Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 commission research on the flammable items with potential to cause significant damage in the countryside, including sky lanterns, disposable barbeques and portable stoves; if he will extent that research to include the potential damage and danger to the environment of discarded helium balloons; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
We are commissioning research to examine the impact on the environment of barbecues and other flammable items, including sky lanterns and portable stoves, in order to support potential regulation. We expect this research to be completed in due course, when we will be in a position to consider further action.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 banning the (a) importation and (b) professional use of peat; what steps he is taking to encourage the use of green waste alternatives in place of peat; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We are currently consulting on measures to end the use of peat in horticulture in England and Wales. This includes a ban on the retail sale of peat, which would see domestic peat and imports of peat treated alike. In 2020, bagged growing media containing peat from the retail sector accounted for almost 70% of peat sold in the UK.
Our consultation includes a call for evidence on the impacts of ending the use of peat and peat containing products in the professional horticulture sector and is open for responses until 18 March 2022.
We are aware of the potential for waste products to be used as alternatives to peat and peat containing products in horticulture and are exploring where we might unlock the use of waste products as a suitable alternative to peat use in horticulture.
Please follow the link to the consultation:
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what further steps he proposes to take to (a) mitigate the effect of coastal erosion and (b) assist those communities affected.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Between 2021 and 2027, we have doubled our overall investment in flooding and coastal erosion to £5.2 billion. This will ensure a further 336,000 properties are better protected from flooding and coastal erosion.
An additional £200 million will be invested in the Innovative Flood and Coastal Resilience Innovation Programme. This is already helping 25 local areas over six years to take forward wider innovative actions that improve their resilience to flooding and coastal erosion.
Local authorities are best placed to understand their coastline and to develop the most appropriate approaches to manage risk through Shoreline Management Plans and their local planning policies. These plans provide a high level, long term policy framework to manage local risks from coastal change over a 100-year timeline.
The Environment Agency is working with coastal authorities on a £1 million refresh of Shoreline Management Plans to ensure that they are up to date, using the best evidence in their recommendations and focus attention on priority areas for investment and adaptation.
As set out in our Flood and Coastal Erosion Policy Statement we will be reviewing the current mechanisms, including legal powers, which coastal erosion risk management authorities can use to manage the coast. We will also be exploring the availability and role of financial products or services that can help people or businesses to achieve a managed transition of property and infrastructure away from areas at very high risk of coastal erosion.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to (a) increase the number of and (b) encourage recruitment and retention of farm animal vets; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Since 2019 four new veterinary schools have opened in the UK at Harper Adams University, Scottish Rural College, the University of Central Lancashire, and the University of Aberystwyth in conjunction with the Royal Veterinary College. This will potentially increase the number of students entering veterinary education to around 1600 per year across all schools, an increase of 45% since 2014. This will help boost the number of UK graduates in the long term. These new schools at the Scottish Rural College and Aberystwyth in particular, have a syllabus with specific focus on agriculture to help produce farm vets. We are consulting with veterinary stakeholders, which include the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons and the British Veterinary Association on their work to improve the recruitment and retention across the profession.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 sufficiency of existing water reservoirs to meet future demand; what plans he has to build further reservoirs or otherwise increase storage capacity; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises the need for new water resources infrastructure, including reservoirs and water transfers, alongside reducing leakage and conserving water to provide a secure supply of water for future generations and to protect our environment.
The National Framework for water resources, launched in March 2020, brings together industry, regulators and government to transform the way we use and look after our water supplies, including the need to reduce demand, halve leakage and develop new supplies.
As part of the current price review round (PR19), Ofwat has allocated a £469 million fund for water companies to expedite and progress the development of new water infrastructure, which includes new reservoirs. Additionally, the Regulators’ Alliance for Progressing Infrastructure Development (RAPID) has been formed to help accelerate the development of new water infrastructure and design future regulatory frameworks to enable this development.
Water companies have the statutory duty to provide clean and reliable water to customers under the Water Industry Act 1991. Statutory water resources management plans show how water companies will meet this duty and manage water supply and demand for at least the next 25 years. These plans are revised every five years and updated plans will be consulted on in 2022.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 tackle unlicensed puppy farming and illegal puppy imports; if he will take steps to encourage other countries to take action to deter such trade; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the licence requirements for animal related activities such as pet selling or dog breeding. They therefore hold details of the enforcement activity being undertaken in their area, including information relating to low-welfare and illegal breeding activity. This Government takes the issue of low-welfare and illegal supply of puppies very seriously. Significant steps have already been taken to improve and update the laws on dog breeding in England to crack down on unscrupulous breeders who breed dogs purely for financial greed at the expense of animal welfare.
Under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) anyone in the business of breeding and selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve-month period needs to have a valid licence from their local authority. Licensees must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards, including provisions to protect dogs from being bred from too often or at an early age, which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. Any licensee advertising dogs for sale will need to include their licence number in the advert and specify the local authority who issued the licence. Additional requirements placed on advertisements include that the age of the dog for sale must be displayed along with a recognisable photograph.
We banned the commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens in England from 6 April 2020. This ban aims to disrupt the low-welfare trade that supports puppy farming by preventing pet shops, pet dealers and other commercial outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves have bred them. It means anyone looking to get a puppy must buy direct from a breeder or consider adopting from a rescue centre instead.
Meanwhile my Department maintains a national communications campaign (Petfished) to raise awareness of issues associated with low-welfare and illegal supply of pets. This includes providing clear signposting to where responsible breeders and rehoming centres can be found and encouraging prospective buyers to research the seller thoroughly before they visit and decide to purchase. The campaign provides a list of red flags for buyers to look out for when searching for a pet online. More information can be found here: https://getyourpetsafely.campaign.gov.uk.
We have also endorsed The Pet Advertising Advisory Group (PAAG), which was created to combat growing concerns about the irresponsible advertising of pets for sale, rehoming and exchange, and backed a set of minimum standards that PAAG developed, which several of the UK’s largest classified websites have agreed to meet.
The Government has a manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling. It is an abhorrent trade which causes suffering to animals and puts the health of pets and people in the United Kingdom at risk. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June with second reading on 25 October. The Bill allows us to deliver this manifesto commitment and protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.
In August 2021, the Government launched an eight-week consultation on our proposed restrictions to the commercial and non-commercial movement of pets into Great Britain. This included proposals to ban the commercial and non-commercial movement into Great Britain of puppies under the age of six months, heavily pregnant dogs and dogs which have been subjected to low welfare practices such as ear cropping or tail docking. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a summary response in due course. This will allow us to take onboard the views of the public and interested groups on puppy smuggling and low welfare imports in order to shape our future policy.
Defra is committed to working constructively with our counterparts internationally to safeguard the welfare of these animals and protect the biosecurity of our country. We have made clear our intention to improve the situation for animals wherever they are and making a statement at this time would reveal no additional information.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 protect and promote the UK fishing industry; what his timescale is for providing details of new measures to boost capacity to attract new entrants into the industry to sustain and improve employment opportunity; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Opportunities for new entrants are essential for safeguarding the UK fishing industry’s future. It is important to recognise that the industry itself has many of the levers it needs to attract people into the sector, with many of the more far-sighted organisations taking active measures.
In addition, the Government is working closely with regional fisheries groups, Producer Organisations and representative bodies to understand how best to encourage more resource into the industry while also considering examples of best practice from around the world.
The £100 million UK Seafood Fund was announced by the Prime Minister on 24 December 2020 and includes a Skills and Training pillar to support industry’s efforts, by providing new courses to fill gaps and augmenting existing courses to improve take-up and retention of new entrants. In addition, funding support is available across the UK from fishing administration funding schemes. In England, the Fisheries and Seafood Scheme supports industry with funding for a variety of areas, including job opportunities and support for new entrants, apprenticeship schemes and lifelong training.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
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 require all poultry which is intended for human consumption and which has been injected with water and/or salt, to be clearly labelled as such in a large typeface, or stated to be so at the point of sale, whether such an item is sold packaged or unpackaged, raw or cooked, to allow consumers to make an informed choice before they purchase that product.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Under UK regulations on the provision of food information to consumers, it is already the case with meat products and meat preparations which have the appearance of a cut, joint, slice, portion or carcase of meat, that an indication of the presence of added water, if the added water makes up more than 5% of the weight of the finished product, must accompany the name of the food. The presence of water, if added, will also be included in the ingredients list. As mandatory information, this indication with the name of the food as well as the information in the ingredients list must be marked in a conspicuous place in such a way as to be easily visible, clearly legible and, where appropriate, indelible. It shall not in any way be hidden, obscured, detracted from or interrupted by any other written or pictorial matter or any other intervening material.
Under the Food Information Regulations 2014 Regulation 6 (applicable in England, similar regulations are in place in the Devolved Administrations), the name of the food is required for food that is not prepacked, and therefore the indication accompanying the name of the food as related above will also appear. Additionally, under Regulation 7 of the Food Information Regulations 2014, a ‘Quantitative Indication’ of the meat ingredients must be provided which can help the consumer understand what proportion of the whole product is meat.
There is no current intention to add further to these requirements. However, the Government will be reviewing food labelling more broadly to ensure consumers continue to be provided with the information they need to make safe and informed food choices.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to require labelling of meat to show animals slaughtered without prior stunning; if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing more detailed food labelling to promote animal welfare, including the method of slaughter; and if he will make statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
There are currently no regulations that require the labelling of meat with the method of slaughter, but where any information is provided voluntarily it must be accurate and not misleading to the consumer. The Government expects the industry, whether food producer or food outlet, to provide consumers with all the information they need to make informed choices about the food they eat.
The Government has committed to consult on what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market. We will shortly launch a call for evidence to assess the impacts of different types of labelling reforms for animal welfare, including method of slaughter. This will feed into the Government’s wider work on food labelling to ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food they buy and to facilitate the trade of quality British food at home and abroad.
Asked by: Greg Knight (Conservative - East Yorkshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason domestic rabbit welfare was not included in the Action Plan for Animal Welfare published on 12 May 2021; what plans he has to improve the welfare of domestic rabbits in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government continues to take positive action to protect the welfare of companion animals – including domestic rabbits. The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations, introduced in 2018, require anyone who is in the business of selling rabbits as pets, to obtain a valid licence from their local authority. Licences must meet strict statutory minimum welfare standards which are enforced by local authorities who have powers to issue, refuse or revoke licences. The 2018 Regulations are supported by statutory guidance which provides specific information about the keeping of rabbits for sale:
Meanwhile other advice is available to educate pet owners on providing for the welfare needs of their rabbit, including the British Rabbit Council’s Codes of Practice: https://thebritishrabbitcouncil.org/codes-practice.php
Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is an offence to cause any animal unnecessary suffering or to fail to provide for its welfare. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 was recently granted Royal Assent. This realises the Government’s manifesto commitment to increase the sentences available to our courts for the most serious cases of animal cruelty. It means that from 29 June 2021, anyone who is cruel to an animal (including domestic rabbits) faces being sent to prison for up to 5 years, or receiving an unlimited fine, or both. This strengthened penalty sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated. Following a conviction for animal cruelty or welfare offences, the court may also ban the offender from keeping certain types of animals and/or order that their animals are removed from them. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare provides an overview of current priorities – particularly those which require legislative action and reform. We will continue to work closely with the companion animal welfare sector to monitor future developments in welfare standards for all domestic animals including rabbits.