a name that is sufficiently descriptive to enable consumers to know its true nature and distinguish it from other products with which it might be confused. Lab-grown meat is not meat as defined in food labelling legislation and does not therefore require its origin to be given, unless the omission of this information would cause a consumer to be misled. It is however required to be clearly labelled as an ingredient.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 (a) estimate the economic cost of wildlife crime, (b) record wildlife crime and (c) measure trends in wildlife crime; and whether she has taken steps to address the recommendations in the UN Office on Drugs and Crime report entitled Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published on 6 August 2021.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The UK Government does not hold a figure for the economic cost of wildlife crime in this country but in the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) 2016 report: The rise of environmental crime: A growing threat to natural resources peace, development and security, estimates are made that, globally, poaching and illegal wildlife trade is worth up to £17 billion a year; and natural resources worth as much as USD $91 billion to $258 billion annually are being stolen by criminals, depriving countries of future revenues and development opportunities. This includes illegal logging and fishing.
In terms of recording wildlife crime and measuring trends in wildlife crime, at a UK level the Office for National Statistics publishes police-recorded crime statistics, including statistics on wildlife crimes, where available. However, most wildlife crimes are not categorised as notifiable so there is no obligation for UK police forces to report on them. This makes it more challenging to measure trends in wildlife crime and gauge its true extent. Any decision to make offences notifiable sits with the National Crime Registrar at the Home Office. The National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU), funded partly by Defra and the Home Office, gathers intelligence from a number of organisations in addition to police forces and Border Force. This intelligence informs a Strategic Assessment of wildlife crime in the UK, which is produced every two years and contributes to the setting of the UK’s wildlife crime priorities.
With regard to the UN Office of Drugs and Crime (UNODC) report (published on 21 December 2021), the Government welcomed this piece of work and the fact it recognised the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment. We have carefully considered all the recommendations of the report and they are informing our work to help us build on the positive progress we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the NWCU. Progress has already been made in response to the report. For example, in 2022 Defra more than doubled its funding of the NWCU from a total of £495,000 over the three previous years to £1.2 million for the three-year period of 2022-25. Additionally, Border Force has increased numbers in its team specialising in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Defra is not under any obligation to formally respond to the UNODC's assessment and has no plans to do so, but we will identify where we can act, including with stakeholders, to strengthen the UK's approach to tackling wildlife and forestry crime.