Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department plans to take steps to ensure that mandatory food waste reporting will take into account companies who (a) are aligned with existing reporting requirements under the Food Waste Reduction Roadmap and (b) already report their food waste as part of global ESG reporting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The previous Government held a consultation wherein stakeholders were asked about their views on the scope of any reporting requirements. It can be found at Improved food waste reporting by large food businesses in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Waste and Resources programme (WRAP) led voluntary Food Waste Reduction Roadmap supports business to target, measure and specifically act on reducing food waste. The roadmap includes guidance and templates for reporting developed by industry in collaboration with WRAP and the Institute of Grocery distribution (IGD) with funding from DEFRA. WRAP regularly reports on the progress of the roadmap and works closely with businesses to quality assure reported data and ensure that it is fit for purpose.
Ministers will consider any mandatory food waste reporting requirements in due course.
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the merits of introducing mandatory food waste reporting.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The previous Government held a consultation wherein stakeholders were asked about their views on the scope of any reporting requirements. It can be found at Improved food waste reporting by large food businesses in England - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
The Waste and Resources programme (WRAP) led voluntary Food Waste Reduction Roadmap supports business to target, measure and specifically act on reducing food waste. The roadmap includes guidance and templates for reporting developed by industry in collaboration with WRAP and the Institute of Grocery distribution (IGD) with funding from DEFRA. WRAP regularly reports on the progress of the roadmap and works closely with businesses to quality assure reported data and ensure that it is fit for purpose.
Ministers will consider any mandatory food waste reporting requirements in due course.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of changes introduced by the Border Target Operating Model which came into force on 30 April, on the United Kingdom's environmental horticulture sector.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The impact of the Border Target Operating Model to cut flower trade is expected to be minimal.
A limited group of European Union (EU) cut flowers (such as chrysanthemum and carnations and orchids), are medium risk goods; all other EU cut flowers are low risk and will not be subject to border checks.
EU Medium risk cut flowers have been subject to prenotification since 1 January 2022 and EU Medium risk cut flowers have required a Phytosanitary Certificate (PC) since 31 January 2024, and inspections at the border since 30 April 2024.
EU Plants for planting are already classified as high-risk goods, and subject to inspection at place of destination. There is no change regarding the need for inspections, just a change of location of these inspections to Border Control Posts or Control Points.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) monitor, and (2) address, non-compliance with biodiversity net gain regulations.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are working closely with local planning authorities, who are responsible for monitoring and addressing incidents of non-compliance with biodiversity net gain regulations.
Failure to deliver, or attempt to deliver, biodiversity net gain outcomes which are secured with conditions or limitations (subject to which planning permission is granted) can result in enforcement action by the planning authority. Planning authorities have a range of existing planning enforcement tools at their disposal.
Defra has funded the Planning Advisory Service to deliver training and guidance on biodiversity net gain to local planning authorities, ensuring they can competently enforce regulations.
As biodiversity net gain delivery develops, Defra will continue to review the role of guidance in supporting when enforcement action can be taken. Defra will also continue to work with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government on any future measures that could support enforcement of BNG and develop the essential housing and infrastructure Britain needs, while safeguarding the environment.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government how they are monitoring the success and roll-out of biodiversity net gain policy; and what plans they have, if any, to review the current system of exemptions.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will build the housing and infrastructure that Britain desperately needs while protecting the environment.
That is why we are working closely with the sector to make biodiversity net gain work effectively and proportionally, with exemptions in place for any development that would have no or minimal impact on nature.
The list of specified exemptions is narrow and focused and keeps the policy ambitious, whilst being proportionate and deliverable for developers and local planning authorities.
Officials are monitoring the implementation of biodiversity net gain closely, and regularly meet with those engaging with it across local planning authorities, developers, and the land management sector.
Biodiversity net gain fundamentally changes how developers choose land to build on and how they design sites, and we are pleased to see so many stakeholders embracing this opportunity to deliver both much needed development and deliver for the environment.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to distribute in full the £75 million of funding to support internal drainage boards announced in February, and if so, by what date.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Protecting communities from flooding is a key priority for this Government, and that is why we have launched a Flood Resilience Taskforce. It will provide oversight of national and local flood resilience and preparedness ahead of and after the winter flood season. It met for the first time on 12 September to discuss preparation for the winter ahead.
The Internal Drainage Board (IDB) Fund, announced in February 2024, will support our farmers and rural communities from the impacts of flooding by providing grants to IDBs. The Environment Agency has confirmed Tranche 1 allocations, which provides financial support for storm recovery following the wet weather and flooding during winder 2023/24. They are in the process of making payments to the successful IDBs. We will update the IDBs on Tranche 2 in due course.
Asked by: Lord Mott (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to continue to publish an annual food security index.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is looking at options to strengthen food security reporting, including the possibility of enhanced annual reporting.
The Government’s UK Food Security Report (UKFSR) sets out an analysis of statistics relating to food security. The next edition of the UKFSR will be published later this year, as required by the 2020 Agriculture Act.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Norwich (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the theme of the forthcoming Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (COP16) being designated “Peace with Nature” by the government of Colombia, and in particular of the link between environmental breakdown and conflict internationally; and what are their objectives for COP16 regarding the relationship between humanity and nature to ensure greater global peace.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is a clear link between climate change, nature loss, peace and security. Environmental degradation in all its forms presents an unprecedented challenge for the security of people, states and the international community. It exacerbates resource competition, food and water insecurity, displacement of people, the risk of conflict, and humanitarian and economic crises, while eroding resilience and reducing capacity to respond.
The Government is working closely with Colombia and international partners to build global ambition on nature and to ensure a successful Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) COP16 under the official theme of ‘Peace with Nature’. We are committed to promoting coordinated global action to tackle the climate and nature crises and support peace and security, including through raising international awareness of the linkages and the critical importance of halting and reversing nature loss.
Asked by: Lord Roborough (Conservative - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what trials they intend to conduct and publish on the efficacy of vaccinating badgers in the wild against bovine tuberculosis, and its impact on transmission to cattle, before transitioning from culling to vaccination.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There is already a significant evidence base which underpins the use of badger vaccination as a tool for the control of bovine tuberculosis (TB). Trials on captive badgers, modelling studies and field studies on wild badgers all indicate that badger vaccination will significantly reduce the risk of infection and spread of disease within badger populations. Logically, as badgers cause a proportion of cattle breakdowns each year, and since badger vaccination has been proven to reduce the disease burden in the badger population, vaccination should result in a reduction in TB incidence in cattle where badgers are the source of infection. This has also been demonstrated by large scale field trials in Ireland which found that badger vaccination is not inferior to badger culling at controlling TB in cattle. Vaccination would also play a role in protecting healthy badgers, preventing the spread of TB from cattle to badgers.
On 30 August, the Government announced the start of work to refresh the Bovine TB strategy for England, to end the badger cull by the end of this parliament and drive down disease to save cattle and farmers’ livelihoods. This includes establishing a new Badger Vaccinator Field Force to increase badger vaccination delivery to drive down TB rates and protect badgers.
Wider deployment of badger vaccination will increase opportunities for further research on its effect in badgers and cattle, by creating the large and contiguous areas of vaccination needed to be able to detect an effect. Accordingly, as part of this recent announcement, the Government has committed to rapidly analyse the effect of badger vaccination on the incidence of TB in cattle, to encourage farmers to take part and provide greater confidence that doing so will have a positive effect on their cattle. This will build on the analytical work that is already underway in the Animal and Plant Health Agency using a “herd-level” analysis of historic badger vaccination data.
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether it plans to publish any data on the Common User Charge including values invoiced and collected; and any data on operating costs for the Sevington Border Control Post.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
While we recognise the importance of sanitary and phytosanitary checks on certain imports, this Government is also committed to reducing unnecessary barriers to trade and cutting red tape by striking a fair balance between business and biosecurity.
As such we are reviewing the current border controls brought into place on 30 April under the previous Government.
Information about the common user charge can be found on here. We will publish further information in due course on the charge.