Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of imported seafood into the United Kingdom sourced from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and whether any risk has changed over the last ten years.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government is committed to preventing seafood caught from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from entering the UK supply chain. Defra works closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Port Health Authorities to manage this risk. For example, the UK maintains a strict ban on seafood imports from countries that have been identified as non-cooperative in tackling IUU fishing as well as seafood caught by vessels included in the UK’s IUU vessel list identified as having engaged in IUU fishing. Controls are also in place to prevent foreign vessels accessing UK ports if suspected of engaging in IUU fishing. Furthermore, all wild-caught fish imported into the UK must be accompanied by validated catch certificates to ensure legality and traceability, and we will be updating the information required on catch certificates later next year. These changes will improve the robustness of traceability measures in place and will ensure that UK exporters can continue to re-export seafood originating from other countries to the EU. The MMO has recently launched a campaign called ‘Fish, Trace, Ship’ to highlight to industry the expected changes.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they will update the catch certificate for seafood imports to mirror changes being made by the EU to its catch certificate scheme.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government is committed to preventing seafood caught from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from entering the UK supply chain. Defra works closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Port Health Authorities to manage this risk. For example, the UK maintains a strict ban on seafood imports from countries that have been identified as non-cooperative in tackling IUU fishing as well as seafood caught by vessels included in the UK’s IUU vessel list identified as having engaged in IUU fishing. Controls are also in place to prevent foreign vessels accessing UK ports if suspected of engaging in IUU fishing. Furthermore, all wild-caught fish imported into the UK must be accompanied by validated catch certificates to ensure legality and traceability, and we will be updating the information required on catch certificates later next year. These changes will improve the robustness of traceability measures in place and will ensure that UK exporters can continue to re-export seafood originating from other countries to the EU. The MMO has recently launched a campaign called ‘Fish, Trace, Ship’ to highlight to industry the expected changes.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether they plan to increase scrutiny of seafood imports that are of high risk of coming from illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Government is committed to preventing seafood caught from illegal, unreported and unregulated (IUU) fishing from entering the UK supply chain. Defra works closely with the Marine Management Organisation (MMO) and Port Health Authorities to manage this risk. For example, the UK maintains a strict ban on seafood imports from countries that have been identified as non-cooperative in tackling IUU fishing as well as seafood caught by vessels included in the UK’s IUU vessel list identified as having engaged in IUU fishing. Controls are also in place to prevent foreign vessels accessing UK ports if suspected of engaging in IUU fishing. Furthermore, all wild-caught fish imported into the UK must be accompanied by validated catch certificates to ensure legality and traceability, and we will be updating the information required on catch certificates later next year. These changes will improve the robustness of traceability measures in place and will ensure that UK exporters can continue to re-export seafood originating from other countries to the EU. The MMO has recently launched a campaign called ‘Fish, Trace, Ship’ to highlight to industry the expected changes.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what duties the Canal and River Trust has with regard to people whose boat is their permanent and only home.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Canal and River Trust is an independent charity, and the Government does not have a role in its management or operational decisions. The Trust’s charitable objects relate to the preservation of our inland waterways for public benefit, particularly for navigation, walking, and other forms of recreation, rather than the provision of permanent accommodation for private individuals, and the Trust’s boat licensing regime has no requirement to declare what a boat is used for or how many people are occupying it.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threat to the sugar beet crop from virus-transmitting aphids; and in what circumstances they would grant emergency authorisation for the use of the banned neonicotinoid pesticides.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government has been clear that we will change existing policies to ban the use of neonicotinoid pesticides that threaten bees and other vital pollinators. Decisions on emergency authorisation applications must be taken in line with legal requirements. In making these decisions, Ministers will take full account of the available evidence and expert advice.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government whether sugar beet growers are able to comply with the conditions of emergency use of neonicotinoids having regard to the limited acreage of individual farms, in particular, with reference to the statement, that (1) "Only a specific list of crops, none of which flower before harvest, are permitted to be planted in the same field as treated sugar beet within 32 months", and (2) "no further use of thiamethoxam seed treatments on the same field within 46 months".
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Farmers are free to decide whether they wish to grow sugar beet in a given year. Those farmers who opted to grow sugar beet with Cruiser SB when emergency authorisations have been granted in the past will have considered how to accommodate the restrictions on succeeding crops in their crop rotation plans. The restrictions were considered to be consistent with typical arable crop rotation patterns.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of compliance by sugar beet growers with the restrictions on the re-use of thiamethoxam within a period of 46 months on the same field.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All pesticide use in the UK is subject to the Health and Safety Executive’s overarching programme of enforcement and compliance. This includes extensive monitoring and intelligence-led enforcement activities to ensure that the supply and use of pesticides complies with legal requirements.
All UK sugar beet is grown under commercial contracting arrangements which provide a basis for the stewardship programme which has been part of the conditions attached to emergency authorisations for the thiamethoxam product Cruiser SB use granted in the past. As part of this stewardship programme, all growers are advised of the requirements for use of seeds treated with Cruiser SB.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the effectiveness of methods of pest control, other than pesticides, on sugar beet crops as practised in the EU.
Answered by Baroness Hayman of Ullock - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are a range of measures other than pesticides that can help control aphids, which transmit plan viruses to sugar beet. These include early sowing; good hygiene to remove aphid sources; integrated pest management measures such as companion cropping, use of attractants and repellents; and virus-resistant crop varieties. Previous assessments indicated that these measures had not yet reached the point at which they could replace the need for all pesticides.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government, with regard to the Statement of reasons for the decision on the application for emergency authorisation for the use of Cruiser SB on sugar beet crops in 2024, updated on 18 January, what steps they are taking to ensure that sugar beet growers are able to comply with the conditions of emergency use, in particular that (1) "Only a specific list of crops, none of which flower before harvest, are permitted to be planted in the same field as treated sugar beet within 32 months", and (2) "no further use of thiamethoxam seed treatments on the same field within 46 months"; and what assessment they have made of likely compliance from sugar beet growers given restrictions on land supply and restrictions on reuse of a field for sugar beet cultivation that may take place before 46 months has passed since the last same usage.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
All pesticide use in the UK is regulated through HSE’s overarching programme of enforcement and compliance. This includes extensive monitoring and intelligence-led enforcement activities to ensure that the supply and use of pesticides complies with legal requirements.
All UK sugar beet is grown under commercial contracting arrangements. Growers are used to meeting a range of requirements and are supported throughout the season by weekly monitoring and advice provided by the British Beet Research Organisation (BBRO). This provides a robust control mechanism for stewardship.
As part of the stewardship programme, all growers are fully advised of the requirements for use of seeds treated with Cruiser SB. The restrictions on the planting of succeeding crops are designed to limit levels of neonicotinoids in the environment and to be capable of incorporation into typical arable crop rotation patterns.
Farmers can decide whether or not they wish to grow sugar beet in a given year and, if so, whether they wish to use Cruiser SB. The restrictions on succeeding crops will be a factor in that decision; those farmers that opt to grow sugar beet with Cruiser SB will have considered how to accommodate the restrictions within their crop rotation plans.
Asked by: Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer (Liberal Democrat - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask His Majesty's Government with regard to the ban on the use of neonicotinoids, what is their rationale for allowing a derogation in 2024 year for sugar beet growers; and for how many years an emergency authorisation can be in place.
Answered by Lord Douglas-Miller
A statement of reasons for the emergency authorisation of Cruiser SB in 2024 can be found attached to this answer.
An emergency authorisation cannot run from year to year. This authorisation is for the 2024 sugar beet crop only and is valid for 120 days. Use of Cruiser SB or a similar product in any subsequent years would require the submission of a further application. Any future applications would be carefully assessed against the regulatory framework for emergency authorisations.