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Written Question
Hydrofluorocarbons: Manufacturing Industries
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what discussions they plan to have with manufacturers from the heating, refrigeration and air conditioning industries on the use of F gases.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As part of our review so far, we have engaged extensively with industry to gain valuable input on the use of F-gases and their alternatives. Any consultation on proposals for change will allow sufficient time for industry to share views on aspects such as the safety of those alternatives.


Written Question
Hydrofluorocarbons: Regulation
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what is their proposed timescale for the consultation and review of F gas regulation.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are in the process of reviewing the GB F-gas Regulation and intend to consult on proposed changes in due course.


Written Question
Hydrofluorocarbons
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure the F gas consultation allows industry sufficient time to carry out safety checks on alternative gases.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

As part of our review so far, we have engaged extensively with industry to gain valuable input on the use of F-gases and their alternatives. Any consultation on proposals for change will allow sufficient time for industry to share views on aspects such as the safety of those alternatives.


Written Question
Hydrofluorocarbons
Monday 8th January 2024

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the number of products where there are no viable alternatives to using F gases.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We are undertaking a review of the F-gas Regulation. Any resulting proposals for change will be based on an assessment of the viability of alternative gases to determine the extent to which we can deliver further F-gas use and emissions reductions.


Written Question
Hydrofluorocarbons: Regulation
Thursday 4th January 2024

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the EU’s F gas regulation review; and whether they intend to keep alignment with the EU.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

We will shortly be providing the House of Lords European Affairs Sub-Committee on the Protocol on Ireland / Northern Ireland with an updated assessment of the EU’s F-gas changes.

F-gas policy is a key contributor to mitigating climate change, and we are reviewing our legislation to support delivery of our ambitious, domestic Net Zero agenda. Any changes we might propose will be focused on the needs and opportunities specific to the GB market.


Written Question
Agriculture: Environment Protection
Tuesday 3rd August 2021

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government why it is necessary to terminate the whole of an existing agri-environment scheme if a part of that scheme is included in an application for the new English Woodland Creation Grant Offer.

Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

We recognise that the absence of a widely available legal route to take land out of an existing Environmental Stewardship (ES) or Countryside Stewardship (CS) into a new England Woodland Creation Offer (EWCO) agreement without significant/full reclaim of payments is a blocker for some woodland creation applicants. We are looking at how we may be able to transfer land in CS or ES agreement to EWCO, where this results in an environmental gain.

We are actively exploring options to find a way forward for existing agreement holders. In the meantime, the guidance in the EWCO manual remains valid. We will provide an update to potential applicants as soon as we have made tangible progress via our gov.uk pages and the Forestry Commission's e-alert. We remain committed to trebling our tree planting rates in England as part of our commitment to plant 30,000 hectares per year across the UK by the end of this Parliament.


Written Question
Agriculture and Environmental Land Management Scheme
Tuesday 8th June 2021

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they will update the Impact Assessment conducted by DEFRA in 2018 now that more is known about the Agriculture Transition Plan and Environmental Land Management Schemes.

Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government published two evidence and analysis papers to support the introduction of the Agriculture Bill in the last Parliament. These outlined, in detail, the case for creating a new Environmental Land Management scheme, the rationale for moving away from Direct Payments and provided evidence on the high-level costs and benefits of Government intervention in agriculture. They remain comprehensive sources of public information.

Defra has undertaken further work since then to assess the impacts of both regulatory and spending proposals.

Prior to the Agriculture Act becoming law in November 2020, a supporting Regulatory Impact Assessment (RIA) was published. This sets out, at a descriptive level, the anticipated impacts of the regulatory provisions within the Act.

Defra will produce more detailed full RIAs and submit to the Regulatory Policy Committee for independent scrutiny in advance of introducing any secondary legislation for all measures within the Act that are above the threshold specified in Better Regulation Framework guidance.

Defra is currently using the most recent data and evidence available to analyse and assess the impacts of its policy proposals as part of the process of it developing a Programme Business Case for its spending proposals. A summary business case will be published within four months of it receiving final approval, in line with the commitments set out in the recent HMT Green Book review.


Written Question
Land Drainage: Repairs and Maintenance
Wednesday 3rd February 2021

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the replacement of field drains will qualify for support under the new Environmental Land Management schemes.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

We are working with stakeholders and end users to determine the specific land management actions that will be paid for under the Environmental Land Management scheme. We will set out more details on this later this year. ‘The Path to Sustainable Farming: An Agricultural Transition Plan 2021 to 2024’ set out examples of the types of actions that we envisage paying for under the scheme.


Written Question
Dairy Farming: Coronavirus
Thursday 14th May 2020

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government what comparative analysis they have undertaken of the number of dairy farmers affected by COVID-19 provided (1) in the letter sent to Peers by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 22 April, and (2) in the briefing by the National Farmers Union provided to MPs on 15 April; whether they found any significant variation between those figures; and if so, what steps they intend to take in response.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Dairy farmers are crucial in ensuring that food supplies remain resilient in this difficult period. While the vast majority of the UK's dairy farmers are largely unaffected some have been directly impacted by the closure of the food service sector as a result of the lockdown measures taken in response to COVID-19. Between 5 and 10 per cent of total milk production goes to the food service trade. We continue to work closely with the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Dairy UK to ensure that those most affected are supported.

In recognition of the unprecedented challenges facing this sector on 7 May we announced a new fund to support those dairy farmers who have seen decreased demand due to the loss of the food service sector. Eligible dairy farmers in England who have lost more than 25% of their income over April and May due to coronavirus disruptions will be eligible for funding of up to £10,000 each, to cover 70% of their lost income during this qualifying period. This will enable these producers to continue to operate and sustain production capacity without impacts on animal welfare.

The AHDB, together with Dairy UK, have launched a new £1 million campaign to drive an increase in the consumption of milk. Running over 12 weeks, the campaign will highlight the role that milk plays in supporting moments of personal connection during times of crisis. Defra and the devolved administrations are jointly contributing towards the financing of this campaign.

The dairy industry can also access various Government backed loan schemes. The COVID-19 Business Interruption Loan Scheme is available to dairy farmers, milk buyers and milk processors. In addition, the new Bounce Back Loan scheme applies to businesses operating in agriculture and will ensure that the smallest businesses can access up to £50,000 loans.

We also took a number of early emergency steps to support dairy farmers and those in other sectors. These included designating employees in the food sector as key workers and temporarily relaxing the normal rules on drivers' hours, enabling the sector to keep supply chains running, including deliveries from farm gate to processors.

Public intervention for skimmed milk powder and butter also continues to be available. Industry can sell skimmed milk powder and butter into public intervention when the price they would receive on the open market falls below the intervention price. This provides a floor price for dairy products. UK processors are also eligible for the recently opened private storage aid scheme for dairy.

Furthermore, the statutory instrument (SI) temporarily relaxing some elements of competition law for the dairy industry was laid before Parliament on 1 May 2020 and applies retrospectively from 1 April 2020. This makes it easier for the dairy industry to collaborate to maximise production, processing and storage efficiency in order to avoid wastage and to ensure that as much product as possible can be processed into high quality dairy products. The AHDB and Dairy UK have offered to work with the dairy industry to support the enactment of the powers under the SI. We and the Devolved Administrations are working closely with them on this.

We will continue to engage closely with representatives from all parts of the dairy supply chain to support the sector throughout this challenging period.


Written Question
Dairy Farming: Coronavirus
Thursday 14th May 2020

Asked by: Lord Carrington (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)

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

To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the letter sent to Peers by Lord Gardiner of Kimble on 22 April, when they expect to receive the proposals by the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and Dairy UK about the alleviation of overproduction in the dairy farming sector during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble

Dairy farmers are crucial in ensuring that food supplies remain resilient in this difficult period. While the vast majority of the UK's dairy farmers are largely unaffected some have been directly impacted by the closure of the food service sector as a result of the lockdown measures taken in response to COVID-19. Between 5 and 10 per cent of total milk production goes to the food service trade. We continue to work closely with the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board (AHDB) and Dairy UK to ensure that those most affected are supported.

In recognition of the unprecedented challenges facing this sector on 7 May we announced a new fund to support those dairy farmers who have seen decreased demand due to the loss of the food service sector. Eligible dairy farmers in England who have lost more than 25% of their income over April and May due to coronavirus disruptions will be eligible for funding of up to £10,000 each, to cover 70% of their lost income during this qualifying period. This will enable these producers to continue to operate and sustain production capacity without impacts on animal welfare.

The AHDB, together with Dairy UK, have launched a new £1 million campaign to drive an increase in the consumption of milk. Running over 12 weeks, the campaign will highlight the role that milk plays in supporting moments of personal connection during times of crisis. Defra and the devolved administrations are jointly contributing towards the financing of this campaign.

The dairy industry can also access various Government backed loan schemes. The COVID-19 Business Interruption Loan Scheme is available to dairy farmers, milk buyers and milk processors. In addition, the new Bounce Back Loan scheme applies to businesses operating in agriculture and will ensure that the smallest businesses can access up to £50,000 loans.

We also took a number of early emergency steps to support dairy farmers and those in other sectors. These included designating employees in the food sector as key workers and temporarily relaxing the normal rules on drivers' hours, enabling the sector to keep supply chains running, including deliveries from farm gate to processors.

Public intervention for skimmed milk powder and butter also continues to be available. Industry can sell skimmed milk powder and butter into public intervention when the price they would receive on the open market falls below the intervention price. This provides a floor price for dairy products. UK processors are also eligible for the recently opened private storage aid scheme for dairy.

Furthermore, the statutory instrument (SI) temporarily relaxing some elements of competition law for the dairy industry was laid before Parliament on 1 May 2020 and applies retrospectively from 1 April 2020. This makes it easier for the dairy industry to collaborate to maximise production, processing and storage efficiency in order to avoid wastage and to ensure that as much product as possible can be processed into high quality dairy products. The AHDB and Dairy UK have offered to work with the dairy industry to support the enactment of the powers under the SI. We and the Devolved Administrations are working closely with them on this.

We will continue to engage closely with representatives from all parts of the dairy supply chain to support the sector throughout this challenging period.