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 he is taking to reduce the number of factory farms; and what assessment he has made of the impact of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
Answered by Mark Spencer
There are a number of different farming systems within the UK and farms of all sizes have a role to play in promoting sustainable UK agriculture. The Government promotes efficient, competitive farming, but does not seek to favour large- or small-scale farms.
All farms must comply with comprehensive UK law on animal health and welfare, planning, veterinary medicines and environmental legislation. Stockmanship and high husbandry standards are key to ensuring appropriate welfare standards for all farmed animals.
We are committed to supporting farmers to exceed our existing world-leading animal welfare standards, including through the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway.
A full monitoring, evaluation and learning plan for the Pathway is in place to help assess the impact of financial support being offered to farmers. This is being implemented gradually as more Pathway offers are launched.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, whether she has taken steps with the Chancellor of the Exchequer to increase the offshore wind capacity delivered in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6 compared to Allocation Round 5.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Veterans)
On 6 March 2024, the Government confirmed over £1 billion of budget will be available in the Contracts for Difference Allocation Round 6 auction, including £800 million allocated to offshore wind. This followed the announcement in November that the administrative strike prices for fixed and floating offshore wind had been increased by 66% and over 50% respectively, since the previous allocation round.
This budget announcement makes this the largest round yet, with four times more budget available to offshore wind than in the previous round.
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 assessment he has made of the potential impact of genetically modified foods on public health; whether he has had discussions with corporations involved in the manufacture of genetically modified foods about indemnities for potential future harms; what the annual budget is for the Genetic Modification Inspectorate (GMI); and what plans he has for future funding for the GMI in the context of the potential impact of the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2022 on the planting of genetically modified crops.
Answered by Mark Spencer
i) All GM food and feed products must undergo an extensive and robust risk assessment process under the Food Standards Agency’s GM regulatory framework to ensure they are safe. The risk assessment involves a thorough assessment of whether the food could be toxic, its nutritional value and whether it could cause allergic reactions. GMOs will only be approved to enter the food chain if they are judged to not present a risk to health, not mislead consumers, and not have less nutritional value than existing equivalent products.
After an authorisation has been issued in accordance with the GM food and feed regulations, authorisation holders are required to inform government of any new scientific or technical information which might influence the evaluation carried out of the safety in use of the food or feed.
ii) The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has not had discussions or been approached by corporations interested in exploring indemnities for future harms, should they occur and are revealed to have proven links to GMO foods.
iii) The current annual budget for the Genetic Modification Inspectorate (GMI) is covered within the gross funding model under the Animal and Plant Health Agency commission from Defra, and as such it is not possible to draw out any specific amount relating to this. As of May 2024, there have been 16 field trials using the Genetically Modified Organisms (Deliberate Release) (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2022. The GMI has not reported any additional demands as a result.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure (a) clear and (b) transparent labelling of genetically modified foods.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Genetically modified organism (GMO) labelling rules stipulate that foods sold in Great Britain that contain genetically modified ingredients must be labelled. This labelling gives consumers the choice on whether to consume such foods containing, or consisting of, GMO ingredients, and the choice to avoid such foods, should they wish to do so. In the case of food sold loose, or where food has been cooked in genetically modified products such as cooking oil, this must appear on a notice, menu, ticket, or label which can be easily read by customers.
Information about any characteristic or property which renders a food consisting of or containing genetic modifications different from its conventional counterpart, such as its composition, nutritional value, the intended use of the food or feed, or any health implications for certain sections of the population, must also be included.
The Government maintains a list of GMOs authorised for use in food and feed. It is compulsory that the product adheres to mandatory traceability and labelling requirements, and that the product developer provides monitoring reports to the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland on an annual basis.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:
To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps she is taking to ensure traceability in the food chain for foods that contain genetically modified ingredients.
Answered by Andrea Leadsom
Genetically modified organism (GMO) labelling rules stipulate that foods sold in Great Britain that contain genetically modified ingredients must be labelled. This labelling gives consumers the choice on whether to consume such foods containing, or consisting of, GMO ingredients, and the choice to avoid such foods, should they wish to do so. In the case of food sold loose, or where food has been cooked in genetically modified products such as cooking oil, this must appear on a notice, menu, ticket, or label which can be easily read by customers.
Information about any characteristic or property which renders a food consisting of or containing genetic modifications different from its conventional counterpart, such as its composition, nutritional value, the intended use of the food or feed, or any health implications for certain sections of the population, must also be included.
The Government maintains a list of GMOs authorised for use in food and feed. It is compulsory that the product adheres to mandatory traceability and labelling requirements, and that the product developer provides monitoring reports to the Food Standards Agency and Food Standards Scotland on an annual basis.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities:
To ask the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, what steps he is taking to bring together islands from across the UK to discuss shared challenges.
Answered by Jacob Young
Islands are distinct and vital parts of the United Kingdom. The Islands Forum was established to empower island communities to communicate with government, inform future policy, and work together. I am delighted the fourth forum will be meeting on Ynys Môn next month and I’m looking forward to joining her there.
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
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
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 Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, what steps she is taking to (a) develop the tidal stream ringfence and (b) work with industry on this resource.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Veterans)
The Government is undertaking analysis of the technology pipeline available for Contracts for Difference Auction Round 6 against our legal obligation to ensure the auction round is competitive. We are considering the appropriate parameters for all technologies, including tidal stream.
Final parameters will be published in the Budget Notice in March 2024, ahead of the round opening.
The Department continues to engage with the industry and other stakeholders to maximise opportunities for developing tidal stream in the UK.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Energy Security & Net Zero:
To ask the Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) setting a 1GW tidal stream target for 2035 and (b) taking steps to support UK companies bidding for tidal stream contracts (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad.
Answered by Andrew Bowie - Shadow Minister (Veterans)
The Government will continue to review the merits of setting a potential target for tidal stream deployment.
The Department continues to engage with the Department for Business and Trade on maximising private investment opportunities for the tidal stream companies, as well as with the tidal stream industry.
An unprecedented 94MW of tidal stream capacity has been secured through the Contracts for Difference scheme so far, including 11 contracts in the latest round.