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 prevent the (a) import and (b) advertising and sale of dogs with cropped ears in the UK; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The practice of mutilating dogs’ ears is abhorrent and has rightly been banned in the UK for 15 years.
We already have some of the world’s highest animal welfare standards. The end of the transition period has opened up new opportunities for managing our own pet travel and commercial importation rules. We are actively listening to the concerns of stakeholders and the Government is considering options regarding the importation and commercial movements of dogs with cropped ears into Great Britain in line with World Trade Organization rules.
Importers of animals must adhere to welfare standards as set out in Council Regulation (EC) 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport and in domestic legislation, The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO). This legislation aims to protect the health and welfare of animals during transportation and applies to dogs that are suffering injury as a result of non-exempted mutilations including cropped ears.
The maximum penalty for causing unnecessary suffering to an animal or cropping a dog’s ears in England is six months’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. However, the Government is committed to increasing the maximum custodial penalty for both of these offences from six months to five years. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill, currently before Parliament, which will implement this increase, will continue to receive Government support as it completes its passage through Parliament.
The Government also continues to raise awareness regarding the improper selling of pets by deceitful sellers in the UK and abroad through our ‘Petfished’ campaign. This seeks to educate prospective pet buyers on common tricks and tactics used by deceitful sellers which may result in the purchase of a mistreated or unwell pet, including those that have been subject to cropping. The campaign urges buyers to mitigate risks, for example by buying from trusted sellers such as those under the Kennel Club’s Assured Breeder scheme, viewing puppies with their mothers and siblings, asking questions of the seller and following the Animal Welfare Foundation and RSPCA Puppy Contract to ensure that puppies are in good health when purchased.
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 make it his policy to authorise the creation of a small number of new designations of Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty as part of the Government's 25 year Environment Plan; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The statutory responsibility in England to appraise the designation of new or extended National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty is held with Natural England.
In his Ten Point Plan for a Green Industrial Revolution the Prime Minister announced that this Government will start the process this year for designating more of England’s beautiful and iconic landscapes as National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, safeguarding these areas for future generations and bringing more people within closer reach of nature.
These new Protected Landscapes will play a key role in meeting the Government’s commitment to protect and improve 30% of UK land by 2030.
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 existing legislation designed to (a) end unacceptable puppy farming practices and (b) stop puppy smuggling; if he will consider bringing forward further measures if this is deemed necessary; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government takes the issues of puppy farming, puppy smuggling and other illegal importations of pets, including rescue animals, very seriously. These are abhorrent trades which cause suffering to animals and put the health of pets and people in the UK at risk.
In 2018, the laws on dog breeding and selling were updated and improved. Now, under The Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 (the 2018 Regulations) , anyone who is breeding dogs and advertising a business of selling dogs and/or who breeds three or more litters in a twelve month period needs a licence from their local authority. All licensees must adhere to strict minimum animal welfare standards. Local authorities are responsible for enforcing the 2018 Regulations and have powers to grant, refuse or revoke a licence.
Commercial third-party sales of puppies and kittens were banned in England from 6 April 2020. The ban was introduced as amendment to the 2018 Regulations. This prevents pet shops, pet dealers and other commercial outlets from selling these animals in England unless they themselves have bred them and is an integral step towards disrupting the low welfare trade that supports unscrupulous puppy farming.
Anyone who has concerns about the welfare of a dog being sold should report the matter to the relevant local authority which has powers to investigate such matters.
Under the 2018 Regulations the Secretary of State must carry out a review of the regulatory provision contained in these Regulations, and publish a report setting out the conclusions of the review. The first report must be published before 1 October 2023. Meanwhile we remain committed to working with the sector, enforcement agencies and other interested parties to improve the traceability of puppy sales in England and potential solutions to address this.
At present, there has been no substantive change to the pet travel requirements for pets entering Great Britain (GB) from the EU. However, now the transition period has ended, we have the opportunity to manage our own pet travel and commercial importation rules. We are actively listening to the concerns of stakeholders and the Government is considering options to strengthen our efforts to tackle puppy smuggling. These options will take into consideration the results from our latest disease risk assessments for GB, the recommendations of stakeholders such as the British Veterinary Association and Dogs Trust, and recent Parliamentary work from the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee.
I would encourage anyone who has suspicions or evidence of illegal activity relating to the importation of animals to contact the APHA Intelligence Unit or by contacting their local authority's Trading Standards officer.
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) tackle the issues that UK exporters of crab and lobster have been experiencing at UK borders and (b) minimise the volume of paperwork associated with those exports; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is working with other government departments, industry and EU authorities to ensure smooth trade flow and minimise disruption at the border. To do so, we have established a twice-weekly seafood exports working group to identify issues and resolve across government, as well as a Scottish Seafood Exports Task Force to consider medium to longer term issues, with the aim of increasing confidence in the seafood and aquaculture supply chains.
To further support businesses, Defra has developed a support package of guidance and training with Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs (HMRC), including an online journey that guides fish exporters through each step of the export journey. The £23 million Seafood Disruption Support Scheme opened for applications for support towards the costs of disruption of exports to the EU during January, whilst expanded eligibility criteria were announced on 21 February to target catching and shellfish aquaculture businesses which have been affected by a reduction in demand from the hospitality sector in the UK and abroad.
We are also conducting a series of sector-specific workshops in cooperation with HMRC and other partners to provide technical support to exporters, including a dedicated session for crab and lobster exporters. A joint Defra/HMRC support package of online guidance and training has also been issued to exporters,
The UK has developed the Fish Export Service to provide catch certificates for UK fish exporters for free 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. We are also looking at improvements to the Export Health Certificate Online system to simplify the process for exporters and certifiers and we continue to work closely with the European Commission and EU Member States to address issues in interpretation of Export Health Certificates where they arise at the EU Border.
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 ensure that best practice is understood and widely followed on (a) horse tethering and (b) other horse welfare issues; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
This country leads the way in animal welfare, including setting standards for horse welfare. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, all owners and keepers of horses must provide for the welfare needs of their animals.
The statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Horses, Ponies, Donkeys and Their Hybrids provides owners and keepers with general welfare information, including a specific section on the correct way to tether a horse. Whilst it is not an offence to breach the Code, if proceedings are brought against someone for a welfare offence under the 2006 Act, it could be used as evidence in support of those proceedings.
In addition, the equine welfare sector promotes good welfare practice through their respective websites and via social media e.g. National Equine Welfare Council’s compendium: http://www.newc.co.uk/advice/ .
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, whether he plans to extend financial support for carbon negative farming and land use beyond the existing schemes for woodland and peatland; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Yes we do. Reaching our Net Zero target is one of this government's top priorities. This will mean changes to the way land is managed to reduce agricultural greenhouse gas emissions. We will support the sector to make these changes through the schemes set out in our Agricultural Transition Plan, which was published in November using the powers in the Agriculture Act 2020.
Specifically, our new environmental land management schemes, the Sustainable Farming Incentive, Local Nature Recovery and Landscape Recovery, will all help support farming and land management to contribute to Net Zero. The Agricultural Transition Plan set out examples of the types of actions that we envisage paying for under the schemes and the timetable for those schemes opening to applicants.
We are also offering new agreements and extensions to existing agreements under the legacy Countryside Stewardship scheme. This scheme continues to help farmers manage their land sustainably and contribute to Net Zero whilst we test and roll out our future environmental land management schemes.
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 recent assessment he has made of the effectiveness of river dredging to remove silt and reduce the incidence of flooding; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Dredging is an important part of the Environment Agency’s (EA) annual river maintenance programme. The Environment Agency assesses each situation individually and will dredge when it is the right solution to reduce flood risk and provides long-term value for money.
The Environment Agency carried out a comprehensive series of trials in 2010 to review and update evidence on the benefits and effectiveness of dredging as one method for keeping rivers flowing freely. The trials showed that dredging can reduce flood risk, but its effectiveness and value-for-money varies significantly depending upon the location.
In many cases, dredging isn’t the best long-term solution because rivers can quickly silt-up again and other measures such as building walls or storage upstream may be more effective. It can even increase flood risk and erosion and alter the ecosystem and wildlife. Dredging is unlikely to be effective in isolation but it can be part of a solution involving multiple interventions.
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 planning to take in response to the National Audit Office report on Managing the risks of flooding and coastal erosion in England, published November 2020; if he will make it his policy to deliver greater certainty in future funding for flood management programmes to enable longer term planning; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The NAO report on Managing Flood Risk was published on Friday 27 November and follows on from a 2014 study on the same subject. Following the Public Accounts Committee hearing on this report, the Government will respond later this year in the usual way by publishing a Treasury Minute.
The report confirms that the Government’s current investment programme of £2.6 billion of capital investment which will conclude on 31 March 2021 is on track to deliver 300,000 homes better protected, to time and budget, which represents strong performance for a major infrastructure programme.
The Government has committed to invest a record £5.2 billion in a further six-year capital investment programme which will commence in April 2021. This investment will better protect 336,000 properties including 290,000 homes from flooding and coastal erosion by 2027. This will enable long-term planning. The Government also provided an additional £170 million in economic recovery funding to accelerate 22 shovel ready schemes that better protect businesses and jobs.
Given the significant increase in Government investment in the flood defences and the changes already made to our partnership funding rules, the new six-year flood defence programme will require less in wider partnership contributions compared to the current programme. We are confident that the scale of the remaining contributions can be found and this will help deliver more schemes and therefore better protect more properties.
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 mitigate the risks associated with veterinary medicine (a) shortages and (b) unavailability after 1 January 2021; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Veterinary medicines manufacturers and suppliers have prepared for the end of the transition period by establishing appropriate stock levels and working with delivery partners so they are ready to meet the new customs and border requirements. Many veterinary medicines transit into the UK from manufacturing sites in the EU and do so via the short straits. This ferry crossing is vulnerable to disruption and as such pharmaceutical companies have been considering alternative logistics options. Veterinary medicines are classified as Category 1 goods and can access Government secured freight capacity. These contingencies provide assurance that there are ways to facilitate the ongoing flow of veterinary medicines into the UK.
In addition, veterinary surgeons will continue to be able to use the Special Import Scheme to apply for alternative medicines to be imported where there is no suitable UK authorised medicine available in the UK.
Defra has well-established mechanisms for dealing with supply issues as and when they arise and works closely with the veterinary pharmaceutical industry to detect potential problems at the earliest point.
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 advice he plans to issue to farmers and animal owners on maintaining an adequate stock of animal feed and food for their animals on and after 1 January 2021; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
On and after 1 January 2021, farmers and animal keepers will continue to have a duty of care to their animals, which includes ensuring that they have access to a sufficient quantity of quality feed and food to maintain animal health and welfare.
Publications and datasets for animal feed will continue to be published by the Agricultural and Horticulture Development Board so that farmers and animal keepers have the most up to date statistics and predictions to enable them to make informed decisions on obtaining feed for their animals.
We are committed to having in place a robust and effective regulatory regime which will mean businesses can continue to operate as normal and therefore there are no changes in terms of imports of animal feed to the UK. The majority of feed imported into the UK will not be subject to import checks and this will continue to be the case at the end of the Transition Period. The UK will retain EU legislation that is applicable at the end of the Transition Period to ensure animal feed is safe and our high standards of food and feed safety and consumer protection will be maintained.