Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to help tackle the number of bluetongue virus cases in cattle and sheep in (a) Kent and (b) Norfolk.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Upon detection of bluetongue disease in Kent in November during our routine surveillance, Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency officials took immediate and robust action, and an investigation is ongoing to understand the origin of the disease. The animals on the affected premises in Kent and Norfolk have been humanely culled to prevent further potential spread of disease and surveillance and epidemiological assessments are on-going.
We have also put Temporary Control Zones in place in Kent and Norfolk to prevent potential spread of disease. Within the Zones, there are restrictions on the movement of susceptible animals, except under licence. The Control Zones will stay in place until we have ascertained if there is any circulating virus and that removing it would not affect disease control. We will review the need for the Zones when we have completed surveillance. We continue to work closely with industry representatives to ensure that keepers are kept up to date with developments and that issues and concerns are addressed promptly.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of the case of bluetongue virus in a cow in Kent on (a) biosecurity and (b) animal health.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Bluetongue is an exotic notifiable disease of ruminants (cattle, sheep, deer and goats) and camelids (llamas and alpacas). It is caused by a virus that is spread by biting midges. It does not affect people or food safety and cannot be spread in meat or milk. Defra's approach to bluetongue disease is based on the latest scientific evidence and veterinary advice and is set out in the GB Bluetongue Virus Disease Control Strategy, supported by the Contingency plan for exotic notifiable diseases of animals in England. These plans are in line with international standards of best practice for disease control.
Defra and Animal and Plant Health Agency officials took immediate action to safeguard animal health and prevent potential spread from the single infected cow: the animal which tested positive for Bluetongue serotype 3 (BTV3) was humanely culled and a 10km Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) has been put in place around the affected premises. Within the TCZ, a range of controls are in place to prevent potential spread of disease, including restrictions on the movement of susceptible animals, except under licence. A veterinary investigation and surveillance are underway to consider the origin of the disease and check for potential spread. There is no authorised vaccine for BTV3 so good biosecurity practices are essential - we are working with industry representatives to provide keepers with advice on how they can protect their animals from bluetongue.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps (a) the Government and (b) her Department are taking with devolved authorities to develop a sheep scab control programme covering the UK.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer and Devolved Administrations work collaboratively on all areas of animal disease. However, animal health is a devolved matter. Sheep Scab is addressed in different ways across the devolved nations, for example in Scotland where it is a notifiable disease. It is therefore appropriate that each nation of the United Kingdom treats Sheep Scab in the way that fits best with their priorities.
Asked by: Lord Taylor of Warwick (Non-affiliated - 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 that agricultural expertise is represented in government agencies.
Answered by Lord Benyon
We recognise that knowledge of agricultural sectors and skills is important to support the sector effectively. We ensure this through the staff we recruit, the appointments we make and how we devise and deliver policy.
Through our reforms to farming policy we have involved over 3,000 farmers in so-called 'tests and trials' and have over 800 farmers helping us pilot the Sustainable Farming Incentive routinely feeding in their insights and experiences. We continue to step up our partnership with the farming community through our co-design groups, which draw on industry knowledge to recommend improvements to Defra schemes. Over 1,000 people in farming volunteered to take part, including beef, sheep and cereal farmers.
Public appointments are promoted to relevant sectors via our social media channels and through stakeholder engagement. Defra works closely with Arm's Length Bodies (ALBs) to recruit Board Members with relevant skills and expertise. This has included specifically recruiting from the agriculture sector for the Boards of the Environment Agency; Natural England; Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board; Forestry Commission; and the National Park Authorities.
In accordance with the principles of the Partnerships between Departments and ALBs: Code of Good Practice, Defra has an agreed Framework Document with each of its key Executive Agencies setting out the broad framework in which they will operate. As part of such arrangements, the ALB is responsible for the recruitment, retention and motivation of its people ensuring they are encouraged to acquire the appropriate professional, management and other expertise to achieve their organisational objectives.
The Rural Payments Agency recognises the importance of agricultural expertise in the delivery of its services. For instance, it has a number of activities to capture insight which include: regular engagement with farming bodies and associations; the creation in 2022 of a farmer panel with over 750 members; learning from feedback directly received from farmers in their day to day dealings with the agency; and direct engagement with farmers through a series of face to face events all of which are improving the service and the farmer experience of dealing with government.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) has significant areas of expertise related to farming and agriculture: veterinary and animal health officers (livestock health and welfare), plant health, marketing of produce, egg marketing, international trade of plants, livestock and animal by-products, disease outbreak and control, scientific expertise of farm animal diseases. APHA has run recruitment campaigns for veterinary and scientific resource and plant health inspectors, has various apprenticeship schemes and specific learning and development for the various professions. APHA also collaborates with academia and has an Academic Board to support further scientific education and qualifications.
The Veterinary Medicines Directorate has a range of experienced employees to ensure veterinary medicines for agricultural use are used safely and responsibly. This includes veterinary assessors and inspectors, as well as specific teams (such as the Antimicrobial Resistance and Residues Teams) who engage with stakeholders from across the agricultural sector to ensure compliance with the Veterinary Medicines Regulations and to inform policy decisions.
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support the Government is providing to farmers who are struggling to manage the outbreak of sheep scab, or psoroptic mange, on their farms.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Endemic diseases like sheep scab affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in the 25 year Environment Plan and the Agricultural Transition Plan: June 2021 progress update, we are working with industry to reduce the impact of endemic diseases, including through the launch in 2022 of an Annual Health and Welfare Review for eligible livestock farmers.
Sheep Scab initiatives are currently managed at a local level but we are working with Devolved Administrations to plan how we tackle the condition across regions.
A group of experts have recently been successful in a bid for funding from Defra via the Rural Development Programme for England to lead a two-year community-led project to improve the control of sheep scab in three hot spot areas where scab currently presents a significant problem: the North West, the Midlands and the South West. Farmers participating in this initiative will receive a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training, and free blood testing.
Farmers seeking further advice on sheep scab can contact the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Government is taking to work with devolved nations to tackle the spread of sheep scab across the regions.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Endemic diseases like sheep scab affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in the 25 year Environment Plan and the Agricultural Transition Plan: June 2021 progress update, we are working with industry to reduce the impact of endemic diseases, including through the launch in 2022 of an Annual Health and Welfare Review for eligible livestock farmers.
Sheep Scab initiatives are currently managed at a local level but we are working with Devolved Administrations to plan how we tackle the condition across regions.
A group of experts have recently been successful in a bid for funding from Defra via the Rural Development Programme for England to lead a two-year community-led project to improve the control of sheep scab in three hot spot areas where scab currently presents a significant problem: the North West, the Midlands and the South West. Farmers participating in this initiative will receive a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training, and free blood testing.
Farmers seeking further advice on sheep scab can contact the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Asked by: Giles Watling (Conservative - Clacton)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what measures the Government is taking to work with key stakeholders to manage the spread of sheep scab, or psoroptic mange, in England.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
Endemic diseases like sheep scab affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in the 25 year Environment Plan and the Agricultural Transition Plan: June 2021 progress update, we are working with industry to reduce the impact of endemic diseases, including through the launch in 2022 of an Annual Health and Welfare Review for eligible livestock farmers.
Sheep Scab initiatives are currently managed at a local level but we are working with Devolved Administrations to plan how we tackle the condition across regions.
A group of experts have recently been successful in a bid for funding from Defra via the Rural Development Programme for England to lead a two-year community-led project to improve the control of sheep scab in three hot spot areas where scab currently presents a significant problem: the North West, the Midlands and the South West. Farmers participating in this initiative will receive a unique combination of on-farm advice, best practice training, and free blood testing.
Farmers seeking further advice on sheep scab can contact the Animal Plant Health Agency (APHA).
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Epping Forest)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many animals left the UK for the EU in each month from January 2020 to February 2021 inclusive.
Answered by Victoria Prentis
The number of live animals exported from the UK to the EU from January 2020 to February 2021 are as follows:
Month | Total Number of Live Animals |
Jan 2020 | 2,588,293 |
Feb 2020 | 1,911,125 |
Mar 2020 | 2,073293 |
April 2020 | 2,862,619 |
May 2020 | 2,239,639 |
June 2020 | 3,009,449 |
July 2020 | 2,158,253 |
Aug 2020 | 2,347,465 |
Sept 2020 | 1,990,329 |
Oct 2020 | 2,066,370 |
Nov 2020 | 1,356,446 |
Dec 2020 | 1,031,599 |
Jan 2021 | N/A |
Feb 2021 | N/A |
This data was extracted from the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES). TRACES is a European Commission system employed by EU member states to facilitate and record animal/animal product movements into and throughout the EU.
This response has been compiled by the Animal and Plant Health Agency from data provided by third parties, and as such is reliant on the providers for the accuracy of the information.
There are no records of individual animal numbers travelling from the UK to the EU for 2021.
EHC Online does have a section for APHA to note the total number of animals exported, but as we have changed the requirement for certified copies to be returned, this information can only be captured for livestock and camelids.
Export Health Certification issued using the new EHC Online service contains a module for Certifying Officers (CO) to record when they have approved, rejected or cancelled a certificate. As a result, APHA no longer routinely require COs to return certified copies of EHC to APHA. APHA can no longer provide data on the exact number of live animals being exported from Great Britain to the EU.
The EHC Online service was enhanced in February 2021 to include an area for APHA to record the total number of animals exported on an EHC, but this data field will only be completed by APHA for exports of cattle, pigs, sheep, goats and camelids where there remains a requirement for the return of a certified copy of the EHC. The return of certified copies of these EHCs remains due to legislative requirements for the UK to trace and report the export of animals form a holding where a disease outbreak has occurred post-export.
Asked by: Nadhim Zahawi (Conservative - Stratford-on-Avon)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of sheep movement returns have been made (a) electronically and (b) on paper in each month since online returns were introduced.
Answered by George Eustice
The Animal Reporting and Movement Service (ARAMS) was launched on 1 April 2014. The Government’s target was to capture 70% of sheep/goat movements electronically within the first year of operation and to increase the proportion of electronic movements recorded (the date the movement was recorded on ARAMS) to 80% within 5 years.
The proportion of paper vs. electronic moves recorded each month so far on ARAMS is:
Percentage recorded on the Animal Reporting And Movement Service (ARAMS) | |||
Month | Year | Paper % | Electronic % |
April | 2014 | 69.97% | 30.03% |
May | 2014 | 79.10% | 20.90% |
June | 2014 | 69.44% | 30.56% |
July | 2014 | 47.48% | 52.52% |
August | 2014 | 40.38% | 59.62% |
September | 2014 | 40.45% | 59.55% |
October | 2014 | 45.57% | 54.43% |
November | 2014 | 36.52% | 63.48% |
December | 2014 | 31.93% | 68.07% |
January | 2015 | 29.52% | 70.48% |
Asked by: Lord Greaves (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the extent of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom in (1) sheep, (2) other farm animals, (3) domestic animals, and (4) wild animals; and what action they are taking to reduce the number of infected animals.
Answered by Lord De Mauley
Defra has made no formal assessment of the extent of Lyme disease in the United Kingdom in livestock, domestic or wild animals. However a number of surveillance studies have shown that the main carriers of the Borrelia organism that causes Lyme disease in people and dogs are small wild mammals (for example mice and voles) and ground nesting birds. Other studies have looked at the role of cattle, sheep and deer as hosts for the intermediate tick host, although these species do not maintain infection with the organism. No action is taken to reduce the number of infected wild animals. Action to reduce the number of infected wild animals could only be taken at disproportionate cost.
Control of the disease in people is focussed on public awareness of the importance of preventing tick bites. Factsheets on tick bite risk and prevention are produced by Public Health England and Lyme Disease Action, with further information for patients published by NHS Choices. Veterinary advice on the prevention of infection in dogs is widely available through private practitioners and a vaccine for dogs is now licensed.