Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
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 is taking to help reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health from overuse of antibiotics on industrial farms.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government takes a ‘One-Health’ approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as set out in the ‘UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024’, which is underpinned by the UK’s 20-year Vision to Contain and Control AMR by 2040 . Defra is a co-signatory with the Department of Health and Social Care on the 5-year National Acton Plan and 20-year vision on AMR, and Defra leads on delivering the animal, plant and environment elements.
The UK is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals to reduce the risk of development and spread of AMR in animals and humans. In the UK, we have a well-established antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance programme, which includes monitoring of sales and use of antibiotics in animals as well as routine monitoring of AMR in major food-producing species, healthy pigs and poultry. These surveillance programmes allow us to monitor progress and results are published every year in the UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Sales and Surveillance (UK-VARSS) report.
The recently published UK-VARSS report shows that sales of antibiotics in food producing animals are at their lowest ever level, with a 59% reduction since 2014. This highlights the success of the UK’s voluntary and collaborative approach between Government and the farming and veterinary sectors to make sustainable reductions in antibiotic use whilst ensuring high animal health and welfare. The report also highlights that sales of highest priority, critically important antibiotics (HP-CIAs) have reduced by 82% since 2014 and account for less than half a percent of total sales. This is to ensure that these medically important antibiotics are protected for use in humans.
The newly published third edition of The UK’s One Health report, a joint report from Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), brings together antibiotic use and resistance data for people and animals and sales of antibiotics in 2019 show that approximately two thirds of antibiotics are used in people whilst one third are used in animals. This report demonstrates the UK Government’s One Health approach to tackling AMR to keep antibiotics working in both people and animals.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to (a) publish the results of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations consultation and (b) introduce revised regulations.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Veterinary medicines play a vital role in protecting our animals’ health and welfare. Defra is updating the Veterinary Medicines Regulations in respect of Great Britain, to ensure the Regulations continue to be fit for purpose, and we consulted on these changes earlier this year. We are finalising the response to the consultation, where we will set out the changes we are taking forward. We are aware that there is significant interest in our proposed changes and we are taking our time to make sure we get it right. We will then seek to introduce the revised Regulations as soon as possible.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support the provision of a nutritionally balanced plant-based meals on menus for staff in his Department.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra provides a catering offering at four locations. There is a focus on healthy eating and the meal selection always includes plant-based options.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle illegal dog fighting.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Causing an animal fight to take place, or attempting to do so, is an offence under Section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It is also an offence to be present a at a dog fight without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.
The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increases the maximum sentence for such offences from six months to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. This strengthened penalty sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and will enable our courts to take a firm approach to cases such as dog fighting.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of over-breeding on (a) cats and (b) their kittens.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
In light of concerns raised by stakeholders during the post-implementation review of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, the department has commissioned an opinion from the Animal Welfare Committee on the welfare implications of feline breeding practices.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals for each of the commitments previously set out in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way. We have also launched a consultation on primate keeping standards and will bring legislation forward later this year to deliver the ban on the keeping of primates as pets.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the adequacy of the provision in (a) public spaces and (b) male public toilets for men who experience incontinence as a result of radical prostatectomies to dispose of their incontinence products hygienically.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government encourages local authorities to consider such provision in public toilets to support those with this need but does not have powers to compel the provision of sanitary bins in public toilets. I would encourage the hon. Member to raise the issue locally.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to enforce the legal requirement for non-UK-flagged supertrawlers fishing in UK waters to report marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises that accidental bycatch in fisheries is one of the greatest threats faced by sensitive marine species such as cetaceans, and we remain fully committed to tackling this issue.
The UK introduced new rules in 2021 making it a mandatory requirement under fishing vessel licence conditions for fishers, including non-UK-flagged large pelagic trawlers, to report any marine mammal bycatch to the Marine Management Organisation (MMO). The UK notified the European Commission that this requirement would be coming into force and is a licence condition for all vessels fishing in our waters.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will take steps to introduce remote electronic monitoring of bycatch as part of licensing conditions for supertrawlers to access UK waters.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We will shortly be consulting on proposals to increase the use of remote electronic monitoring on English vessels and in English waters, including on large pelagic trawlers. The Scottish government consulted on similar measures in spring 2022.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to address concerns raised by (a) On The Hook and (b) other campaigns on the adequacy of standards set by seafood sustainability certification schemes.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has made no assessment of the standards set by seafood certification schemes, which are voluntary and operate independently of Government. The Government remains fully committed to sustainable fishing, and Fisheries Management Plans will be a key tool through which we will work with industry to improve the sustainability and management of our fisheries.