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Written Question
Dairy Farming
Thursday 28th March 2019

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department will provide to British dairy farmers in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal.

Answered by Robert Goodwill

The Government recognizes the concerns of stakeholders and is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our world-leading dairy sector.

Whilst preparing for all outcomes, as any responsible Government would, we have also been preparing for the possibility of no deal, which is why we have contingency plans in place to minimize disruption for the food and farming sector as much as possible.

We remain confident in the resilience of our agricultural sectors, including our dairy industry, and their ability to thrive outside of the EU.


Written Question
Agriculture: UK Trade with EU
Monday 17th December 2018

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which trading partners will be the priority of agricultural trade policy after the UK leaves the EU.

Answered by George Eustice

The Political Declaration on the future relationship with the EU outlines the UK and EU’s commitment to a free trade area for goods, with no tariffs and no quotas. The Government also recently consulted on possible future free trade agreements with the United States, New Zealand, and Australia, as well as on the UK’s potential accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership. We also want to work with other partners around the world to increase trade and investment flows and improve market access.


Written Question
Dairy Farming
Thursday 25th October 2018

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the financial effect of the UK leaving the EU on the dairy industry.

Answered by George Eustice

The Government aims to secure a deep and comprehensive free trade deal with the EU that provides for frictionless, tariff-free trade with the EU, supporting the continued success of our agricultural sectors. Leaving the EU also provides an opportunity for the UK to have an independent trade policy and a new agriculture policy will enable the dairy industry and other sectors to improve their productivity and competitiveness outside of the EU, while also improving our environment.

We are conducting a rigorous analysis of the full range of UK-EU trade scenarios across UK agriculture sectors. However, we remain confident in the resilience of our agricultural sectors and their ability to thrive outside of the EU.


Written Question
Agriculture: Subsidies
Thursday 25th October 2018

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the farm subsidy system he plans to introduce after the UK leaves the EU will award subsidies based on farm hectares.

Answered by George Eustice

We want to move away from a system that awards subsidies based on the amount of land held. We will create an ambitious new system based on paying “public money for public goods”. Public goods will include improving air and water quality, mitigating climate change and providing habitats for wildlife.


Written Question
Weedkillers
Thursday 6th July 2017

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if the Government will assess the potential merits of issuing a stay to prevent Asulam or Asulox spray being used to control bracken.

Answered by George Eustice

It can be important to control bracken in order to protect agricultural land and conservation areas and to tackle ticks, which can carry diseases including Lyme disease. Mechanical methods such as cutting and crushing can be effective in some circumstances. Where there is a need to avoid harming other plants or the terrain does not allow access to cutting equipment, a selective herbicide, such as asulam, may be the safest and most effective method of managing bracken.

Pesticides are only authorised if the risks to people and to the environment are considered acceptable. The use of asulam to control bracken is not routinely permitted. The case for a short-term, limited and controlled authorisation is considered each year on the basis of scientific advice from the UK Expert Committee on Pesticides. This year, asulam has been authorised for use from July to October 2017. Individual operators wishing apply asulam from the air are required to meet additional requirements under permitting arrangements administered by the Health and Safety Executive.


Written Question
Meat: UK Trade with EU
Monday 17th October 2016

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential effect of the UK leaving the EU on the export of meat from the UK to other EU member states.

Answered by George Eustice

Defra is assessing impacts on the meat sector from EU Exit and is committed to ensuring continued access to vital markets in Europe on the basis of the UK’s high standards of welfare and animal health. In addition, good progress is being made in extending access to international markets such as China, USA and Japan.


Written Question
Environment Protection: Plastics
Tuesday 26th April 2016

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

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 merits of banning micro beads.

Answered by George Eustice

Microbeads from personal care products are believed to make up a very small percentage of the total amount of microplastics entering the marine environment, with estimates ranging from 0.01% to 4.1%. A ban in the UK would therefore be expected to have only a small impact on the effects on the environment attributed to microplastics. However, microbeads, like other microplastics, do not biodegrade and so accumulate in the marine environment. There are also less harmful alternatives that are suitable to use.

Defra supports voluntary action by industry to phase out microbeads from personal care products, and is supporting other EU Member States in calling for the European Commission to come up with proposals to ban their use in cosmetics and detergents.


Written Question
Seals: Conservation
Monday 8th June 2015

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will take steps to encourage the use of non-lethal seal deterrents on the coast.

Answered by George Eustice

Seal conservation is a devolved issue so I can only respond with respect to England. Approximately 85% of the UK seal population is in Scotland and the Scottish government have their own legislation concerning the protection of seals.

Seals in England are primarily protected by the Conservation of Seals Act 1970. Under this Act, it is an offence to take or kill common and grey seals out of season or to use certain methods to kill or take, unless permitted to do so by a licence issued under the Act.

Before an individual is granted a licence for the lethal control of any animal, including seals, they must first demonstrate that less severe alternatives have been exhausted or shown to be unworkable. Consequently, the existing arrangements already help to promote the use of non-lethal control.


Written Question
Seals
Monday 8th June 2015

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate she has made of the number of seals killed by the British fishing industry in the last 12 months.

Answered by George Eustice

Seal conservation is a devolved issue so I can only respond with respect to England. Approximately 85% of the UK seal population is in Scotland and the Scottish government have their own legislation concerning the protection of seals.

No licences to cull seals, under the Seals Act 1970, have been issued in England since 2010.

A ‘Conservation Order’ currently protects grey and common seals on the east coast of England. Given the distribution of seal populations in England, this Order has the net effect of providing year round protection for almost all common seals and the majority of grey seals in England.

Fishermen are permitted to kill or take, without the need for a licence, to protect their fishing equipment or fish therein if the seal is in the vicinity of the equipment at that time.

The Government has not made an assessment of the number of seals that may have been killed off the English coast.


Written Question
Wildlife: Smuggling
Monday 15th December 2014

Asked by: Susan Elan Jones (Labour - Clwyd South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to monitor the use of the internet for wildlife-related criminal activity.

Answered by Dan Rogerson

We recognise that the internet can be used as a route for wildlife-related criminal activity, including illegal trade in species covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

The illegal trade in CITES species is one of the six UK wildlife crime priorities and action to tackle such trade is spearheaded by the UK CITES Priority Delivery Group (CPDG) comprising Border Force, the Metropolitan Police Wildlife Crime Unit and the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU). Defra has provided additional funding to the NWCU this year to conduct research into wildlife crime on the internet and we will be considering the findings of their report.

Powers are available in the UK to tackle illegal internet trade in wildlife products under the Control of Trade in Endangered Species (COTES) legislation. This legislation is currently under review. The review will consider trends in illegal trade and the enforcement practices needed to combat this, including the increasing use of the internet to conduct trade in wildlife products.

More broadly the National Crime Agency (NCA) focuses on the relentless disruption of serious and organised criminals and those that present the highest risk to the UK and its communities. Where high risk organised criminals are engaged in illegal wildlife trade the NCA will lead, support or coordinate an appropriate level of response. That response could include the NCA’s niche capabilities such as the National Cyber Crime Unit or its global network of liaison officers.