Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 stop the export of horses to Europe for slaughter.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is banning the export of horses for slaughter through the Animal Welfare (Livestock Exports) Bill which is progressing through Parliament.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 potential merits of funding a redevelopment of the Animal Plant and Health Agency Headquarters in Weybridge.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) provides high-quality surveillance, preparedness, detection and response to biosecurity threats from animal diseases - both those that might affect our ability to trade and those which pose a threat to animal and human health. To keep APHA’s Weybridge facility fit for purpose, support a major programme of essential maintenance, and secure the long-term future of critical capability, Defra established the Science Capability in Animal Health (SCAH) programme. This is backed by almost £400 million of funding in the current Spending Review period, including £200 million investment for SCAH and £197 million for critical works on site. The work which has commenced to safeguard and enhance the Weybridge site will enable its excellent scientists to continue at the forefront of science which protects the country, boosting our resilience against animal diseases.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 detect the illegal carrying of meat products into the UK.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
African swine fever (ASF) cases in Germany in 2022 represented new “jumps” in disease distribution towards the United Kingdom, following similar movements elsewhere in Europe. While we consider that the overall risk of entry of ASF virus into the UK from all combined pathways remains at medium, the particular pathway of human-mediated transport of non-commercial, infected products from the EU is considered to be high risk (please see the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s risk assessments for more detail).
As a result, we announced controls restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain (GB) to help safeguard Britain's pigs (please see further information here).
Travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork or pork products weighing over two kilograms into GB, unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards. The controls, which came into force in September 2022, strengthen the standards for bringing pork and pork products into GB from the EU and EFTA states.
This measure helps limit possibly infected pig meat being brought into GB through various means, such as in passengers’ luggage or in vehicles. The measure does not apply to commercial imports, which remain unaffected by the control.
There are Defra-sponsored checks carried out under the ASF safeguard measure and enforced by Port Health Authority officers and Border Force officers at ports and airports.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 level of risk posed to the UK by the spread of African Swine Fever.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
African swine fever (ASF) cases in Germany in 2022 represented new “jumps” in disease distribution towards the United Kingdom, following similar movements elsewhere in Europe. While we consider that the overall risk of entry of ASF virus into the UK from all combined pathways remains at medium, the particular pathway of human-mediated transport of non-commercial, infected products from the EU is considered to be high risk (please see the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s risk assessments for more detail).
As a result, we announced controls restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain (GB) to help safeguard Britain's pigs (please see further information here).
Travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork or pork products weighing over two kilograms into GB, unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards. The controls, which came into force in September 2022, strengthen the standards for bringing pork and pork products into GB from the EU and EFTA states.
This measure helps limit possibly infected pig meat being brought into GB through various means, such as in passengers’ luggage or in vehicles. The measure does not apply to commercial imports, which remain unaffected by the control.
There are Defra-sponsored checks carried out under the ASF safeguard measure and enforced by Port Health Authority officers and Border Force officers at ports and airports.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 help prevent the spread of African Swine Fever to the UK.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
African swine fever (ASF) cases in Germany in 2022 represented new “jumps” in disease distribution towards the United Kingdom, following similar movements elsewhere in Europe. While we consider that the overall risk of entry of ASF virus into the UK from all combined pathways remains at medium, the particular pathway of human-mediated transport of non-commercial, infected products from the EU is considered to be high risk (please see the Animal and Plant Health Agency’s risk assessments for more detail).
As a result, we announced controls restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain (GB) to help safeguard Britain's pigs (please see further information here).
Travellers are no longer allowed to bring pork or pork products weighing over two kilograms into GB, unless they are produced to the EU’s commercial standards. The controls, which came into force in September 2022, strengthen the standards for bringing pork and pork products into GB from the EU and EFTA states.
This measure helps limit possibly infected pig meat being brought into GB through various means, such as in passengers’ luggage or in vehicles. The measure does not apply to commercial imports, which remain unaffected by the control.
There are Defra-sponsored checks carried out under the ASF safeguard measure and enforced by Port Health Authority officers and Border Force officers at ports and airports.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of the Border Target Operating Model on biosecurity.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Border Targeting Operating Model (BTOM) successfully delivers a science based dynamic approach to border controls and is designed to change responsively to ensure controls are targeted where risk is greatest. This will provide assurance to our trading partners and the UK consumer that imported food and feed products meet our high safety standards. This approach seeks to bring in critical biosecurity controls as soon as possible, but uses a global risk-based model, data and technology to reduce the burden on businesses wherever possible.
Health certification will provide assurance that an official vet or plant health inspector in the exporting country has checked the goods and confirmed that they are free of pests or diseases and comply with GB’s import health requirements. Inspections increase our surveillance capability to intercept non-compliant goods, detect emerging pest or disease threats, and identify any problems with the certification process in exporting countries. Local authority food standards officials have found examples of pork imported from EU countries with widespread African Swine Fever (ASF). Such countries are not allowed to export pork under EU rules due to the biosecurity threat posed by ASF. The controls in the BTOM, specifically the requirement for Export Health Certificates, would have prevented this: an official vet would refuse to certify such a consignment.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department is providing for those affected by flooding.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
On Saturday 6th January the Government announced a significant package of support that will be available to areas in England that have experienced exceptional localised flooding as a result of Storm Henk (2nd – 12th Jan).
DLUHC has activated the Flood Recovery Framework and its package of support measures include;
Following approval from Defra’s Secretary of State, Defra also activated the PFR Grant scheme and the Farming Recovery Fund.
The PFR Scheme is a package of funding for property owners directly flooded by a specific weather event that grants them up to £5,000 per property to install PFR measures. The Farming Recovery Fund pays out to farmers with uninsurable damage for grants of up to £25,000 for repair and reinstatement costs.
All schemes, with the exception of the Farming Recovery Fund, will be administered through local authorities, who will confirm application process to eligible households and businesses in the coming weeks.
The Farming Recovery Fund is administered by the Rural Payments Agency and not Local Authorities. Defra will confirm detailed eligibility for the Farming Recovery Fund over the coming weeks.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
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 merits of installing cameras on fishing vessels to gather data on marine mammal bycatch.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra acknowledged in several 2023 fisheries consultations that remote electronic monitoring (REM), including the installation of cameras, can tell us more about interactions between fishing activity and sensitive species. Specifically, our REM consultation set out our proposals in more detail. Using the information which REM provides will allow us to collaborate with the fishing industry to develop better methods for bycatch mitigation, supporting the UK Bycatch Mitigation Initiative.
Defra have funded several mammal focused remote electronic monitoring research and development programmes in recent years, including the ongoing Insight360 programme. This programme aims to develop a comprehensive 360° view of marine mammal bycatch, above and below fishing vessels. If successful, this programme will inform the implementation of technology, such as cameras, on fishing vessels to monitor marine mammal bycatch in the years to come.
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress his Department has made on (a) its investigation into and (b) the management of the cases of bluetongue virus in cattle in Kent.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
After the finding of bluetongue in a single cow in Kent on 10 November, Defra and Animal and Plant Health Agency officials took immediate action, humanely culling the animal and putting in place a 10km Temporary Control Zone (TCZ) around the affected premises, whilst a veterinary investigation was carried out to understand the origin of the disease and check for potential spread.
Surveillance in the Kent TCZ has found another 8 cases, including two cases in animals that had been grazing outside of the zone. As a result, the TCZ has been extended as a precaution to prevent the potential spread of disease. Routine surveillance in higher risk counties has identified a further two cases of bluetongue in cattle on a farm in Norfolk - a 10km TCZ has been declared around the affected premises and both animals will be humanely culled to minimise the risk of onward transmission. This brings the total number of cases to 11 on six different holdings. There is currently no evidence that there is circulating virus in the GB midge population. Surveillance and our investigations are ongoing.
Within the TCZs, a range of controls are in place to prevent potential spread of disease, including restrictions on the movement of susceptible animals. Keepers of susceptible animals in the TCZs can apply for licences to move for most purposes including for welfare and to slaughter. 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 - Penrith and The Border)
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 - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
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.