Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with food retailers about providing food and other products that would otherwise have to go to landfill sites to food banks; and what plans they have to encourage (1) food retailers to participate in, and (2) the further development of, such provision.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
We continue to work with key stakeholders across the food chain to overcome the barriers to redistribution and explore solutions through The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), supported by funding from Defra.
All large retailers have relationships with redistribution organisations and we have seen a large increase in redistribution which has almost doubled since 2015 (96% increase), or an additional £81 million of food equivalent to an extra 65 million meals a year. This has been helped by a 63% increase in supply of food from major retailers in recent years.
There is still more that can be done, the Government announced in October 2018 a £15m pilot fund for 2019/20 that aims to increase the redistribution of surplus food through a series of grant opportunities. The winners of which will be announced later in the year. We have already awarded £4.2 million of this fund to projects.
In line with its commitment in the Resources and Waste Strategy the Government has also appointed Ben Elliot as its Food Waste Reduction Champion. He has been meeting - and continues to work with - business leaders from restaurants and large food retailers to further develop solutions to prevent good food from being wasted.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to review existing research on earthworms with particular regard to the impact of slug pellets on earthworms and small birds, especially thrushes.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Slug pellets are regulated as pesticides. This means that they may only be sold and used if scientific risk assessments find no harmful effect on people and no unacceptable effects on the environment. Possible effects on wildlife (including earthworms and birds) are considered as part of the environmental assessment. Regulatory decisions are regularly reviewed so that safety can be reassessed using the latest data and scientific knowledge.
A recent review of the substance metaldehyde raised concerns about risks to birds and mammals; the use of slug pellets containing metaldehyde is therefore being phased out. Other slug pellets are based on ferric phosphate; the latest risk assessment of this substance concluded that it met all the safety requirements, including those relating to earthworms and birds.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what was the value of (1) exports, and (2) imports, of food and drink between the UK and the rest of the EU in each of the last three years.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
UK food and drink Exports are a success story, reaching £22bn for the first time in 2017. Our exports to Europe continue to increase, and have grown by £3.4bn since 2014.
Exports
In 2015 the value of food and drink exports to the rest of the EU was £10.9bn.
This increased to £12bn in 2016.
This increased again in 2017 to a total of £13.3bn.
Imports
In 2015 the value of food and drink imports from the rest of the EU was £27.6bn.
In 2016 this increased to £29.8bn.
In 2017 this increased to £32.4bn.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government on what grounds a public right of way may be temporarily closed.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
Local highway authorities are responsible for the management and maintenance of public rights of way. Public rights of way should always be open and available for the public to use, but an application may be made to the local highway authority under the Road Traffic Regulation Act 1984, for an Order to close or divert temporarily a public right of way for safety reasons, or to carry out necessary works.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
Her Majesty's Government, in the light of the UN Oceans Conference on 5–9 June and the Council of the European Union Environment Council on 19 June, what plans they have to reduce, and if possible eliminate, the pollution of oceans, seas and beaches by plastic materials.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
At the recent UN Oceans Conference the UK made several voluntary commitments, including signing up to the UN’s CleanSeas campaign. This programme aims to transform habits, practices, standards and policies around the globe to dramatically reduce marine litter and the harm it causes.
The UK Government has undertaken several key actions to protect the marine environment from marine litter which are set out in the Marine Strategy Part Three. Recent additional actions include the publication of the National Litter Strategy for England and our plans to ban microbeads in cosmetics and personal care products. We also work with neighbouring countries to address this issue, particularly through the OSPAR Regional Action Plan on marine litter.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether they intend to publicise the EU interpretation notice on the labelling of goods derived from Israeli settlements in occupied territories, including on their websites.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government is examining the Interpretative Notice alongside existing technical advice to UK retailers and importers. No changes have been made to the UK guidance at present, but this matter remains under review.
Asked by: Lord Hylton (Crossbench - Excepted Hereditary)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the implications for social policy of (1) the February 2014 report <i>Household Food Security in the UK: A Review of Food Aid</i>; and (2) the 2015 book by Stewart Lansley and Joanna Mack, <i>Breadline Britain</i>.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The “Review of Food Aid in the UK” was a short, literature based study designed to improve understanding of food aid provision in the UK, who makes use of it, and why. It was not a complete assessment of food aid as it found a variety of types of food aid, with mostly community-led provision responding to local needs. The report concluded that there is a lack of systematic peer-reviewed research from the UK on the reasons or immediate circumstances leading people to turn to food aid. Research such as the Review of Food Aid in the UK report and other publications provide evidence that informs the formulation of social policy in the UK.
The Government is committed to tackling poverty and social disadvantage in all its forms in every part of the country. Work remains the most sustainable way out of poverty and means for parents to provide security for their families.