Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 impact of Russia's invasion of Ukraine on the UK's food supply and security.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain that has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges.
Our food import dependency on the Eastern Europe region is very low. We do not expect any significant direct impact on overall UK food supply as a result of the conflict in Ukraine. Food imports from Ukraine and Russia comprise a relatively small amount of cereals and oilseeds - such as wheat, maize, rapeseed and sunflower oil - and vodka. We have strong domestic production on many of the same products. We speak regularly with food industry figures, who remain confident in the food supply chain.
Food prices depend on a range of factors including agri-food import prices, domestic agricultural prices, domestic labour, exchange rates and manufacturing costs. The war in Ukraine is another factor which will have an impact on food prices. We are working with major food retailers to understand the effect on individual industries and supply chains in Defra’s sectors, and any resulting impacts on price.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the correspondence of 22 March 2021 from the hon. Member for Blackburn on the abandoned waste programme.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs has indicated that it will not be possible to answer this question within the usual time period. An answer is being prepared and will be provided as soon as it is available.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 prevent food shortages in the event of a supply chain disruption in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The UK has a high degree of food security, built on access to a range of sources including strong domestic production and imports from other countries. This will continue to be the case whether we leave the EU with or without a deal. Food supply is highly resilient with diversity and flexibility throughout the supply chains, and industry responds quickly to disruptions in supply.
Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario has been under way for almost two years. The Government has well established ways of working with the food industry on food supply chain issues and we are using these to support preparations for leaving the EU. This includes working with Defra’s long established Food Chain Emergency Liaison Group (FCELG), which allows Government and industry to work together to plan for and respond to any food supply disruption. This industry group’s membership is drawn from across the agri-food chain sector and includes other relevant government departments, Devolved Administrations and agencies.
Defra will continue to work closely with food industry stakeholders to continue to build shared understanding of the impacts of a no deal scenario on food supply and contingency planning measures being taken by industry. Ongoing close collaboration between Government and industry is essential to plan for, respond to, and mitigate any potential disruption.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the effect on the local environment of fracking.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Environment Agency (EA) has carried out an assessment of the environmental risks associated with hydraulic fracturing and the measures that are needed to ensure that the local environment is protected. Based on this, the EA has developed and published detailed guidance setting out the conditions that fracking operations must meet.
Businesses proposing to explore for oil and gas using hydraulic fracturing require environmental permits from the EA, which are subject to a detailed site specific assessment. The permits set legally binding conditions on the activities and how they are carried out to protect the local environment. They include requirements to monitor groundwater, surface water and air quality before, during and after operations.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
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 potential merits of bringing the water sector back into public ownership.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government’s view is that private ownership, backed by strong, independent regulation is the optimum way to meet the ongoing needs of water customers and the environment.
On 1 March, the Secretary of State set out the need for water companies to respond to public concerns over pay and governance:
https://www.gov.uk/government/speeches/a-water-industry-that-works-for-everyone
That is why the Government fully supports Ofwat’s changes to the upcoming price review process to make water companies work as diligently for customers as for their shareholders. These reforms require water companies to share profits with customers, make dividend payments more transparent and ensure that executive pay is linked to customer service.
Asked by: Kate Hollern (Labour - Blackburn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 29 June 2015 to Question 2828, if she will publish the advice she has received from (a) the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides, (b) her Department's Chief Scientific Adviser and (c) experts from the Chemicals Regulation Directorate of the Health and Safety Executive on the use of clothianidin, imidacloprid and thiamethoxam and other neonicotinoid pesticides.
Answered by George Eustice
The advice of the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides on recent applications for emergency authorisation of the use of clothianidin and thiamethoxam on oilseed rape was published online at:
The advice of Defra’s Chief Scientific Adviser will also be published online in the next few days. Copies will be placed in the House of Commons Library.