Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Alert Sample


Alert Sample

View the Parallel Parliament page for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Information between 5th March 2024 - 15th March 2024

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Calendar
Tuesday 12th March 2024 2 p.m.
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee - Oral evidence
Subject: Vet shortages
View calendar


Parliamentary Debates
Fairer Regulation of Farming
1 speech (455 words)
Monday 4th March 2024 - Written Statements
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Draft Packaging Waste (Data Reporting) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2024 Draft Waste Enforcement (Fixed Penalty Receipts) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2023
17 speeches (4,810 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - General Committees
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Waste Enforcement (Fixed Penalty Receipts) (Amendment) (England and Wales) Regulations 2023
10 speeches (3,474 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Grand Committee
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Packaging Waste (Data Reporting) (England) (Amendment) Regulations 2024
8 speeches (2,209 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Grand Committee
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Neonicotinoids and other Pesticides
42 speeches (10,187 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Westminster Hall
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
South West Water
41 speeches (9,581 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Westminster Hall
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Environment Agency
19 speeches (1,432 words)
Thursday 7th March 2024 - Lords Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Zero Total Allowable Catch: Pollack
17 speeches (3,206 words)
Monday 11th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs


Select Committee Documents
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Food and Drink Federation
FSC0064 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence from the Food Standards Agency regarding the end of Professor Susan Jebb's tenure as Chair, dated 28 February 2024

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence to Minette Batters regarding the end of her tenure as NFU President, dated 27 February 2024

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Fields in Trust
UGS0085 - Urban Green Spaces

Urban Green Spaces - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - Defra Supplementary Estimate 2023/24 Memorandum

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - Ofwat Supplementary Estimate 2023/24 Memorandum

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Harper Adams University, Forces Farming, McDonald's, and Tristram Plants

Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence from the Chief Veterinary Officer regarding vet shortages, dated 4 March 2024

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Written Evidence - National Farmers' Union (NFU)
FSC0066 - Fairness in the food supply chain

Fairness in the food supply chain - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Written Evidence - Pets at Home Plc
ECL0055 - Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors

Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Written Evidence - Bankside Open Spaces Trust
ECL0054 - Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors

Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Written Evidence - Meat Business Women
ECL0053 - Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors

Education and Careers in Land-based Sectors - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Written Evidence - Chester Zoo
TFA0034 - UK trade policy: food and agriculture

UK trade policy: food and agriculture - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence from the Food Standards Agency regarding the launch of its vegan food and allergens campaign, dated 5 March 2024

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence from River Action regarding the Committee's response to Ofwat's Forward Programme 2024-25, dated 7 March 2024

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence from the Minister for Food, Farming and Fisheries regarding fisheries agreements and the Faroe Islands, dated 6 March 2024

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Correspondence - Correspondence from the Animal Sentience Committee regarding its report on the Veterinary Medicines Regulations (2013) Revisions, dated 1 March 2024

Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee


Written Answers
Import Controls: Northern Ireland
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government how much money has been allocated for the construction of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The construction of the Sanitary and Phytosanitary Inspection Facilities in Northern Ireland is supported by an agreed business case which provides a funding envelope of up to a maximum of £192.3 million. This figure is just an envelope and is not guaranteed as the department always aspires to come in under budget.

Import Controls: Northern Ireland
Asked by: Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the construction of border inspection posts in Northern Ireland to be completed.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The SPS Inspection Facilities at Northern Ireland points of entry will be completed by 1 July 2025, per our commitments under the Windsor Framework.

Bluetongue Disease: Vaccination
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Monday 11th March 2024

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 has taken to help secure adequate quantities of vaccines for (a) BVT-3, (b) BVT-4 and (c) BVT-8 over the next year.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are several serotypes of Bluetongue virus, but vaccines are only available for certain serotypes at present – BTV-1, 2, 4 and 8. For these serotypes, where vaccination is possible and where there are UK authorised products, vaccination is the best way to protect livestock. The decision on whether to vaccinate is a commercial decision for livestock keepers and they should discuss the options with their vet. Veterinary surgeons can apply to the Veterinary Medicines Directorate for a Special Import Certificate, which will allow keepers to import safe and effective bluetongue vaccine to vaccinate their stock should they decide that it is appropriate for their animals.

There are no authorised vaccines available for BTV-3 in the UK or Europe, but we are engaging with vaccine manufacturers on the development of a BTV-3 vaccine for use in the UK.

Bluetongue Disease
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the impact of the recent outbreak of the bluetongue virus on farmers' profits as a result of loss of livestock.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

It is too early to say what the wider impacts on the industry will be, including profitability. 121 cases of Bluetongue serotype 3 have been found to date and 54 animals were culled to stem potential disease spread - full market compensation for those animals was paid to these keepers. Market impacts of animal disease are a risk carried by the industry. However, the Government seeks to minimise that risk, particularly by taking prompt action to ensure that the risk of spread of the disease is reduced. We also continue to work closely with industry bodies to ensure that matters of concern are addressed promptly.

Water Supply: Microplastics
Asked by: Baroness Kennedy of Cradley (Labour - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their latest assessment of the amount of microplastics in tap water.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Drinking Water Inspectorate (DWI) has published two research projects on microplastics in drinking water – one in January 2019 reviewing the potential risks from nanoparticles and microplastics and another in October 2022 looking at the removal of microplastics by drinking water treatment processes.

The research by the DWI found that more than 99.99% of microplastic particles were removed through conventional drinking water treatment processes. As a consequence of the removal rates, microplastics were present at very low levels in drinking water. Their contribution to total daily exposure, and presenting a potential risk to human health, was likely to be low or insignificant. The World Health Organization has also recommended that routine monitoring of microplastics in drinking water was not necessary at this time.

Air Pollution
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Friday 8th March 2024

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 take steps to provide additional support to local authorities to reduce air pollution in areas which breach air quality standards.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As recognised in our Environmental Improvement Plan, local authorities have a central role in improving air quality. The Air Quality Strategy, published last year, supports councils in their role by providing a comprehensive framework for local action. Defra also supports local authorities in England to reduce air pollution through events, resources and knowledge sharing, including the 2023 Local Air Quality Symposium.

Alongside this, we run an annual Air Quality Grant Scheme. Through this grant, approximately £52 million has been awarded to nearly 500 local authority projects since 2010. This year the scheme will award over £6 million to improve air quality in local communities.

Air Pollution
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Friday 8th March 2024

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 has he made of the effectiveness of the steps his Department is taking to help ensure that local authorities reach legally-compliant standards in air quality.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the 2017 UK Plan for Tackling Roadside Nitrogen Dioxide (NO2) Concentrations, Government assesses whether local authorities in the NO2 Programme have successfully delivered a reduction in NO2 concentrations. The programme’s evaluation also helps understand the effectiveness and impacts of Local NO2 Plan measures.

In addition, the Secretary of State is required to lay a statement before Parliament each year, under section 80A of the Environment Act 1995, setting out an assessment of the progress made in meeting our wider air quality standards and objectives as well as the steps taken in support of meeting those standards and objectives.

The last Written Ministerial Statement to this effect was laid in Parliament on 13 July 2023. In accordance with this requirement, the Secretary of State will provide a further update to the House on our progress as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of the financial year in 2024.

Air Pollution
Asked by: Rachael Maskell (Labour (Co-op) - York Central)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps he has taken to reduce the levels of (a) nitrogen dioxide and (b) particulate matter in air.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The nitrogen dioxide (NO2) programme has allocated £883m to support local authorities to address NO2 exceedances. This funding has supported measures including vehicle upgrade and scrappage schemes, improved traffic management, and better cycling infrastructure.

New PM2.5 targets were recently set as part of the Environment Act. These targets focus on reducing PM2.5 where concentrations are highest as well as ensuring population exposure is reduced across the country. Meeting these targets will require action across a range of sectors and has included legislation to restrict the sale of wet wood, coal and high sulphur manufactured solid fuels for use in domestic premises. Since January 2022 all stoves placed on the market in the United Kingdom must be Ecodesign compliant. These requirements have been accompanied by an ongoing communication campaign aimed at raising awareness and educating people on the risks of burning solid fuels, encouraging those that need to burn to do so as cleanly and efficiently as possible.

Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2024
Asked by: Anna Firth (Conservative - Southend West)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when the Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2024 will be laid before the House of Commons.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

On 28 February 2024, Kent and Essex Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority issued a month-long public consultation on the draft Thames Estuary Cockle Fishery Order 2024.

The Order will be laid before Parliament in due course following consideration of the consultation responses.

Darwin Initiative: Antarctic
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what environmental projects have been funded through Darwin Plus in Antartica since 2019.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Since 2019, Darwin Plus has funded 22 environmental projects of benefit to the Falkland Islands. These are listed in the table below.

Please visit the Darwin Plus website at https://darwinplus.org.uk/ for full details of funded projects.

Project reference

Project title

UK Overseas Territories involved

DPLUS146

Red Listing can protect OT marine biodiversity

British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS110

Recognise, protect, restore: driving sound stewardship of Falklands peat wetlands

Falkland Islands

DPLUS115

Unlocking Falkland Islands Marine Management: Key Biodiversity Areas for seabirds

Falkland Islands

DPLUS116

Falklands wetlands and aquatic habitats: baselines for monitoring future change

Falkland Islands

DPLUS126

Advancing Falklands and region-scale management of globally important whale populations

Falkland Islands

DPLUS139

Improving Falklands marine management effectiveness for marine higher predators

Falkland Islands

DPLUS148

Climate change resilience in Falkland Islands fisheries and marine ecosystems

Falkland Islands

DPLUS167

Pathogens as a threat to seabirds in the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

DPLUS168

Understanding increased FI seal bycatch to inform bycatch Action Plan

Falkland Islands

DPLUS169

New Island: completing preparatory steps for restoration against invasive mammals

Falkland Islands

DPLUS182

Habitat restoration and species re-introductions on four Falklands island reserves

Falkland Islands

DPL00047

Increasing environmental monitoring capacity on FI: a Thermal Imaging UAV

Falkland Islands

DPL00058

Fire Contingency Planning for Offshore Islands

Falkland Islands

CV19RR02

Establishing wildlife health and disease monitoring in the Falkland Islands

Falkland Islands

DPL00002

Restoring native tussac grassland habitat

Falkland Islands

DPL00006

Restoring peat soils and tussac grass habitat in the Falklands

Falkland Islands

DPL00020

Data driven solutions to land management and climate change adaptation

Falkland Islands

DPL00025

Building farm biodiversity planning and monitoring capacity for sustainable management

Falkland Islands

DPLUS092

Seabird sentinels: mapping potential bycatch risk using bird-borne radar

Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS094

Developing Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) tools for Turks and Caicos

Falkland Islands, Turks and Caicos Islands

DPLUS175

Enhancing monitoring and prevention of invasive non-native species across UKOTs

Gibraltar, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (on Cyprus), South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Bermuda, Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands

DPLUS174

A cross-UKOT camera network to enhance marine predator conservation

Montserrat, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Environment Protection: Investment
Asked by: Alexander Stafford (Conservative - Rother Valley)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Green Finance Strategy's target of raising £500m in private finance every year by 2027, how much private finance to support his Department's work has been raised in the 2023-24 financial year.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

As set out in ‘Mobilising Green Investment: 2023 Green Finance Strategy’, we are committed to monitoring annual private finance flows into nature’s recovery in England against our target.

The Government has not produced an official annual estimate of private finance into nature’s recovery, as no reliable measures are yet in place. Defra is developing a methodology for tracking this private finance. We will publish our first annual estimate, using this methodology, once data is available.

Air Pollution
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s annual progress report published 18th January 2024, if he will bring the ambient air quality standards in the Air Quality Standards Regulations 2010 in line with World Health Organisation guidelines.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The World Health Organisation Air Quality Guidelines are intended to inform the setting of air quality standards and are not ready-made targets for adoption. We will continue to keep our targets under review and consider in line with the best available evidence, specific to our national circumstances.

Dairy Products and Meat: Consumption
Asked by: Ian Byrne (Labour - Liverpool, West Derby)
Friday 8th March 2024

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 he has made of the implications for his policies of the potential impact of reducing meat and dairy consumption on the Government's Net Zero Strategy.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government’s preferred approach to supporting consumers to make sustainable food choices is to support sustainable food production practices and high-quality British produce, whilst maintaining people’s freedom of choice.

The Government recognises the contribution to greenhouse gas emissions made by the livestock and dairy sectors, whilst valuing the importance of our farmers in feeding the nation and managing our rural environment. Well managed livestock provide environmental benefits such as supporting biodiversity, protecting the character of the countryside, and generating important income for rural communities.

Government is focusing on productivity and innovation to help reduce agricultural emissions. The measures in the Net Zeo Growth plan aim to reduce emissions from agriculture in England through sustainable land management practices, the uptake of innovative practices and technologies, and actions to improve the productivity and profitability of the sector.

Some of the policies and proposals which will help reduce emissions from livestock include, improved health and welfare of livestock, multi-purpose breeds, and increasing the uptake of methane suppressing feed products in cattle. Additionally, the Food Data Transparency Partnership’s work on health and environmental sustainability metrics for food will help enable healthier and more sustainable diets.

Food: Labelling
Asked by: Alyn Smith (Scottish National Party - Stirling)
Friday 8th March 2024

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 improve food labelling so that (a) consumers are effectively informed on which products have been produced (i) locally and (ii) in the UK and (b) local products are not undercut by external competition which is not produced to the same standard.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Country of origin information is required for fresh and frozen meat derived from beef cattle, sheep, goat, pigs and poultry, as well as uncut fresh fruit and vegetables, honey, olive oil, wine and some fish products. It is also required for all prepacked food where its omission would be misleading to consumers. In any case, where an indication of origin or provenance is given, either in words or pictures, this must be accurate. Buying food locally and supporting their local food economy is important to many consumers and where any label indicates that a food is produced locally, this must not be misleading to a consumer.

As recently announced by the Secretary of State, we will soon be launching a consultation on clearer food labelling. This will explore how we can better highlight imports that do not meet UK welfare standards. The consultation will also seek evidence and views on how origin information could be improved for consumers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Magazine Press
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department (a) allocated for and (b) spent on magazine subscriptions in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Budgets are not allocated to this level of detail. The annual Library budget allocation does not provide specific allocation to magazine subscription. The overall budget allocation covers magazines, (e-)books, print and online journals, document delivery, memberships, news coverage, analytical/economic tools and reference/full text databases.

The allocated library budget and spend on magazines and journals over the last three years since 2021/22 is outlined below.

Financial Year

Total Library budget

Spend on magazine and journals

2021/22

£780,000

£487,281.54

2022/23

£1,043,000

£412,074.32

2023/24

£1,247,000

£538,098.20

Defra Library purchases magazines and journals for Defra, Animal and Plant Health Agency and Natural England staff to support them in their role.

Farming
Asked by: Daniel Kawczynski (Conservative - Shrewsbury and Atcham)
Friday 8th March 2024

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 implications for his polices of recent trends in levels of protests relating to farming.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

British farming is at the heart of British trade. The Government continues to support British farmers, placing agriculture at the forefront of negotiations, prioritising new export opportunities, protecting UK food standards and removing market access barriers.

The Government is committed to maintaining the £2.4 billion annual farming budget which will support farmers to produce food profitably and sustainably and are also looking at ways to further improve fairness in the supply chain and support British farmers and growers, as well as ensuring customers have access to high-quality fresh British products. In addition to this, the Government is committed to protecting nature and helping to meet our net zero ambitions.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Advertising
Asked by: Jonathan Ashworth (Labour (Co-op) - Leicester South)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how much funding his Department (a) budgeted for and (b) spent on advertising in each of the last three financial years.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The attached table outlines how much spending has been budgeted for and spent on advertising by the department in each of the last three financial years. Like all areas of government spending, costs are reviewed regularly to ensure value for money.

Marine Environment: Carbon Emissions
Asked by: Sally-Ann Hart (Conservative - Hastings and Rye)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what protection beyond saltmarsh and seagrass is in place for blue carbon habitats; and whether he is taking steps to encourage private sector investment in (a) ocean-based regenerative farming and (b) other initiatives to support those ecosystems.

Answered by Rebecca Long Bailey

The Government recognises the important role that blue carbon habitats can play in climate change mitigation, adaptation and resilience. These richly biodiverse habitats also provide a crucial buffer from coastal flooding, benefit fish stocks and improve local water quality.


The UK is a global leader in ocean protection and we have taken a number of steps to support blue carbon habitats. 40% of UK waters are in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) which cover the majority of our saltmarsh and seagrass habitats. Our focus is now on ensuring that these MPAs are effectively protected. The first three Highly Protected Marine Area designations in English waters recently came into force, two of which include further blue carbon habitats such as sub-littoral biogenic reefs and sub-littoral mud.


The Environment Agency’s Restoring Meadow, Marsh and Reef initiative is working to restore native oyster reef, as well as seagrass meadows and saltmarsh. Working in partnership with environmental non-government organisations, industry, community groups and academia, the initiative aims to identify innovative funding opportunities, streamline regulatory processes, build capacity and share knowledge with partners to facilitate a larger programme of restoration.


Defra has set up the UK Blue Carbon Evidence Partnership in partnership with the Devolved Administrations to address evidence gaps that currently prevent the inclusion of blue carbon habitats in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory (GHGI). Inclusion of these habitats in the GHGI will allow blue carbon to be marketed and traded as a carbon offset, leveraging private investment into these vital natural carbon stores.

Increased private sector investment into nature-based solutions will be crucial to protect 30% of the worlds ocean by 2030 and limit global warming to 1.5 degrees. Our Green Finance Strategy sets out how the Government will mobilise public and private financial flows to meet climate and environmental targets and our Nature Markets Framework sets out the Government’s aim to raise at least £500 million in private finance to support nature’s recovery every year by 2027 in England, rising to more than £1 billion per year by 2030.

The UK is also leading the way in developing Marine Net Gain in English waters, which will require developers to leave the environment in a better state than before new development, targeting biodiversity decline while securing potential blue carbon benefits.

Air Pollution
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Office for Environmental Protection’s annual progress report published on 18 January 2024, what steps his Department is taking to (a) safeguard vulnerable groups from the impact of air pollution and (b) encourage long-term behaviour change to reduce polluting activity.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Through the Environment Act 2021 we introduced two new targets for fine particulate matter, the pollutant most damaging to human health, setting a maximum annual mean concentration target and a population exposure reduction target. This dual-target approach will improve public health for all by tackling the highest concentrations and ensuring all areas benefit from continuous improvement. Government recognises there is more to do to protect all people in our society and the environment from the effects of air pollution. This is why we are taking the significant and wide-ranging action to drive improvements to air quality as set out in our Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.

Government is undertaking a comprehensive review of how we communicate air quality information to ensure members of the public, and vulnerable groups in particular, have what they need protect themselves and understand how their behaviour impacts on air quality. This review is being undertaken by the Air Quality Information Systems steering group with the aim of publishing the recommendations this summer.

Drinking Water: Per- and Polyfluorinated Alkyl Substances
Asked by: Tulip Siddiq (Labour - Hampstead and Kilburn)
Friday 8th March 2024

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 has taken to prevent the leaching of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances into supplies of drinking water.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are already statutory duties on water companies and local authorities to carry out risk assessments and sample drinking water supplies for anything which would constitute a potential danger to human health. This includes per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS). The Drinking Water Inspectorate has a guideline value on individual types of PFAS of 100 nanograms per litre. It was set in 2021 based on an assessment of existing scientific knowledge and agreed with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) to be a robust level with an appropriate margin to ensure our drinking water is safe to drink. There is no evidence of PFAS concentrations above this value in drinking water supplies.

Nevertheless, work is continuing with other government departments, regulators and the devolved administrations to assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to safeguard current high drinking water quality and ensure our regulations remain fit for purpose.

Sewage: South Holland and the Deepings
Asked by: John Hayes (Conservative - South Holland and The Deepings)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many storm overflow discharges there have been in South Holland and The Deepings constituency in the last five years.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

This Government has significantly driven up monitoring and transparency of water companies in recent years. The number of storm overflows monitored across the English network has increased from 7% in 2010 to 100% now monitored.

To improve transparency this data is now publicly available on the Government website (Event Duration Monitoring - Storm Overflows - Annual Returns - data.gov.uk). This shows the following discharges records for South Holland the Deepings:

  • In 2019, 61 discharges were recorded, all from 1 asset.
  • In 2020, 52 discharges were recorded, all from 1 asset.
  • In 2021, 267 discharges were recorded, from 7 different assets.
  • In 2022, 187 discharges were recorded, from 7 different assets.

The difference in the figures is due to the increase in the number of assets being monitored. 2023 data will be available in March this year.

Fluorinated Gases
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Friday 8th March 2024

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 adequacy of the (a) training and (b) certification of technicians in the use of alternative products during the planned transition away from fluorinated gases.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are industry-led training courses already available on the use of alternative refrigerant gases. As noted in the Defra assessment report of December 2022 on the impact of the current Regulation on fluorinated gases, some industry stakeholders have suggested that mandatory training should be introduced for alternatives with flammability, toxicity and high-pressure properties. We are reviewing the provisions of the Regulation and intend to consult on proposals for change in due course.

Food: Waste
Asked by: Wera Hobhouse (Liberal Democrat - Bath)
Friday 8th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when his Department plans to publish a revised response to the consultation on Improved food waste reporting by large food businesses.

Answered by Robbie Moore - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government consulted on improved food waste reporting by large businesses in England and published a response in July 2023. The new Secretary of State has however decided to look again at how best to secure the benefits of food waste reporting, including mandatory measures for large businesses. We now intend to gather further evidence and re-consider all the options using the latest available data in order to retake the decision later this year.

Agriculture: Inflation
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made on the average 12-month inflation rate in (a) agricultural outputs and (b) agricultural inputs in each year since 2010.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The table below provides the annual agricultural price indices for 2014 to 2023, along with the annual inflation rates for 2015 to 2023 (calculated as a year-on-year percentage increase from the annual indices). Annual inflation rates are only available from 2015 onwards on an equivalent basis, because it was only possible to backdate the indices to 2014 when the agricultural price index was rebased to 2020 in 2023.

Table: Annual inflation rate for all agricultural outputs and all agricultural inputs, 2015-2023.

2014

2015

2016

2017

2018

2019

2020

2021

2022

2023 (a)

All agricultural outputs price index (base = 2020)

95.1

86.5

85.4

94.5

97.4

96.5

100.0

109.9

130.6

132.4

All agricultural inputs price index (base = 2020)

95.8

89.7

87.2

91.7

98.8

100.4

100.0

111.4

143.2

135.6

All agricultural outputs inflation rate

-9.1%

-1.3%

10.7%

3.0%

-0.9%

3.6%

9.9%

18.9%

1.4%

All agricultural inputs inflation rate

-6.4%

-2.7%

5.1%

7.8%

1.6%

-0.4%

11.4%

28.5%

-5.3%

Source: Defra Agricultural Price Indices

Latest agricultural price indices - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)

Notes:

(a) Values for 2023 are provisional

Data are only available from 2015 onwards on an equivalent basis, following re-basing of the agricultural price index to 2020 in 2023.

Recycling
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to ensure high recycling rates under the Simpler Recycling policy; and how such rates will be assessed to give consumers confidence.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Simpler Recycling will aim to make recycling clearer and more consistent across England. All household and non-household premises (such as businesses, schools and hospitals) across England will be able to recycle the same materials in the following core groups: metal; glass; plastic; paper and card; food waste; garden waste (household only). Furthermore, packaging producers will be required to label packaging as ‘Recycle’ or ‘Do Not Recycle’ adopting a single label format which incorporates the Recycle Now symbol.

Land Drainage
Asked by: Baroness Eaton (Conservative - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of the role of the Environment Agency in ensuring that drainage ditches owned by riparian owners are maintained

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Under the Flood and Water Management Act 2010, the Environment Agency has a strategic overview of the management of all sources of flooding and coastal change and are the lead authority for managing the risk of flooding from main rivers, estuaries and the sea.

Many different public and private bodies are involved in flood and coastal erosion risk management, each accountable for different aspects of risk management. The National Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Strategy for England (copy attached) sets out the different roles and responsibilities and describes how organisations and communities can work together to tackle flood and coastal risk in a co-ordinated and effective way.

Landowners are responsible, under common law, for maintaining the bed and banks of any watercourses that run through their land in a state which avoids flooding on their neighbours’ or other land. This common law duty also extends to keeping watercourses and culverts clear of anything that could cause an obstruction, either on their own land or downstream if it is washed away.

Drainage ditches are usually ordinary watercourses rather than main rivers, so the oversight of flood risk arising from unmaintained drainage ditches sits with other Risk Management Authorities (RMAs). Lead local flood authorities (county councils and unitary authorities), district councils, internal drainage boards, highways authorities and water and sewerage companies are collectively known as RMAs.

The Environment Agency has published guidance on owning a watercourse on GOV.UK, covering riparian landowners’ responsibilities and the rules to follow and the permissions needed. By March 2024, new engagement guidance will be published, to help RMAs, Environment Agency staff and landowners have more effective conversations on this matter.

Recycling
Asked by: Baroness Hayman of Ullock (Labour - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they have assessed the effectiveness of introducing statutory guidance on Simpler Recycling which mandates the sorting of materials in order to be recycled by Material Recovery Facilities.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We recently consulted on the content of the statutory guidance for Simpler Recycling. We will publish our final statutory guidance once the regulations relating to Simpler Recycling have been made.

Darwin Initiative: South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands
Asked by: Matthew Offord (Conservative - Hendon)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what environmental projects have been funded through Darwin Plus in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands since 2019.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Since 2019, Darwin Plus has funded 21 environmental projects of benefit to South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands. These are listed in the table below.

Please visit the Darwin Plus website at https://darwinplus.org.uk/ for full details of funded projects.

Project reference

Project title

UK Overseas Territories involved

DPLUS146

Red Listing can protect OT marine biodiversity

British Antarctic Territory, Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS166

Improving identification of fish bycatch in the Antarctic krill fishery

British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS092

Seabird sentinels: mapping potential bycatch risk using bird-borne radar

Falkland Islands, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS175

Enhancing monitoring and prevention of invasive non-native species across UKOTs

Gibraltar, Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia (on Cyprus), South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Turks and Caicos Islands, British Indian Ocean Territory, Bermuda, Anguilla, Cayman Islands, Falkland Islands

DPLUS174

A cross-UKOT camera network to enhance marine predator conservation

Montserrat, St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, Gibraltar, Falkland Islands, British Antarctic Territory, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS089

Integrating genetic approaches into sub-Antarctic deep sea research and management

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS093

HOT: Hadal zones of our Overseas Territories

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS109

Initiating monitoring support for the SGSSI-MPA Research and Monitoring Plan

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS120

Spatial segregation and bycatch risk of seabirds at South Georgia

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS122

Biodiversity discovery and the future of South Georgia’s seaweed habitats

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS143

What goes thump at night: managing bird-strike in South Georgia

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS144

Protecting South Georgia’s terrestrial communities from climate change-invasion synergies

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS149

Resolving ecosystem effects of the South Georgia winter krill fishery

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS179

Characterising pelagic biodiversity at South Georgia through novel sampling methods

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS186

Evidence-based conservation of biodiversity in the South Sandwich Islands

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS187

Using satellite technology to monitor seabird populations at South Georgia

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS188

Hungry humpbacks: measuring seasonal foraging intensity at South Georgia

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPLUS189

Evaluating climate change risks to Patagonian and Antarctic toothfish

South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

DPL00019

Mapping South Georgia's Plant Biodiversity

South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI)

DPL00039

Assessing Terrestrial Climate Change Impacts on a sub-Antarctic Archipelago

South Georgia and The South Sandwich Islands (SGSSI)

DPLUS132

Monitoring albatrosses using very high resolution satellites and citizen science

St Helena, Ascension and Tristan da Cunha, South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands

Rivers: Sewage
Asked by: Baroness Boycott (Crossbench - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government when the results of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework will be published for storm overflows potentially discharging untreated sewage into English rivers; and on what occasions there have been (1) overflows where untreated sewage can be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall, and (2) overflows where untreated sewage cannot be lawfully discharged other than as a result of exceptional rainfall.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Outcomes of the Storm Overflow Assessment Framework (SOAF) investigations within calendar year are reported through the annual Event Duration Monitoring (EDM) reporting from Water and Sewerage Companies to the Environment Agency at the end of February the following year. The Environment Agency publishes these EDM reports by end of March each year.

The Environment Agency will publish the 2023 EDM report in March 2024 and this will contain outcomes from SOAF investigations completed by December 2023. The Environment Agency will assess data provided by each water company in order to assess whether they are meeting their legal obligations with regards to the discharge of untreated sewage.

Reservoirs
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made since the year 2000 of the need for new reservoirs in England and Wales.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply in England. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure.

It is a duty on water companies to maintain, improve and extend their water supply networks, to account for future water needs, such as those for domestic and industrial users. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050, including nine new reservoirs.

Reservoirs
Asked by: Lord Patten (Conservative - Life peer)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of reservoirs in England and Wales in ensuring continuous water supplies to meet (1) domestic, and (2) industrial, demand.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra published its Plan for Water which set out the importance of ensuring a clean and plentiful water supply in England. The Plan sets out our commitment to a twin track approach to improving water supply resilience, with action to reduce water company leaks alongside investing in new supply infrastructure.

It is a duty on water companies to maintain, improve and extend their water supply networks, to account for future water needs, such as those for domestic and industrial users. Last year, regional water resources groups and water companies, consulted on their draft water resources plans. These statutory plans set out how each company will secure water supplies sustainably for at least the next 25 years. The draft water resources management plans contain proposals for multiple new water resources schemes by 2050, including nine new reservoirs.

Marine Protected Areas
Asked by: Caroline Lucas (Green Party - Brighton, Pavilion)
Monday 11th March 2024

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 12 February 2024 to Question 12797 on Marine Protected Areas, when his Department expects to publish (a) the outcomes of the Marine Management Organisation’s calls for evidence on the development of byelaws to manage fishing activity impacts in marine protected areas and (b) its public consultation on those outcomes.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) issued a call for evidence for stage 3 of its offshore Marine Protected Area byelaw programme last year and is now preparing draft byelaws for consultation. A further call for evidence on stage 4 of the programme, covering highly mobile species, closed on 13 February 2024. The MMO is analysing the responses received to this latest call for evidence before deciding what byelaws might need to be consulted on. The outcomes of both processes will be published in due course.

Dangerous Dogs: Registration
Asked by: Stephanie Peacock (Labour - Barnsley East)
Monday 11th March 2024

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 27 February 2024 to Question 14673 on Dangerous Dogs: Registration and with reference to his oral contribution on 1 February 2024, Official Report, column 970, for what reason he advised those who had not yet registered their XL Bully dogs to register them as soon as possible.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

I would like to clarify that during his oral contribution on 1 February the Secretary of State inadvertently misspoke. As highlighted in the Answer of 27 February 2024 to Question 14673 on Dangerous Dogs, the scheme through which owners could register their XL Bully dog for a Certificate of Exemption closed at midday on 31 January 2024. This deadline was set out in The Dangerous Dogs (Compensation and Exemption Schemes) (England and Wales) Order 2023.

From 1 February 2024, it became a criminal offence to possess an XL Bully breed type without a valid Certificate of Exemption, and new exemptions can now only be authorised by a court order. If owners think they have an XL Bully dog and do not have a Certificate of Exemption, we advise that they should contact their local police force.

Sanitary Products: Safety
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the safety of the use of silver in period products, including period pants and menstrual cups, in the light of concerns among the scientific community regarding the safety of the wearer and environmental impacts, particularly on aquatic life.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market. Period products, including period pants and menstrual cups, are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This provides a baseline of safety for applicable products, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be placed on the market. The law places obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure consumers are provided with safety information, including instructions for safe use. This includes risks that are not immediately obvious to consumers without adequate warnings, such as the use of additives and antimicrobial substances and the presence of silver in these products.

Period products are not classed as biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation but are instead articles which contain or are treated with a biocidal product (such as a silver compound). A number of silver active substances are currently waiting to be assessed for safety and efficacy as biocides under the GB review programme of existing active substances. While this is the case they can be legally used in treated articles including period products.

Defra continues to monitor research on chemicals in period products as part of the UK REACH Work Programme, working closely with the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. This ongoing work covers all risks, including those relating to aquatic life. Studies carried out in the EU found that the chemicals identified in these products were present only in low concentrations, with no evidence of significant risks to human health.

Sanitary Products
Asked by: Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle (Green Party - Life peer)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will take action to prevent the unnecessary use of additives and antimicrobial substances in period products claiming ‘anti-odour’ or ‘antimicrobial’ properties.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The UK has a comprehensive regulatory framework in place to ensure products are safe before they are placed on the market. Period products, including period pants and menstrual cups, are regulated by the General Product Safety Regulations 2005. This provides a baseline of safety for applicable products, requiring that only safe products, in their normal or reasonably foreseeable use, can be placed on the market. The law places obligations on producers, manufacturers, importers and distributors to ensure consumers are provided with safety information, including instructions for safe use. This includes risks that are not immediately obvious to consumers without adequate warnings, such as the use of additives and antimicrobial substances and the presence of silver in these products.

Period products are not classed as biocidal products under the GB Biocidal Products Regulation but are instead articles which contain or are treated with a biocidal product (such as a silver compound). A number of silver active substances are currently waiting to be assessed for safety and efficacy as biocides under the GB review programme of existing active substances. While this is the case they can be legally used in treated articles including period products.

Defra continues to monitor research on chemicals in period products as part of the UK REACH Work Programme, working closely with the Health and Safety Executive and the Environment Agency. This ongoing work covers all risks, including those relating to aquatic life. Studies carried out in the EU found that the chemicals identified in these products were present only in low concentrations, with no evidence of significant risks to human health.

Water: Pollution Control
Asked by: Sarah Dyke (Liberal Democrat - Somerton and Frome)
Tuesday 5th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of land have been protected for wildlife as a result of the Nutrient Mitigation Scheme.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Nutrient neutrality advice aims to halt further pollution of England’s most important protected waterways whose catchments cover an area of approximately 1.8m ha.

Natural England has developed a Nutrient Mitigation Scheme that has so far secured approximately 257 ha of land to reduce nutrient pollution from new housing development. This land will also be managed for the purposes of nature conservation and, where appropriate, public access.

Natural England is currently investigating other sites across England which, if considered feasible, would secure approximately 512 ha of land for the purposes of nutrient mitigation and nature recovery.

Natural England aims to avoid the best and most versatile agricultural land when investing in nutrient mitigation projects.

The nutrient mitigation scheme operates alongside a number of other providers of nutrient mitigation across England, including Local Authorities, environmental Non-Governmental Organisations, private markets and developers. Many of the solutions invested in by these providers will be nature-based and will not only reduce nutrient pollution but benefit nature and people.

Agriculture: Employment
Asked by: Lord Hodgson of Astley Abbotts (Conservative - Life peer)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government what is the number of (1) farmers, and (2) their direct employees, for the latest date for which figures are available.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Farmers are defined here as full time and part time principal farmers, business partners, directors and spouses. All other agricultural workers are defined here as regular employees, salaried managers and casual workers who were working on the holding on 1 June 2023.

Agricultural workforce in England in 2023

2023

Farmers

178,696

All other agricultural workers

113,705

Total agricultural workforce

292,401

Notes

(a) Commercial holdings are those registered with the Rural Payments Agency for payments or livestock purposes and with significant levels of farming activity (as recorded in responses to the Defra June Survey of Agriculture or the Cattle Tracing System). Holdings are only included if they have more than five hectares of agricultural land, one hectare of orchards, 0.5 hectares of vegetables or 0.1 hectares of protected crops, or more than 10 cows, 50 pigs, 20 sheep, 20 goats or 1,000 poultry.

Full data series for agricultural workforce are published here for England. A copy is attached to this answer.

Similar figures for the UK are available at gov.uk.

Trees: Northern Ireland
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask His Majesty's Government which species of tree are currently prohibited from being moved from Great Britain to Northern Ireland for planting in Northern Ireland.

Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

All information on high-risk plants, including the latest information on the plants’ dossiers and those where the bans have been lifted, can be found at the ‘Plant Portal’ on gov.uk. The Government continues to proactively engage with industry to understand where further action is needed and prepare and submit dossiers for scientific assessment.

Through the Windsor Framework, we have already lifted the ban on the most urgent eleven priority species, these being European beech, English oak, Sessile oak, Norway Maple, Japanese maple, Sycamore maple, Field Maple, Crab apple, Common apple, Hawthorn and two types of privet (wax leaf and delavey).

The ban on common hazel will be lifted soon, which will be followed by another seven species that industry has prioritised. We will continue to work with industry to identify further species as needed.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Equality
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in his Department have job titles which include the words (a) equality, (b) diversity, (c) inclusion, (d) gender, (e) LGBT and (f) race.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra has a specialist HR Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) Team made up of 11 full-time equivalent posts. In addition, the Farming and Countryside Programme has two posts which include EDI in their job titles. All roles are internally focused.

The Government is auditing the cost-effectiveness of all activities that support the EDI of the workforce, through the review of EDI spending announced last June.

As stated in the Autumn Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister for the Cabinet Office will be outlining the final proposals in response to the review in due course.

Environment Agency and Rural Payments Agency: Equality
Asked by: Neil O'Brien (Conservative - Harborough)
Thursday 7th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many staff in the (a) the Environment Agency and (b) Rural Payments Agency have job titles which include the words (i) equality, (ii) diversity, (iii) inclusion, (iv) gender, (v) LGBT and (vi) race.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

There are 8.8 full-time equivalent staff in the Environment Agency who work for a team with the title EDI (equality, diversity and inclusion). None of their job titles individually refer to equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT or race.

As of 27 February, the Rural Payments Agency has no staff with job titles which include the words equality, diversity, inclusion, gender, LGBT or race.

The Government is auditing the cost-effectiveness of all activities that support the EDI of the workforce, through the review of EDI spending announced last June. As stated in the Autumn Statement by the Chancellor of the Exchequer, the Minister for the Cabinet Office will be outlining the final proposals in response to the review in due course.

Livestock Worrying
Asked by: Neil Hudson (Conservative - Penrith and The Border)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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 tackle livestock worrying.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause animals and their keepers, as well as the financial implications. The Government is supporting a Private Members’ Bill to amend the Dogs (Protection of Livestock) Act 1953 to tackle the issue of livestock worrying. The Bill contains crucial measures which build on all the work this Government is doing to enhance our existing world-leading animal welfare standards.

The Bill will focus on two key areas; extending the locations where an offence may take place and extending the species scope to include camelids; as well as strengthening police powers such as powers of entry, the seizure and detention of dogs, and collection of evidence to support enforcement.

Food: Imports
Asked by: Julian Lewis (Conservative - New Forest East)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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 impact of the location of the new border control post in Sevington on biosecurity risk.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Until now, goods from the EU enter the UK without certification and checks, apart from those required for the highest-risk live animals and plants. Now that we have moved away from the EU’s rigid biosecurity surveillance and reporting systems, we are responsible for mitigating our own biosecurity risks, which otherwise could devastate UK industries and our ability to export food, as well as posing risks to the environment, public health and the wider economy: by taking a risk-based approach our controls will be focused on consignments proven to cause the most significant biosecurity risk.

Defra has worked closely with the relevant designating authority so we are confident that Sevington will have the necessary measures in place to appropriately mitigate biosecurity risks that relate to this facility being located away from the point of entry. The approach to physical checks at inland Border Control Points has already been successfully adopted for plants. Work is also underway with key stakeholders, including the Food Standards Agency, to ensure robust operational procedures for vehicles travelling from port of entry to Sevington. These measures will ensure that biosecurity and food safety are not compromised.

Where a consignment is called to Sevington inland border facility for a physical inspection, those goods will not be legally cleared for sale or use within the UK until they have attended and been cleared at the Border Control Post (BCP). Where the BCP has concerns, either due to non-attendance or evidence of non-compliance, there are existing provisions, including requiring return or destruction of the goods, or for the goods to be referred for inland controls by the local authority. These are part of the established processes for Border Control facilities like Sevington that sit outside the controlled zone of ports, including those at Liverpool Birkenhead, Newhaven, Portsmouth and Tyne. Other EU ports like Dublin also carry out checks at control posts outside of the port itself.

African Swine Fever safeguard checks will be conducted with Border Force at the point of entry. It has never been our intention that these would move to any inland border facility.

Avian Influenza: British Antarctic Territory
Asked by: Robert Buckland (Conservative - South Swindon)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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 level of risk to bird life in the British Antarctic Territory following the discovery of Avian Influenza on the continent; and whether the Government plans to take steps to mitigate that risk.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We receive regular reports from the British Antarctic Territory on the status of suspected avian influenza cases.

We provide support to the region and other British Overseas Territories proactively, to rapidly test for, track and monitor progression of disease spread and impact in Southern Oceans/Antarctica. This includes working with others to define risk.

National Antarctic programmes have protocols in place to manage and mitigate the spread of outbreaks and best practice on reporting and biosecurity standards is also shared through International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators (IAATO) and the Commission for the Conservation Antarctic Marine Living Resources (CCAMLR).

Squirrels: Conservation
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Thursday 7th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will meet the Species Reintroduction Taskforce to discuss ongoing work to increase the number of red squirrels in the UK.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Defra is committed to working closely with the England Species Reintroductions Taskforce to help it achieve its objective to realise the full benefits of species conservation translocations for nature recovery and society. To do so, Defra attends Taskforce meetings as an observer. The Taskforce is committed to developing and publishing materials to better understand the risks and benefits of species translocations. Defra will engage with the Taskforce on the applicability of these outputs to Defra’s priorities, whether on red squirrels or any other species, once they are produced.

Tree Planting: Expenditure
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Thursday 7th March 2024

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the 2019 Conservative manifesto commitment to plant an additional 75,000 acres of trees a year by the end of the next Parliament, how much has been spent on tree planting as of 28 February 2024.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Nature for Climate Programme has spent £272.4m between April 2020 and February 2024 on tree planting and activities to increase the capacity of the forestry sector. The Programme will continue to fund these activities until the end of 2024/25, supporting the Government’s commitment to treble tree planting rates by the end of this Parliament.

National Food Strategy Review
Asked by: Steve Reed (Labour (Co-op) - Croydon North)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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 publish a progress report against the food strategy goals.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Government Food Strategy set out our vision for a prosperous agri-food sector. Last year's Farm to Fork Summit was the next step in growing a thriving British food and drink sector, which will put more British produce on supermarket shelves in the UK and around the world. This will also help us to deliver our clear ambition in the strategy to maintain production at current levels, where we produce domestically 60 per cent by value of all the food we need.

At the NFU Conference on 20 February 2024, the Prime Minister announced that we will make the UK Farm to Fork Summit an annual event.

Food: UK Trade with EU
Asked by: Patricia Gibson (Scottish National Party - North Ayrshire and Arran)
Thursday 7th March 2024

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 impact of the UK’s exit from the EU on trends in the cost of exporting food to the EU.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

The Trade and Continuity Agreement provides businesses tariff and quota free access to the EU market, provided that these goods meet ‘Rules of Origin’ requirements.

UK businesses must comply with customs procedures when exporting food. These procedures include Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) border controls as well as technical regulations, standards and conformity assessments. Not enough time has passed to robustly assess the trend in these costs.

In 2023, the UK exported £14.0 billion of Food, Feed and Drink to the EU. This represents a nominal increase of 0.3% compared to 2018, but 19% lower than 2018 after adjusting for inflation.



Department Publications - News and Communications
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Keeping primates as pets banned
Document: Keeping primates as pets banned (webpage)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Budget boost for farmers and environment with extension to Agricultural Property Relief
Document: Budget boost for farmers and environment with extension to Agricultural Property Relief (webpage)
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Work starts on new flood risk management scheme in Stoke-on-Trent
Document: Work starts on new flood risk management scheme in Stoke-on-Trent (webpage)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling
Document: Coastal Access – Portsmouth to South Hayling: representations with Natural England’s comments (PDF)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling
Document: Inspector's reports: Objections MCA/PSH/1-21 (PDF)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling
Document: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling (webpage)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Podcast explores young people of colour's relationship with sea
Document: Podcast explores young people of colour's relationship with sea (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Over £180m of investment fast-tracked to prevent sewage spills
Document: Over £180m of investment fast-tracked to prevent sewage spills (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Will Quince MP appointed to conduct review into food procurement
Document: Will Quince MP appointed to conduct review into food procurement (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Consultation launched to make food labelling fairer and clearer
Document: Consultation launched to make food labelling fairer and clearer (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: New government-backed nature funding platform sees first corporate donations in major step for green finance
Document: New government-backed nature funding platform sees first corporate donations in major step for green finance (webpage)


Department Publications - Guidance
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: WEEE: apply for approval as a producer compliance scheme
Document: WEEE: apply for approval as a producer compliance scheme (webpage)
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: WEEE: apply for approval as a producer compliance scheme
Document: best available treatment, recovery and recycling techniques (BATRRT) (PDF)
Tuesday 5th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: WEEE: apply for approval as a producer compliance scheme
Document: Recast of the WEEE directive (webpage)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Check import risk categories and related rules for animals and animal products imported from non-EU countries to Great Britain, from 30 April 2024
Document: Check import risk categories and related rules for animals and animal products imported from non-EU countries to Great Britain, from 30 April 2024 (webpage)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Addressing water scarcity in Greater Cambridge: update on government measures
Document: Addressing water scarcity in Greater Cambridge: update on government measures (webpage)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Joint statement on addressing water scarcity in Greater Cambridge
Document: Joint statement on addressing water scarcity in Greater Cambridge (webpage)
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: What you can count towards a development’s biodiversity net gain
Document: What you can count towards a development’s biodiversity net gain (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Import compound products from the EU to Great Britain
Document: Import compound products from the EU to Great Britain (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Salmonella: compensation to owners in England
Document: Salmonella: compensation to owners in England (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Salmonella: compensation to owners in England
Document: Compensation for Salmonella Enteritidis and Typhimurium to owners in England. (PDF)


Department Publications - Policy and Engagement
Thursday 7th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Land drainage draft statutory instrument
Document: Land drainage draft statutory instrument (webpage)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Call for comments: draft risk management evaluation of a substance proposed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) 2024
Document: Chlorpyrifos draft risk management evaluation – additional information (PDF)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Call for comments: draft risk management evaluation of a substance proposed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) 2024
Document: Chlorpyrifos draft risk management evaluation (PDF)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Call for comments: draft risk management evaluation of a substance proposed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) 2024
Document: Call for comments: draft risk management evaluation of a substance proposed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) 2024 (webpage)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Call for comments: draft risk management evaluation of a substance proposed as a persistent organic pollutant (POP) 2024
Document: (ODS)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: The Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016: Keeling Schedule
Document: The Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016: Keeling Schedule (webpage)
Friday 8th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: The Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016: Keeling Schedule
Document: The Insolvency (England and Wales) Rules 2016: Keeling Schedule (PDF)
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Government response to the National Infrastructure Commission’s study: Reducing the risk of surface water flooding
Document: Government response to the National Infrastructure Commission’s study: Reducing the risk of surface water flooding (webpage)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 draft SI
Document: Draft explanatory memorandum (PDF)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 draft SI
Document: The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 draft SI (PDF)
Monday 11th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 draft SI
Document: The Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024 draft Statutory Instrument (PDF)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Fairer food labelling
Document: Fairer food labelling (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Nature Markets Framework progress update March 2024
Document: Nature Markets Framework progress update March 2024 (webpage)


Department Publications - Research
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Area of crops grown for bioenergy in England and the UK: 2023
Document: Area of crops grown for bioenergy in England and the UK: 2023 (webpage)
Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Estimates of Residual Waste (excluding Major Mineral Wastes) and Municipal Residual Waste in England
Document: Estimates of Residual Waste (excluding Major Mineral Wastes) and Municipal Residual Waste in England (webpage)
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Latest official statistics on pre-movement and post-movement testing for tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in Great Britain – up to September 2023
Document: Latest official statistics on pre-movement and post-movement testing for tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in Great Britain – up to September 2023 (webpage)
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Latest official statistics on pre-movement and post-movement testing for tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in Great Britain – up to December 2023
Document: Latest official statistics on pre-movement and post-movement testing for tuberculosis (TB) in cattle in Great Britain – up to December 2023 (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Opinion on the implications of castration and tail docking for the welfare of lambs
Document: AWC opinion on the implications of castration and tail docking for the welfare of lambs (PDF)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Opinion on chick culling alternatives
Document: Opinion on chick culling alternatives (PDF)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Advice on emergency culling for the depopulation of poultry affected by high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
Document: Advice on emergency culling for the depopulation of poultry affected by high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Opinion on chick culling alternatives
Document: Opinion on chick culling alternatives (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Opinion on the implications of castration and tail docking for the welfare of lambs
Document: Opinion on the implications of castration and tail docking for the welfare of lambs (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing
Document: Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Advice on emergency culling for the depopulation of poultry affected by high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI)
Document: Advice on emergency culling for the depopulation of poultry affected by high pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) - consideration of ventilation shutdown (VSD) (PDF)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing
Document: Update to the 2014 FAWC Opinion on the welfare of farmed fish at the time of killing (PDF)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Energy Statistics for Rural England
Document: Statistical Digest of Rural England - Energy (PDF)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Energy Statistics for Rural England
Document: (webpage)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Energy Statistics for Rural England
Document: (ODS)
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Energy Statistics for Rural England
Document: Energy Statistics for Rural England (webpage)


Department Publications - Transparency
Tuesday 12th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Defra: spending over £25,000, December 2021
Document: (webpage)


Deposited Papers
Monday 11th March 2024
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Source Page: Letter dated 05/03/2024 from Lord Douglas-Miller to Baroness McIntosh regarding correction to an answer concerning payments for storing floodwater, made during a debate on pollution in rivers and regulation of private water companies. 1p.
Document: Correction_floodwater_storage_Lord_Dougolas_Miller_to_Bn_McIntosh.pdf (PDF)



Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs mentioned

Calendar
Thursday 21st March 2024
Philip Dunne (Conservative - Ludlow)

Backbench Business - Main Chamber
Subject: General Debate on the Reports of the Environmental Audit Committee, Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee and Science, Innovation and Technology Committee on Food Security
View calendar


Parliamentary Debates
Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Bill
110 speeches (25,012 words)
Report stage
Wednesday 13th March 2024 - Lords Chamber
Department for Business and Trade
Mentions:
1: Baroness Hayman (XB - Life peer) Defra ostensibly owns waste and resource management policies across the board, but all responsibility - Link to Speech
2: Lord Offord of Garvel (Con - Life peer) there is much excellent work under way in this area across government, involving in my department, Defra - Link to Speech

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (Designation)
2 speeches (3,027 words)
1st reading
Wednesday 13th March 2024 - Commons Chamber

Mentions:
1: Derek Thomas (Con - St Ives) and Rural Affairs, two former DEFRA Ministers, the Chair of the Environmental Audit Committee, the Chair - Link to Speech

Forest Risk Commodity Regulations
23 speeches (1,562 words)
Tuesday 12th March 2024 - Lords Chamber
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Mentions:
1: Earl Russell (LD - Excepted Hereditary) My Lords, while we welcome these measures, we note that Defra consulted on them in December 2021. - Link to Speech
2: Baroness Sheehan (LD - Life peer) capacity as chair of the Environment and Climate Change Committee, I wrote to the Secretary of State for Defra - Link to Speech

Oral Answers to Questions
127 speeches (8,870 words)
Wednesday 6th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Scotland Office
Mentions:
1: Alistair Carmichael (LD - Orkney and Shetland) The Minister should be aware that his colleagues in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Link to Speech
2: John Lamont (Con - Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk) Scotland Office Ministers regularly attend the inter-ministerial group for environment, food and rural - Link to Speech

Groceries Code Adjudicator
9 speeches (3,752 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Department for Business and Trade
Mentions:
1: Alistair Carmichael (LD - Orkney and Shetland) that quite simply by purchasing the goods through intermediaries.The Agriculture Act 2020 allowed the Department - Link to Speech
2: Kevin Hollinrake (Con - Thirsk and Malton) Ministers in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs are exercising the powers under the - Link to Speech

Wine Duty
17 speeches (4,119 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Westminster Hall
HM Treasury
Mentions:
1: Gareth Davies (Con - Grantham and Stamford) In addition to the work being led by my colleagues at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural - Link to Speech

Farming
104 speeches (44,531 words)
Monday 4th March 2024 - Commons Chamber
Wales Office
Mentions:
1: Fay Jones (Con - Brecon and Radnorshire) This is part of a three-pronged approach that Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is planning - Link to Speech
2: George Eustice (Con - Camborne and Redruth) for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who have maintained the trajectory that we outlined in 2019, - Link to Speech
3: Fay Jones (Con - Brecon and Radnorshire) and Rural Affairs, my hon. - Link to Speech
4: Thérèse Coffey (Con - Suffolk Coastal) and Rural Affairs, my hon. - Link to Speech
5: George Freeman (Con - Mid Norfolk) and Rural Affairs, the hon. - Link to Speech



Select Committee Documents
Thursday 14th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Chair to Rt Hon Kemi Badenoch MP regarding slides used during evidence session, dated 13 March 2024

European Scrutiny Committee

Found: direct EU legisla�on ), as amended .The Fluorinated Greenhouse Gases (Amendment ) Regula�ons 2023 .Department

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter from Rt Hon. Steve Baker MP (Minister of State, Cabinet Office) to Lord Jay of Ewelme re: Windsor Framework implementation, 29 February 2024

Windsor Framework Sub-Committee

Found: also coordinated a regular targeted programme of engagement between the health food industry , the Department

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Secretary of State to the Chair regarding the Case for Cambridge, dated 06 March 2024

Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee

Found: We have also agreed a joint statement with the Environment Agency, Defra and Cambridge City and South

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Report - Fourth Report - Accessibility of products and services to disabled people

Women and Equalities Committee

Found: The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs should review its food packaging guidance in

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - HMRC 2023-24 Supplementary Estimate memorandum tables

Treasury Committee

Found: (CSSF) portfolio 0.0 0.1 Security and Intelligence Agencies: National Cyber Programme (NCP) 0.0 0.1 Department

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - HMRC 2023-24 Supplementary Estimate memorandum

Treasury Committee

Found: £1,358 From Security and Intelligence Agencies for the National Cyber Programme (NCP) £100 From Department

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Oxford University, Cabinet Office, and Cabinet Office

Transforming the UK’s Evidence Base - Public Administration and Constitutional Affairs Committee

Found: We have added these new extra bodies, DEFRA, Cabinet Office, DfT and DBS.

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the EAC Chair to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, relating to Defra’s consultation on Electrical waste: reforming the producer responsibility system, dated 8 March 2024

Environmental Audit Committee

Found: Letter from the EAC Chair to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, relating

Monday 11th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Scottish Government, Scottish Government, and Scottish Government

Intergovernmental relations: 25 years since the Scotland Act 1998 - Scottish Affairs Committee

Found: If you were to pick DEFRA —probably a good example, because of agriculture and fisheries matters being

Friday 8th March 2024
Government Response - Treasury minutes: Government response to the Committee of Public Accounts on the Fifth report from Session 2023-24

Public Accounts Committee

Found: 39 Fifth report of Session 2023- 24 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Government

Thursday 7th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme to Lord Douglas-Miller (Defra Minister), re: Animal Welfare (Livestock Export) Bill, 7 March 2024

Windsor Framework Sub-Committee

Found: Letter from Lord Jay of Ewelme to Lord Douglas-Miller (Defra Minister), re: Animal Welfare (Livestock

Thursday 7th March 2024
Written Evidence - Focus on Labour Exploitation (FLEX)
HRW0076 - Human Rights at Work

Human Rights at Work - Human Rights (Joint Committee)

Found: For example, data published by DEFRA in August 2023 detailing surveys with workers on the scheme in

Thursday 7th March 2024
Formal Minutes - Formal Minutes 2023-24

Public Accounts Committee

Found: s animal health infrastructure: Twenty -fourth Report of Session 2022 -23 Correspondence from the Department

Thursday 7th March 2024
Report - Second Report - Insect decline and UK food security

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: for Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Joint Nature Conservation Committee, devolved

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Chartered Institute of Housing
GEX0001 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: Building and Environment 201: 107986. 14 UKHSA (2023) Hot weather and health: guidance and advice. 15 Defra

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - British Red Cross
GEX0011 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: Ministers from the then Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy (BEIS) and the Department

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - National Fire Chiefs Council (NFCC)
GEX0016 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: This resulted in the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) working with the UK

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Mineral Products Association
GEX0014 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: include considerations of resilience alongside other factors such as carbon emissions, in contrast to Defra

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Wildlife and Countryside Link
GEX0019 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: These concerns were illustrated in detail in a Defra-funded public dialogue on adaptation , published

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Association of British Insurers
GEX0018 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: 4.The insurance industry has long been calling for greater alignment between Defra and DLUHC

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - West Midlands Combined Authority
GEX0017 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: WMCA has proposed through its trailblazer devolution process that it would like to work alongside Defra

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Newcastle University
GEX0012 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: six 2nd round Climate Change Adaptation Reports submitted by the District Network Operators to DEFRA

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Keep Britain Tidy
GEX0009 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: - Fire and Rescue NSW 28 Ban on disposable vapes - Defra in the media (blog.gov.uk)

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - Institution of Civil Engineers
GEX0005 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: information regarding asset status is shared and made available to the relevant interested parties, Defra

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - River Action UK
GEX0007 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: with stakeholders such as local authorities 1 River Action UK, https://riveractionuk.com/ 2 Department

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Written Evidence - National Oceanography Centre
GEX0020 - Government resilience: extreme weather

Public Accounts Committee

Found: questions on gaps in understanding are best directed to government itself, in particular through the Department

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - Department for Transport Supplementary Estimates Memorandum 2023-24

Transport Committee

Found: costs to DLUCH re Planning (NSIP) - "Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIP) reforms" to DEFRA

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - Department for Science, Innovation and Technology Supplementary Estimates Memoranda 2023-24

Science, Innovation and Technology Committee

Found: for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for Copernicus Association35,000 (Section D) Transfer in of

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Estimate memoranda - Ministry of Justice Supplementary Estimate Memorandum 2023-24

Justice Committee

Found: Companies £0.016m Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Consultation on Microbeads

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Oral Evidence - The University of Glasgow, and Department for Exiting the European Union

The Governance of the Union: Consultation, Co-operation and Legislative Consent - Constitution Committee

Found: The Defra interministerial group has met quite a lot but some of the others have barely met at all.

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Oral Evidence - England's Economic Heartland, Oxford to Cambridge Science Supercluster Board, and Bedford Borough Council

Strategic transport objectives - Transport Committee

Found: That’s not just Science, Innovation and Technology and Business and Trade, but DEFRA, the Department

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter to the Chair from Lord Johnson on geographical indications in the UK - Japan Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement

International Agreements Committee

Found: The Department for Business and Trade, along with officials from the Department for Environment, Food

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Correspondence - 6 March 2024, Letter from Rt. Hon. Mark Spencer MP re: fisheries negotiations

European Affairs Committee

Found: London SW1P 4DF T: +44 (0) 3459 335577 E: correspondence.section@defra.gov.uk W: gov.uk/defra

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - The Climate & Environment Hub (C&E), Select Committee Team, House of Commons
SSTG0048 - Scrutiny of Strategic Thinking in Government

Scrutiny of Strategic Thinking in Government - Liaison Sub-Committee on Scrutiny of Strategic Thinking in Government

Found: There is some concern that DEFRA as a department has insufficient power and influence to play the

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Oral Evidence - Institute for Government, Institute for Government, and Department of Politics and International Relations, University of Sheffield

Scrutiny of Strategic Thinking in Government - Liaison Sub-Committee on Scrutiny of Strategic Thinking in Government

Found: cannot find out what the Government are trying to achieve on education, and I cannot find out what DEFRA

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Oral Evidence - 2024-03-05 16:15:00+00:00

Proposals for backbench debates - Backbench Business Committee

Found: Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities, given the planning angle, or would it be the Department

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Centre for Inclusive Trade Policy
IPO0067 - Industrial policy

Industrial policy - Business and Trade Committee

Found: DEFRA (2024) reports that in 2020, of the emissions embodied in UK consumption, very nearly 60%

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - Food and Drink Federation
IPO0061 - Industrial policy

Industrial policy - Business and Trade Committee

Found: DEFRA must deliver on its commitment to hand as much control of the EPR scheme to producers as soon

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Written Evidence - UK Steel
IPO0002 - Industrial policy

Industrial policy - Business and Trade Committee

Found: for all technological transitions within the energy sector, as demonstrated by the chart below3. 1 Defra

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Correspondence - Letter from the Minister for Trade relating to GI's in the UK-Japan CEPA, 23 February 2024

Business and Trade Committee

Found: The Department for Business and Trade, along with officials from the Department for Environment, Food

Tuesday 5th March 2024
Report - Third Report - Health barriers for girls and women in sport

Women and Equalities Committee

Found: included in the NPAT are DCMS; DfE; Department of Health and Social Care, Department for Transport, Department

Monday 26th February 2024
Oral Evidence - 2024-02-26 16:00:00+00:00

Children, young people and the built environment - Levelling Up, Housing and Communities Committee

Found: It is also the Department of Health, the Department for Transport, the Department for Environment,



Written Answers
Import Controls
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Thursday 14th March 2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 5 January (HL1358), whether they plan to publish (1) the questions posed in the business readiness survey, and (2) a detailed summary of the responses from businesses, for the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

In the Draft Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), published in April 2023 the UK Government asked industry to provide information on their readiness for the proposed regime. The questions included:

  1. What challenges exist for the private sector in meeting the proposed timeline for introducing the new model and how can specific business models for importing be further supported to prepare?

  2. What further detail is needed in order for businesses to prepare for and implement the new Border Target Operating Model?

A summary of responses from stakeholders can be found in the Final BTOM, published in August 2023. In response to stakeholder feedback on the Draft BTOM, we made a change to the timeline for the introduction of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls to give more businesses time to prepare. The Government is delivering a programme of engagement with stakeholders across all sectors in all parts of the country and with key European Union trading partners to ensure readiness. There are no current plans for further publications on industry readiness as such, although discussions with stakeholders continue.

However, we expect to publish the Government Response to the charging arrangements at government-run border control posts consultation in the coming weeks. Arrangements for physical checks for goods from the island of Ireland will be announced in due course - the UK Government is continuing to work with the Scottish and Welsh Government as well as the newly restored Northern Ireland Executive on this issue. We aim shortly to publish revised rules for importing animal products, plants and plant products into Great Britain for personal use, including those sent as post and parcels. All other supplementary guidance outlined in Annex H of the Final BTOM that was due to be published by end February 2024 has been released, and technical information surrounding the BTOM was issued in mid-February here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-target-operating-model-information-leaflets-for-businesses.

With regards to live testing, traders, carriers and hauliers have been selected to take part in operational testing in conjunction with Defra and local Port Health Authorities and include a mix of large and smaller traders where possible. The tests vary according to route route, mode and commodity. Onboarding of traders into the testing regime, including some smaller businesses, is ongoing at this time with operational testing continuing in March and April.

Estimates for the Common User Charge were included in the modelling of the inflationary impact of the Border Target Operating Model. The government used a wide array of data to input into the peer-reviewed model, including commercially sensitive data sources. To publish only a partial picture would not be in keeping with statistical propriety.

Landfill Tax
Asked by: Kevan Jones (Labour - North Durham)
Thursday 14th March 2024

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, what assessment his Department has made of the potential impact of increasing landfill tax on the prevalence of waste crime.

Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

At Spring Budget 2024, the government announced that Landfill Tax rates in England and Northern Ireland will be adjusted from 1 April 2025. This will restore their value following a period of high inflation which was not foreseen by the OBR when rates were pre-announced.

The government remains committed to tackling waste crime which is a blight on local communities, harms the environment and undermines legitimate businesses operating in the sector.

The government agreed with the Public Accounts Committee’s recommendation that the current ongoing review of Landfill Tax takes account of incentives to commit waste crime. Alongside this, DEFRA has announced the introduction of digital waste tracking from 2025 and reform of the licensing system, whilst multi-agency enforcement action through the Joint Unit for Waste Crime continues to disrupt criminal activity in the sector.

Import Controls
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Thursday 14th March 2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 5 January (HL1361), which businesses have been selected to take part in live testing; how those businesses were selected; and whether the businesses include a mix of large and small operators.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

In the Draft Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), published in April 2023 the UK Government asked industry to provide information on their readiness for the proposed regime. The questions included:

  1. What challenges exist for the private sector in meeting the proposed timeline for introducing the new model and how can specific business models for importing be further supported to prepare?

  2. What further detail is needed in order for businesses to prepare for and implement the new Border Target Operating Model?

A summary of responses from stakeholders can be found in the Final BTOM, published in August 2023. In response to stakeholder feedback on the Draft BTOM, we made a change to the timeline for the introduction of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls to give more businesses time to prepare. The Government is delivering a programme of engagement with stakeholders across all sectors in all parts of the country and with key European Union trading partners to ensure readiness. There are no current plans for further publications on industry readiness as such, although discussions with stakeholders continue.

However, we expect to publish the Government Response to the charging arrangements at government-run border control posts consultation in the coming weeks. Arrangements for physical checks for goods from the island of Ireland will be announced in due course - the UK Government is continuing to work with the Scottish and Welsh Government as well as the newly restored Northern Ireland Executive on this issue. We aim shortly to publish revised rules for importing animal products, plants and plant products into Great Britain for personal use, including those sent as post and parcels. All other supplementary guidance outlined in Annex H of the Final BTOM that was due to be published by end February 2024 has been released, and technical information surrounding the BTOM was issued in mid-February here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-target-operating-model-information-leaflets-for-businesses.

With regards to live testing, traders, carriers and hauliers have been selected to take part in operational testing in conjunction with Defra and local Port Health Authorities and include a mix of large and smaller traders where possible. The tests vary according to route route, mode and commodity. Onboarding of traders into the testing regime, including some smaller businesses, is ongoing at this time with operational testing continuing in March and April.

Estimates for the Common User Charge were included in the modelling of the inflationary impact of the Border Target Operating Model. The government used a wide array of data to input into the peer-reviewed model, including commercially sensitive data sources. To publish only a partial picture would not be in keeping with statistical propriety.

Import Controls
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Thursday 14th March 2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 5 January (HL1358), why they do not plan to publish the readiness assessment for the implementation of the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

In the Draft Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), published in April 2023 the UK Government asked industry to provide information on their readiness for the proposed regime. The questions included:

  1. What challenges exist for the private sector in meeting the proposed timeline for introducing the new model and how can specific business models for importing be further supported to prepare?

  2. What further detail is needed in order for businesses to prepare for and implement the new Border Target Operating Model?

A summary of responses from stakeholders can be found in the Final BTOM, published in August 2023. In response to stakeholder feedback on the Draft BTOM, we made a change to the timeline for the introduction of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls to give more businesses time to prepare. The Government is delivering a programme of engagement with stakeholders across all sectors in all parts of the country and with key European Union trading partners to ensure readiness. There are no current plans for further publications on industry readiness as such, although discussions with stakeholders continue.

However, we expect to publish the Government Response to the charging arrangements at government-run border control posts consultation in the coming weeks. Arrangements for physical checks for goods from the island of Ireland will be announced in due course - the UK Government is continuing to work with the Scottish and Welsh Government as well as the newly restored Northern Ireland Executive on this issue. We aim shortly to publish revised rules for importing animal products, plants and plant products into Great Britain for personal use, including those sent as post and parcels. All other supplementary guidance outlined in Annex H of the Final BTOM that was due to be published by end February 2024 has been released, and technical information surrounding the BTOM was issued in mid-February here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-target-operating-model-information-leaflets-for-businesses.

With regards to live testing, traders, carriers and hauliers have been selected to take part in operational testing in conjunction with Defra and local Port Health Authorities and include a mix of large and smaller traders where possible. The tests vary according to route route, mode and commodity. Onboarding of traders into the testing regime, including some smaller businesses, is ongoing at this time with operational testing continuing in March and April.

Estimates for the Common User Charge were included in the modelling of the inflationary impact of the Border Target Operating Model. The government used a wide array of data to input into the peer-reviewed model, including commercially sensitive data sources. To publish only a partial picture would not be in keeping with statistical propriety.

Import Controls
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Thursday 14th March 2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 27 December 2023 (HL1077), what level of Common User Charge was included in the modelling of the inflationary impact of the Border Target Operating Model.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

In the Draft Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), published in April 2023 the UK Government asked industry to provide information on their readiness for the proposed regime. The questions included:

  1. What challenges exist for the private sector in meeting the proposed timeline for introducing the new model and how can specific business models for importing be further supported to prepare?

  2. What further detail is needed in order for businesses to prepare for and implement the new Border Target Operating Model?

A summary of responses from stakeholders can be found in the Final BTOM, published in August 2023. In response to stakeholder feedback on the Draft BTOM, we made a change to the timeline for the introduction of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls to give more businesses time to prepare. The Government is delivering a programme of engagement with stakeholders across all sectors in all parts of the country and with key European Union trading partners to ensure readiness. There are no current plans for further publications on industry readiness as such, although discussions with stakeholders continue.

However, we expect to publish the Government Response to the charging arrangements at government-run border control posts consultation in the coming weeks. Arrangements for physical checks for goods from the island of Ireland will be announced in due course - the UK Government is continuing to work with the Scottish and Welsh Government as well as the newly restored Northern Ireland Executive on this issue. We aim shortly to publish revised rules for importing animal products, plants and plant products into Great Britain for personal use, including those sent as post and parcels. All other supplementary guidance outlined in Annex H of the Final BTOM that was due to be published by end February 2024 has been released, and technical information surrounding the BTOM was issued in mid-February here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-target-operating-model-information-leaflets-for-businesses.

With regards to live testing, traders, carriers and hauliers have been selected to take part in operational testing in conjunction with Defra and local Port Health Authorities and include a mix of large and smaller traders where possible. The tests vary according to route route, mode and commodity. Onboarding of traders into the testing regime, including some smaller businesses, is ongoing at this time with operational testing continuing in March and April.

Estimates for the Common User Charge were included in the modelling of the inflationary impact of the Border Target Operating Model. The government used a wide array of data to input into the peer-reviewed model, including commercially sensitive data sources. To publish only a partial picture would not be in keeping with statistical propriety.

Import Controls
Asked by: Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick (Labour - Life peer)
Thursday 14th March 2024

Question to the Cabinet Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Baroness Neville-Rolfe on 5 January (HL1357), what information and guidance that the final Border Target Operating Model committed to publish remains outstanding.

Answered by Baroness Neville-Rolfe - Minister of State (Cabinet Office)

In the Draft Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), published in April 2023 the UK Government asked industry to provide information on their readiness for the proposed regime. The questions included:

  1. What challenges exist for the private sector in meeting the proposed timeline for introducing the new model and how can specific business models for importing be further supported to prepare?

  2. What further detail is needed in order for businesses to prepare for and implement the new Border Target Operating Model?

A summary of responses from stakeholders can be found in the Final BTOM, published in August 2023. In response to stakeholder feedback on the Draft BTOM, we made a change to the timeline for the introduction of Sanitary and Phytosanitary (SPS) controls to give more businesses time to prepare. The Government is delivering a programme of engagement with stakeholders across all sectors in all parts of the country and with key European Union trading partners to ensure readiness. There are no current plans for further publications on industry readiness as such, although discussions with stakeholders continue.

However, we expect to publish the Government Response to the charging arrangements at government-run border control posts consultation in the coming weeks. Arrangements for physical checks for goods from the island of Ireland will be announced in due course - the UK Government is continuing to work with the Scottish and Welsh Government as well as the newly restored Northern Ireland Executive on this issue. We aim shortly to publish revised rules for importing animal products, plants and plant products into Great Britain for personal use, including those sent as post and parcels. All other supplementary guidance outlined in Annex H of the Final BTOM that was due to be published by end February 2024 has been released, and technical information surrounding the BTOM was issued in mid-February here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/border-target-operating-model-information-leaflets-for-businesses.

With regards to live testing, traders, carriers and hauliers have been selected to take part in operational testing in conjunction with Defra and local Port Health Authorities and include a mix of large and smaller traders where possible. The tests vary according to route route, mode and commodity. Onboarding of traders into the testing regime, including some smaller businesses, is ongoing at this time with operational testing continuing in March and April.

Estimates for the Common User Charge were included in the modelling of the inflationary impact of the Border Target Operating Model. The government used a wide array of data to input into the peer-reviewed model, including commercially sensitive data sources. To publish only a partial picture would not be in keeping with statistical propriety.

Flour: Folic Acid
Asked by: Lord Dodds of Duncairn (Democratic Unionist Party - Life peer)
Wednesday 13th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask His Majesty's Government what progress has been made on introducing the mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid to help prevent neural tube defects in foetuses.

Answered by Lord Markham - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department of Health and Social Care)

We remain committed to bringing forward legislation to introduce mandatory fortification of flour with folic acid. On 17 January 2024, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs published the response to the United Kingdom-wide consultation on amending the Bread and Flour Regulations, which is available at the GOV.UK website, in an online only format.

The Government has notified the World Trade Organization and the European Commission in accordance with international obligations, with a view to making the legislative changes later in 2024.

Disease Control: Animals
Asked by: Karin Smyth (Labour - Bristol South)
Tuesday 12th March 2024

Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what discussions she has had with the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on improving infection prevention and control practices in animals.

Answered by Maria Caulfield - Parliamentary Under Secretary of State (Department for Business and Trade) (Minister for Women)

The Government takes a One Health approach to infection prevention and control, and antimicrobial resistance, as set out in the UK National Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance (NAP AMR) for 2019 to 2024. The UK NAP AMR delivery board is co-chaired by senior officials from the Department of Health and Social Care and the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs.

Officials from the Department of Health and Social Care, the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs, and the Veterinary Medicines Directorate meet regularly to consider appropriate actions to promote good animal health, welfare, and biosecurity in the animal health sector. This is done in accordance with the Government’s One-Health approach, to mitigating the risk of transmission of zoonotic infections between animals and humans, and to tackle the threat of antimicrobial resistance. A zoonosis is any disease or infection that is naturally transmissible from vertebrate animals to humans.

Landfill Tax
Asked by: Emma Hardy (Labour - Kingston upon Hull West and Hessle)
Thursday 7th March 2024

Question to the HM Treasury:

To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer, whether he has had discussions with the (a) Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) Environment Agency on changes to Landfill Tax (i)rates, (ii) allowances, (iii) liable activities and (iv) exemptions.

Answered by Gareth Davies - Exchequer Secretary (HM Treasury)

The government is undertaking a review of landfill tax in England and Northern Ireland with the aim of ensuring the tax continues to support the government’s ambitious environmental objectives, including zero avoidable waste by 2050. Since 2000, the tax has contributed to a 90% reduction in local authority waste sent to landfill in England.

The Government keeps all tax policy under review, any potential changes are considered in the round at fiscal events



Secondary Legislation
Government Resources and Accounts Act 2000 (Estimates and Accounts) Order 2024
This Order designates specified central government bodies in relation to named government departments for the purpose of those departments’ supply estimates and resource accounts.
HM Treasury
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Made negative
Laid: Thursday 7th March - In Force: 1 Apr 2024

Found: Industrial Fusion Solutions Ltd United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority PART 12Department for Environment, Food

Single Trade Window (Establishment, Operation and Information) Regulations 2024
These Regulations are made in exercise of the powers conferred by section 31(1) and (2) of the European Union (Future Relationship) Act 2020 (c. 29), in order to implement the obligations of the United Kingdom under Article 118 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement between the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, of the one part, and the European Union and the European Atomic Energy Community, of the other part (“the Trade and Cooperation Agreement”). Article 118 of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement relates to establishment of a single window (“single trade window”) that enables traders to submit documentation or data required for importation, exportation or transit of goods through a single entry point to participating authorities or agencies.
HM Treasury
Parliamentary Status - Text of Legislation - Made negative
Laid: Tuesday 5th March - In Force: 1 May 2024

Found: 2024Regulations 3, 4 and 5SCHEDULEAuthorities and agencies specified for the purposes of regulations 3, 4 and 5 Department



Bill Documents
Mar. 14 2024
Bill 23 2024 (as introduced) - large print
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2023-24
Bill

Found: of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill EXPLANATORY NOTES Explanatory notes to the Bill, prepared by the Department

Mar. 14 2024
Bill 183 2023-24 (as introduced)
Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2024
Bill

Found: for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Estimate Net resources authorised for current purposesNet

Mar. 14 2024
Bill 183 2023-24 (as introduced) - large print
Supply and Appropriation (Anticipation and Adjustments) Act 2024
Bill

Found: for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Estimate Net resources authorised for current purposesNet

Mar. 13 2024
Bill 23 2024 (as introduced)
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2023-24
Bill

Found: Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill EXPLANA TORY NOTES Explanatory notes to the Bill, prepared by the Department

Mar. 13 2024
Research Briefing on the Bill
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2023-24
Briefing papers

Found: England” .16 The 2016 report, Animal welfare in England: domestic pets , published by the Environment, Food

Mar. 13 2024
Bill 23 EN 2024 - large print
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2023-24
Explanatory Notes

Found: ● These Explanatory Notes have been prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Mar. 13 2024
Bill 23 EN 2024
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2023-24
Explanatory Notes

Found: ● These Explanatory Notes have been prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Mar. 13 2024
Memorandum from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory Reform Committee
Animal Welfare (Import of Dogs, Cats and Ferrets) Bill 2023-24
Delegated Powers Memorandum

Found: Memorandum from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the Delegated Powers and Regulatory



Department Publications - Policy and Engagement
Thursday 14th March 2024
Department for Science, Innovation & Technology
Source Page: EM on EU regulation 2023/2411
Document: EM on new EU geographical indications scheme for craft and industrial products (PDF)

Found: Following Brexit, the UK established its own agricultur al GI schemes, which are administered by the Department



Department Publications - Transparency
Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 (02) 2022-23 Reporting Cycle Update (PDF)

Found: However, several departments continue to lay after the deadline (DEFRA, BEIS/DSIT, Cabinet Office),

Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 (03) NAO update to FRAB November 2023 (PDF)

Found: DfID (now FCDO) Post recess: •HM Treasury •Defence •Transport •BEIS •HMRC •Justice •DCMS •Education •Defra

Thursday 14th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: FRAB minutes and associated papers: 23 November 2023
Document: FRAB 151 November 2023 agenda (PDF)

Found: Government Preparers/Users: Michael Sunderland, Department for Educatio n Pam Beadman, Department



Department Publications - News and Communications
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: Recovered appeal: land at Milton Road, Gayton, Northampton (ref: 3314266 - 13 March 2024)
Document: Recovered appeal: land at Milton Road, Gayton, Northampton (ref: 3314266 - 13 March 2024) (PDF)

Found: Defra has recently graded the land as Grade 2 and 3 , and it is odd that the application seems to downgrade

Thursday 7th March 2024
Department for Digital, Culture, Media & Sport
Source Page: Lord Parkinson at Heritage Day hosted by The Heritage Alliance
Document: Lord Parkinson at Heritage Day hosted by The Heritage Alliance (webpage)

Found: to be joined by Ministerial colleagues from the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Transport, DEFRA

Thursday 7th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: A Levelling Up Budget
Document: A Levelling Up Budget (webpage)

Found: We have also agreed a joint statement with the Environment Agency, Defra and Cambridge City and South



Department Publications - Guidance
Wednesday 13th March 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Source Page: British High Commission Accra: Ghana portfolio evaluation
Document: Volume 1: Invitation to tender instructions and evaluation criteria (webpage)

Found: Process.Sustainable DevelopmentFCDO endorses UK Government policy on sustainable development produced by the Department

Wednesday 13th March 2024
Home Office
Source Page: Immigration Rules archive: 22 February 2024 to 10 March 2024
Document: Immigration Rules archive: 22 February 2024 to 10 March 2024 (PDF)

Found: A -rated on the Home Office’s register of licensed sponsors; and (b) has an endorsement from the Department

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office
Source Page: British Embassy Oman Campaign Goal 3: Evaluation
Document: Volume 1: Invitation to tender instructions and evaluation criteria (webpage)

Found: Process.Sustainable DevelopmentFCDO endorses UK Government policy on sustainable development produced by the Department



Department Publications - Statistics
Thursday 7th March 2024
Ministry of Justice
Source Page: Civil justice statistics quarterly: October to December 2023
Document: (ODS)

Found: 0.285714285714286 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 1 1 1 0 0 3 1 0.333333333333333 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 Dept. for Environment, Food

Thursday 7th March 2024
Ministry of Justice
Source Page: Civil justice statistics quarterly: October to December 2023
Document: (ODS)

Found: 0 0.0 1 0 0.0 0 0.0 1 1 1.0 0 0.0 3 1 0.333333333333333 0 0.0 2 0 0.0 0 0.0 Dept. for Environment, Food



Department Publications - Policy paper
Wednesday 6th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: Spring Budget 2024
Document: Spring Budget 2024 (web) (PDF)

Found: and Rural Affairs 4.4 4.8 4.2 Business and Trade 1.3 1.9 1.5 Work and Pensions 8.1 8.6 8.1

Wednesday 6th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: Spring Budget 2024
Document: Spring Budget 2024 (print) (PDF)

Found: and Rural Affairs 4.4 4.8 4.2 Business and Trade 1.3 1.9 1.5 Work and Pensions 8.1 8.6 8.1

Wednesday 6th March 2024
HM Treasury
Source Page: Spring Budget 2024
Document: Spring Budget 2024: Policy Costings (PDF)

Found: The tax base is projected in line with the OBR's population forecasts and adjusted for Department for

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Transport
Source Page: National Networks National Policy Statement
Document: National Networks National Policy Statement (web version) (PDF)

Found: ‘Table 1310 – Freight moved by commodity ’ 26 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs .

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Transport
Source Page: National Networks National Policy Statement
Document: National Networks National Policy Statement (print version) (PDF)

Found: ‘Table 1310 – Freight moved by commodity ’ 26 Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs .

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Transport
Source Page: National Networks National Policy Statement habitats regulation assessment
Document: National Networks National Policy Statement habitats regulation assessment (PDF)

Found: for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs provides guidance on assessing alternative solutions 12.

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Transport
Source Page: Appraisal of sustainability for National Networks National Policy Statement
Document: National Networks National Policy Statement appraisal of sustainability appendix 2 – scoping report (PDF)

Found: Environment, Food and & Rural Affairs (2022) G2: Condition of heritage features including designated

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: North East deeper devolution deal
Document: North East deeper devolution deal (PDF)

Found: contribute to this Taskforce : • The Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities • The Department

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: Surrey Level 2 devolution framework agreement
Document: Surrey Level 2 devolution framework agreement (PDF)

Found: Surrey County Council has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: Buckinghamshire Level 2 devolution framework agreement
Document: Buckinghamshire Level 2 devolution framework agreement (PDF)

Found: Buckinghamshire Council has been appointed by the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Department for Levelling Up, Housing & Communities
Source Page: Warwickshire Level 2 devolution framework agreement
Document: Warwickshire Level 2 devolution framework agreement (PDF)

Found: Council has been appointed by the Secretary of State for the Secretary of State for Environment, Food



Non-Departmental Publications - News and Communications
Mar. 12 2024
Environment Agency
Source Page: Helping Kent communities become more flood-resilient
Document: Helping Kent communities become more flood-resilient (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: PFR measures installed Tunbridge Wells Borough Council secured ‘repair and renew’ funding from the Department

Mar. 12 2024
Veterinary Medicines Directorate
Source Page: Recruitment for Senior Safety Assessor
Document: Recruitment for Senior Safety Assessor (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: which is in the Authorisations Division at the Veterinary Medicines Directorate, an arms-length body of Defra

Mar. 06 2024
Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning
Source Page: Hynet Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Storage Project - Offshore
Document: Environmental Statement - Volume 3 (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: Sites of Community Importance (SCIs), Special Protection Ar eas (SPAs), and as a matter of policy (Defra

Mar. 06 2024
Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning
Source Page: Hynet Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Storage Project - Offshore
Document: Non-Technical Summary (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: Business, Innovation And Skills, To Form The Department For Business, Energy And Industrial Strategy DEFRA

Mar. 06 2024
Offshore Petroleum Regulator for Environment and Decommissioning
Source Page: Hynet Carbon Dioxide Transportation and Storage Project - Offshore
Document: Environmental Statement - Volume 1 & 2 (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: SMPs form an important part of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and Welsh

Mar. 06 2024
Government Legal Department
Source Page: GLD appoints new Director General and Chief Operating Officer
Document: GLD appoints new Director General and Chief Operating Officer (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: He previously held senior transformational and operational leadership roles for Defra (as Chief Operating

Mar. 06 2024
Committee on Standards in Public Life
Source Page: AI and Public Standards: 2023 regulators survey and responses
Document: Responses from regulators on how they are adapting to the challenges posed by AI (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: The EA has created a central team in our Strategy Hub that is working with DEFRA partners to bring

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Wallasea Island to Burnham-on-Crouch
Document: Inspector's reports: Objections MCA/WIB2/0/1, MCA/WIB2/0/2, MCA/WIB3/0/1, MCA/WIB4/0/1, MCA/WIB5/0/1, MCA/WIB5/0/2, MCA/WIB5/0/3 (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: and Rural Affairs by [redacted] BSc(Hons) MRTPI MCIEH DMS an Inspector appointed by the Secretary

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling
Document: Coastal Access – Portsmouth to South Hayling: representations with Natural England’s comments (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: The DEFRA guidance given in Figure 22 states: “A garden is usually enclosed land near a building.

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling
Document: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England Published 6 March 2024

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Portsmouth to South Hayling
Document: Inspector's reports: Objections MCA/PSH/1-21 (PDF)
News and Communications

Found: and Rural Affairs by Mark Yates BA(Hons) MIPROW an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Wallasea Island to Burnham-on-Crouch
Document: Coastal access: Section 52 notice for Wallasea Island to Burnham-on-Crouch (webpage)
News and Communications

Found: From: Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs and Natural England Published 23 April 2021



Non-Departmental Publications - Transparency
Mar. 07 2024
Animal and Plant Health Agency
Source Page: Animal and Plant Health Agency framework document
Document: Animal and Plant Health Agency framework document (webpage)
Transparency

Found: From: Animal and Plant Health Agency and Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs Published

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: Summary of wildlife licences issued by Natural England in 2023
Document: Summary of wildlife licences issued by Natural England in 2023 (webpage)
Transparency

Found: release of gamebirds in or within 500m of Special Protection Areas, as these licences were issued by Defra

Mar. 06 2024
Government Internal Audit Agency
Source Page: GIAA Board members’ register of declared interests 2023/24
Document: GIAA Board members’ register of declared interests (PDF)
Transparency

Found: interest Other relevant information Department of Work & Pensions / HM Revenue & Customs / Department



Non-Departmental Publications - Guidance and Regulation
Mar. 06 2024
Environment Agency
Source Page: HR4 0LE, Heineken UK Limited: environmental permit issued – EPR/BN3138IG/V009
Document: Decision Document: Heineken UK Limited (PDF)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: Defra and Department for Business and Trade are keen on diversification of CO 2 supply to increase supply

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: King Charles III England Coast Path from Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge: Natural England's proposals
Document: Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge habitats regulations assessment (PDF)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: to Sutton Bridge | Habitats Regulation Assessment For Ramsar sites, a decision has been made by Defra

Mar. 06 2024
Natural England
Source Page: King Charles III England Coast Path from Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge: Natural England's proposals
Document: King Charles III England Coast Path from Hunstanton to Sutton Bridge: Natural England's proposals (webpage)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: On 25 November 2020, Natural England submitted a report to the Secretary of State for Environment, Food

Mar. 05 2024
Environment Agency
Source Page: WEEE: apply for approval as a producer compliance scheme
Document: WEEE: apply for approval as a producer compliance scheme (webpage)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: Email your proposal to Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs at weee@defra.gov.uk.

Mar. 05 2024
Environment Agency
Source Page: FY5 4QD, Sesona Hill House Ltd: environmental permit issued - EPR/ZP3329SS/A001
Document: Decision Document: Sesona Hill House Ltd (PDF)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: Decision Document Page 24 of 112 Application Number EPR/ZP3329SS/A001 (iv) R1 Calculation and the DEFRA

Mar. 05 2024
Environment Agency
Source Page: BD4 6SX, Princes Limited: environmental permit issued – EPR/BP2191IS/V006
Document: Decision Document: Princes Limited (PDF)
Guidance and Regulation

Found: Defra and D epartment for Business and Trade are keen on diversification of CO 2 supply to increase



Non-Departmental Publications - Statistics
Mar. 06 2024
Marine Management Organisation
Source Page: Engagement experiences {1277}
Document: MMO1277 Engagement experiences (PDF)
Statistics

Found: other government agencies including the Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authorities (IFCA ) and Department

Mar. 06 2024
Regulatory Policy Committee
Source Page: The Veterinary Medicines (Amendments etc.) Regulations 2024: RPC Opinion (Green -rated)
Document: RPC Opinion: The Veterinary Medicines Regulations (Amendment) 2023 (PDF)
Statistics

Found: type Secondary legislation Implementation date TBC Policy stage Final RPC reference RPC -DEFRA



Deposited Papers
Wednesday 6th March 2024

Source Page: Framework document: Historic England. 54p.
Document: Framework.pdf (PDF)

Found: Institute Historic England British Library Churches Conservation Trust department for the Environment, Food




Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs mentioned in Scottish results


Scottish Government Publications
Wednesday 13th March 2024
EU Directorate
Source Page: Scotland’s International Network Reporting: FOI Release
Document: Document 4 (PDF)

Found:  From March to September 2021, the SDI Consumer Industries team in China led on a £180,000 Defra

Wednesday 13th March 2024
EU Directorate
Source Page: Scotland’s International Network Reporting: FOI Release
Document: Document 3 (PDF)

Found: Scotland , the team stepped up contact and collaboration with DIT/FCDO contacts in the Embassy, with DEFRA

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Chief Economist Directorate
Source Page: Public Sector Employment in Scotland Statistics for 4th Quarter 2023
Document: Public Sector Employment Scotland Tables Q4 2023 (ODS)

Found: Office, Ministry of Justice, Department for Transport, Food Standards Agency (until 31 March 2015), Department

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Source Page: Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on 27 September 2023: EIR release
Document: FOI 202300378332 - Information Released - Doc 3 (PDF)

Found: Street London SW1P 4DF T: +44 (0) 3459 335577 E: correspondence.section@defra.gov.uk W: gov.uk/defra

Tuesday 12th March 2024
Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Source Page: Rural Affairs and Islands Committee on 27 September 2023: EIR release
Document: FOI 202300378332 - Information Released - Doc 1 (PDF)

Found: Engagement between the government (HM Treasury, Defra and the Territorial Offices) and the devolved

Wednesday 6th March 2024
Agriculture and Rural Economy Directorate
Source Page: Pesticide Usage in Scotland: Rodenticides on Arable Farms
Document: Pesticide Usage in Scotland: Rodenticides on Arable Farms 2022 (PDF)

Found: The authors would also like to thank David Rymer (Defra) , Gillian Reay, Jackie Hughes and Elizabeth



Scottish Written Answers
S6W-25875
Asked by: Grahame, Christine (Scottish National Party - Midlothian South, Tweeddale and Lauderdale)
Monday 11th March 2024

Question

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that there are 15 separate dog microchipping databases that are compliant with the UK Government Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), and that every dog in the UK must be microchipped once they are eight weeks old, what discussions it has had with DEFRA regarding having a UK-wide microchipping database, and what the estimated cost is of the Scottish Government developing a standalone Scottish database to enable the traceability of all dogs and their owners and/or breeders in Scotland.

Answered by Fairlie, Jim

The Scottish Government recognises the benefits of having a single point of access to microchipping data to aid with the identifying and reuniting owners and their pets and Scottish Ministers remain committed to working jointly with other administrations where it is both sensible and logical to do so in the interests of animal welfare.

Officials had discussions with DEFRA and other UK administrations regarding the possibility of a single UK-wide microchipping data base and other possible database reforms when Defra consulted on microchipping in 2022. We have not costed a Scotland-only database as we are seeking a consistent UK approach to database reform.

The Microchipping of Dogs Regulations (Scotland) 2016 requires database operators to provide and share information with persons authorised by Scottish Ministers or a local authority.



Scottish Parliamentary Debates
Review of the EU-UK Trade and Co-operation Agreement
49 speeches (52,149 words)
Thursday 7th March 2024 - Committee
Mentions:
1: Ruskell, Mark (Green - Mid Scotland and Fife) However, there seems to be no appetite from the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs - Link to Speech
2: None I am afraid that it is a time and resource issue, certainly within DEFRA and Westminster. - Link to Speech
3: None I do not think there has been capacity in DEFRA and other departments to deal with those issues. - Link to Speech

Environmental Governance
130 speeches (85,800 words)
Tuesday 5th March 2024 - Committee
Mentions:
1: None about the responsibilities for waste water across the Water Services Regulation Authority—Ofwat—the Department - Link to Speech