Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his policy is on requiring farmers to protect land for wildlife at the edge of fields under cultivation.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Wildlife not only plays an important role in the health and abundance of our nation's natural resources but also assumes a crucial role in England's agricultural success. Defra has ensured that we have a policy package that includes both legal protections and funding enhancements. This dual approach supports the Government's deep commitment to the environment, reflected in the goals we have set through the 25 Year Environment Plan. Defra will support farmers in turning over fields to meadows rich in herbs and wildflowers, planting more trees, restoring habitats for endangered species, recovering soil fertility and attracting our wildlife back.
Following our exit from the EU, farmers and land managers continue to be required to comply with domestic legislation, including compliance with regulations that cover water courses, hedgerows, buffer strips for fertiliser and manure application. Farmers and land managers must comply with these regulations even after rules that relate to CAP payments cease to have effect.
Legal protection for hedgerows is provided by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997. These regulations prohibit the removal of most, or parts of, countryside hedgerows without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. We also currently have regulations which protect water courses under the Farming Rules for Water.
Regarding funding, the Countryside Stewardship scheme offers farmers funding for creating buffer strips on cultivated land. These grassy buffer strips not only create new habitat and prevent pollutants (such as pesticides and sediment) from entering aquatic systems, they also provide wildlife with much needed corridors to link existing habitat areas and aid dispersal.
Signing a Countryside Stewardship agreement over the next 2-3 years gives farmers and land managers a viable, long-term source of income for providing environmental benefits. Those who sign up to new Countryside Stewardship agreements will also be well-placed in the future to participate in our new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, subject to successfully applying.
Additionally, under the ELM scheme, due to launch in 2024 as the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy, farmers and other land managers may enter into agreements to be paid for delivering public goods, including thriving plants and wildlife.
Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the total area of farmland is in (a) England and (b) the UK; and what estimate he has made of the proportion of that land that is put to agricultural use.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The total agricultural area in 2019 was 9,604,512 hectares in England and 18,848,943 hectares in the UK.
The utilised agricultural area accounts for 94% (9,059,462 hectares) of the total agricultural area in England and 93% (17,531,535 hectares) in the UK.
The utilised agricultural area includes all arable and horticultural crops, uncropped arable land, common rough grazing, temporary and permanent grassland and land used for outdoor pigs. It excludes woodland and other non-agricultural land (such as tracks, ponds and yards).
Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to increase funding support for anti-poaching projects in Africa during the covid-19 pandemic.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Between 2014 and 2024 the Government is investing over £66 million to crack down on the illegal trade of animals and plants, including activities to train rangers in Africa to help communities protect their wildlife from poaching.
We remain fully committed to protecting biodiversity and preventing the loss of species, which is why we are looking carefully at how we can contribute to the international response to the Covid-19 pandemic. This includes through our well respected Illegal Wildlife Trade Challenge Fund which has committed over £26 million to 85 projects since it was launched in 2014. The latest round opened for applications on 22 May 2020 and is available to support projects that respond to the emerging impacts of Covid-19 on the illegal trade in wildlife.
Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
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 trends in the number of trees growing in England in each of the last three decades.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Forestry Commission produces statistics annually on woodland area in England but not by tree numbers. These are Official Statistics produced to meet the standards of the Code of Practice for Statistics. Woodland area statistics can be found on the Forest Research web site together with background information at https://www.forestresearch.gov.uk/tools-and-resources/statistics/forestry-statistics/
The below figures are reported in Forestry Statistics and use data from the National Forest Inventory:
Year at 31 March | Thousand Hectares
| |
|
|
1989 | 1,201 |
1994 | 1,224 |
1999 | 1,246 |
2004 | 1,272 |
2009 | 1,288 |
2014 | 1,302 |
2019 | 1,308 |
Source: Forestry Statistics 2019 | |
Asked by: Chris Grayling (Conservative - Epsom and Ewell)
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 effect of the rise in the badger population on the number of hedgehogs.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has not made an estimate of the effect of the rise in badger population on the number of hedgehog in England. However, we are aware of research by the National Wildlife Management Centre and others in 2014 which demonstrated that badger removal had positive impacts on hedgehog numbers within grassland sites.
The Department continues to commend work, including research, by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People’s Trust for Endangered Species, such as their Conservation Strategy for Hedgehogs. Under our 25 Year Environment Plan, we are committed to creating or restoring 500,000 hectares of wildlife-rich habitat to provide benefits for species such as the hedgehog. Agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship provide funding to restore, extend and link important habitats and boost food resources for our native species.