Asked by: Emily Thornberry (Labour - Islington South and Finsbury)
Question to the Home Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, with reference to the transparency data entitled Home Office: ministerial gifts, hospitality, travel and meetings, October to December 2022, published on 23 March 2023, whether the Fortnum and Mason hamper for the French interior minister contained any dairy products.
Answered by Robert Jenrick
No. Home Office Ministers give gifts only when diplomatic protocol or cultural context makes it appropriate.
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
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 help the beef and dairy industry with the long-term costs of farms shut down due to bovine tuberculosis.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is acutely aware of the devastating personal impact of bTB on livestock owners and their families. Defra is working hard to support farmers whose herds experience a bTB breakdown and ensure that information and support is accessible.
Government funded statutory bTB testing is available to restore the bTB free status of affected herds, including supplementary TB blood testing that may be deployed to help speed up the resolution of persistent, recurrent, and other bTB breakdowns and reduce the risk of further breakdowns in such herds. Additionally, compensation payments are available to cattle farmers for all animals that need to be removed from their herds for bTB control purposes. Further details on funded TB testing and compensation can be found online at: TBhub.
Defra is committed to helping farmers and their families tackle the mental health and livelihood impacts of bTB and has provided grant funding to the Farming Community Network since 2010.
Defra are also working in partnership with the livestock sector and a wide range of academics, charities, and other experts to deliver the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, supporting continual improvement in farm animal health and welfare. That includes a programme of financial support for farmers in the pig, cattle, sheep, and poultry sectors, to help them continually improve animal health and welfare.
Asked by: Alex Sobel (Labour (Co-op) - Leeds North West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many and what proportion of (a) special areas of conservation, (b) special protected areas and (c) sites of special scientific interest in England did not meet the favourable condition status because of air pollution in the latest period for which data is available.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Our recently published Environmental Improvement Plan recognises that air pollution, in particular ammonia, harms biodiversity through nitrogen deposition. The Plan sets out action that Defra has taken including publication of guidance, delivery of advice through Catchment Sensitive Farming and funding for low emissions farm equipment. It also includes ambitious further measures to drive down emissions of ammonia from farming, including new rules to reduce emissions from organic manures and extension of environmental permitting to dairy and intensive beef farms.
The Trends report published by Defra indicates the proportion of SACs, SPAs and SSSIs that are in exceedance of critical loads and levels for atmospheric nitrogen pollution and can be found here: Trends Report 2022: Trends in critical load and critical level exceedances in the UK.
According to the 2022 report, over 90% of sensitive SACs, SPAs and SSSIs are predicted to exceed their site-relevant critical loads for nutrient nitrogen deposition for at least one of their features:
a) 90.9% of sensitive SACs or approx. 78% of all SACs
b) 91.7% of sensitive SPAs or approx. 85% of all SPAs
c) 91.1% of sensitive SSSIs or approx. 65% of all SSSIs
Exceedance of acidity critical loads is predicted for 73.3% of sensitive SACs, 85.7% SPAs and 55.7% of sensitive SSSIs
Information on air quality for individual protected sites can be found on the Air Pollution Information System (www.apis.ac.uk).
Asked by: Derek Thomas (Conservative - St Ives)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made on creating a timetable for the publication of new supply chain fair dealing codes for each sector.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government wants all farmers to receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling any contractual unfairness that might exist in the agri-food supply chain.
Powers contained in the Agriculture Act 2020 enable us to introduce statutory codes of contractual practice which would apply to processors and other businesses when purchasing agricultural products directly from farmers.
In 2020, the Government carried out a consultation seeking views from farmers and processors in the dairy sector on whether future regulation could be used to strengthen fairness and transparency in the supply chain to ensure farmers are treated fairly. We continue to work closely with stakeholders during the development of regulations and intend to introduce legislation later this year.
A subsequent consultation was conducted between July and October 2022 exploring issues in the pig sector. We are analysing the responses and considering appropriate next steps. A Summary of Responses, which will outline the main findings and conclusions from the consultation, will be published next month.
We intend to use these powers in a targeted way where there is clear evidence of unfair practices in specific agricultural sectors and statutory codes will help address the issues. The Government will continue to work closely with all sectors to discuss any supply chain issues.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure supply chain fairness in the food sector from farm to supermarket.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government wants all farmers to receive a fair price for their products and the Government is committed to tackling any contractual unfairness that might exist in the agri-food supply chain.
Powers contained in the Agriculture Act 2020 enable us to introduce statutory codes of contractual practice which would apply to processors and other businesses when purchasing agricultural products directly from farmers. We intend to use these powers in a targeted way where there is clear evidence of unfair practices in specific agricultural sectors and statutory codes will help address the issues.
In 2020, the Government carried out a consultation seeking views from farmers and processors in the dairy sector on whether future regulation could be used to strengthen fairness and transparency in the supply chain to ensure farmers are treated fairly.
It was clear from responses that a minimum framework of contractual standards was required, which provides businesses with the flexibility to respond to changing market conditions while also offering improved protections for farmers. We continue to work closely with stakeholders during the development of regulations and intend to introduce legislation later this year.
A subsequent consultation was conducted between July and October 2022 exploring issues in the pig sector. We are analysing the responses and considering appropriate next steps. A Summary of Responses, which will outline the main findings and conclusions from the consultation, will be published in early 2023.
The Government will continue to work closely with all sectors to discuss any supply chain issues.
Asked by: Tim Farron (Liberal Democrat - Westmorland and Lonsdale)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to increase or reduce livestock numbers in the next ten years.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
UK livestock numbers are determined by our individual farmers and reflect the domestic and global demand for our high quality, high welfare meat and dairy. Our livestock farmers are world leading and we recognise the contribution they make to feeding the nation, and that well managed livestock provide benefits such as supporting biodiversity, protecting the character of the countryside and generating important income for rural communities.
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - 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 barriers to the growth of dairy exports to the EU.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government is committed to supporting the dairy sector capitalise on strong demand for British products across the world, drawing on our reputation for quality and high standards of production, welfare and food safety.
We are focused on enabling British dairy exporters to access as many international markets as possible. In addition to removing trade barriers through negotiation of new Free Trade Agreements, we are boosting our technical expertise in key markets through expansion of our network of dedicated agri-food attachés to 10 posts across the globe. These roles resolve market access barriers, support export growth and provide market insight to enable British companies to target markets with the highest potential. There is strong export potential for dairy products and a growing international reputation, especially for cheese. Our attaches will work with dairy companies to build our market share further and generate further awareness and demand.
As well as maximising market access the Government is also working with the sector to build capability and competitiveness in international markets. The new UK-wide Food and Drink Exports Council, which will be launched early next year, brings together industry and governments in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland to boost exports from all parts of the UK and build export capability in the sector, especially in SMEs. The Department for International Trade provide a broad range of export support including the Export Support Service (ESS), Export Academy and the online great.gov platform to help companies begin or progress their export journey, including advice on entering particular markets and opportunities to showcase products to international buyers.
Asked by: Lord Bishop of Exeter (Bishops - Bishops)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what support they are providing to British farmers for the development of alternatives to dairy milk products, such as oat milk.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We will always support British farming. We are introducing schemes and policies that enable farmers to have resilient businesses, produce the food our nation needs, enhance animal health and welfare and also to protect and enhance the natural environment.
For example, the Farming Innovation Programme will support the pull-through of R&D to deliver farmer-led solutions to productivity challenges. It will also address longer term strategic challenges such as producing nutritious food more efficiently and sustainably, whilst helping the sector to reduce greenhouse gas emissions to achieve Net Zero goals.
Going forward, farmers will be able to pick and choose from a range of grants and ongoing payments to find a package that works for them. We will work with all farm types, regardless of size, location, ownership or the systems they use, to ensure that that they are able to access our funding and support in a way that works for them.
Asked by: Jim McMahon (Labour (Co-op) - Oldham West and Royton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to help ensure that there will be an adequate supply of milk to meet consumer demand in 2023.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK has a dynamic and resilient dairy industry and I am confident of its ability to continue to supply high quality fresh milk and dairy products to consumers. Defra continues to closely monitor the dairy market and maintains regular engagement with key dairy industry representatives.
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
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 help ensure that people in food poverty have a healthy and balanced diet.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is committed to reducing poverty and supporting low-income families. We will spend over £242bn through the welfare system in 2022/23 including £108bn on people of working age. The Office for Health Improvement and Disparities is continuing the work begun by Public Health England to explore options to assess the cost of a healthy balanced diet in response to the House of Lords Select Committee on Food, Poverty, Health, and the Environment report 'Hungry for change: fixing the failures in food' (July 2020). Through the Healthy Food Schemes, the Government provides a nutritional safety net to those families who need it the most. The three Healthy Food Schemes (Healthy Start, the Nursery Milk Scheme and the School Fruit and Vegetable Scheme) together help more than three million children. A balanced diet is rich in fruit and vegetables, beans, pulses and wholegrain starchy carbohydrates. It can also include dairy, fish and meat which are valuable sources of many nutrients important for human health. The Government encourages everyone to have a healthy balanced diet in line with the UK's healthy eating model, the Eatwell Guide. A study by Scarborough et al (2016) analysed the cost of achieving a diet in line with the Eatwell Guide and concluded that although achieving the UK dietary recommendations would require substantial changes to the current average diet, these changes would not lead to significant changes in the price of the diet. The diet in line with the Eatwell Guide cost £5.99 per adult per day, which was very similar to the cost of the current diet in the UK at £6.02 per adult per day.