Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his Department's average response time is for enquiries from an hon. Member on behalf of constituents relating to the Animal Plant Health Agency.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Animal and Plant Health Agency reply to Minister enquiries on behalf of constituents within 15 working days. In the event of a response not being available within 15 working days the requestor is informed of this in writing.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
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 effect on the level of inquiries to the Animal Plant Health Agency of the post-transition period export process; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The increase in enquiries received by the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) concerning export processes after the transition period are in line with expected volumes.
Prior to the end of transition, APHA stress tested its services in order to prepare for an increase in enquiries. As a result, contingency measures including the recruitment of additional staff, were put in place to ensure there was sufficient capacity to accommodate an expected increase in demand.
APHA regular monitors all its activities related to EU transition and looks to improve its services provided to exporters and other stakeholders continually.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
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 answer the MP inquiry from the office of the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun submitted to his Department on 15 December 2020 on the issuing of an ABP licence.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The enquiry referred to by the hon. Member for Kilmarnock and Loudoun is a duplication of one that was made by an MSP to Scottish Government on behalf of his constituent concerning ABP licence approval. It was dealt with by Scottish Government as it is a devolved issue.
Scottish Government sent the Approval No. 69/186/8002/ABP/PFT letter on the 18th of December 2020.
APHA have sent Mr Alan Brown MP a reply providing an explanation and background on the case.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 15 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, when the Working Group on Organic Products is due to first meet.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
As part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, the UK and EU agreed to form a Working Group on Organic Products. We will shortly begin discussions with the European Commission to agree the overall aims of the group, its membership and meeting frequency. We will also consult with the sector and the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 15 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, what the selection process will be for the appointment of UK Government representatives to the Working Group on Organic Products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
As part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, the UK and EU agreed to form a Working Group on Organic Products. We will shortly begin discussions with the European Commission to agree the overall aims of the group, its membership and meeting frequency. We will also consult with the sector and the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to page 15 of the UK-EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, how many (a) EU representatives and (b) UK Government representatives will sit on the Working Group on Organic Products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
As part of the Trade and Cooperation Agreement, published on 24 December 2020, the UK and EU agreed to form a Working Group on Organic Products. We will shortly begin discussions with the European Commission to agree the overall aims of the group, its membership and meeting frequency. We will also consult with the sector and the Devolved Administrations.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 4 November 2020 to Question 109136 on Transport: Refrigeration, who his Department has commissioned to conduct research on improving the evidence base on emissions from non-road mobile machinery emissions, including transport refrigeration units; what the (a) timeframe and (b) terms of reference is for that research; and if he will make a statemen.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
In the Clean Air Strategy 2019, we committed to exploring further action to tackle non-road mobile machinery (NRMM) emissions in England. In September 2019, Defra commissioned Ricardo Energy & Environment to conduct research to improve the evidence base on emissions from NRMM, including transport refrigeration units, and inform policy development.
Over the next few months, we will be engaging with stakeholders to discuss initial findings of the research. This exercise will help to ensure that we have a robust and accurate evidence base from which to consider policy options.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what dates he has had discussions with representatives of the Horticultural sector on requirements to facilitate the import of goods after the end of the transition period.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra officials have maintained regular engagement with the horticultural industry on post-transition period planning, both with individual operators and through key stakeholder groups. For instance, the Plant Health Advisory Forum, the Tree Health Policy Group and the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group, as well as frequent bilateral engagement with key stakeholders such as the Horticultural Trade Association, Fresh Produce Consortium, the National Farmers Union and the Ornamental Aquatic Trade Association.
Most recently Defra has undertaken a series of feasibility sessions joined by more than 300 participants, describing in detail the end-to-end import process for plants and plant products into Great Britain from the European Union after the end of the Transition Period. The policy behind GB's post-Transition Period plant health regime and its implementation has been informed by the invaluable feedback received from stakeholders at these feasibility sessions, other events and regular conversations with industry groups.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
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 number of inspection agents required for the inspection of high priority plants imported from the EU from (a) 1 January 2021 and (b) 1 July 2021; how many trained and qualified agents are employed by his Department; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
GB plant health authorities have undertaken significant recruitment to increase the number of plant health inspectors in order to service the demand for import and export checks and certification. We will have sufficient resources to meet demand from 1 January 2021 when checks of high-priority plants from the EU begin, and July 2021 when we will have arrived at our end-state regime, to ensure minimal disruption to trade.
The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) delivers plant health services in England and Wales where the majority of additional inspectors will be required. APHA is well advanced in its recruitment of plant health inspectors, with nearly 200 new field and desk-based staff undergoing training in time for 1 January 2021.
Further recruitment campaigns are being progressed which would enable adaptation of the number plant health inspectors if volumes prove to be higher than anticipated. Additionally, Defra officials also have well developed contingency plans in place, which involve re-prioritisation of services and securing temporary resources to ensure no disruption to trade.
Asked by: Alan Brown (Scottish National Party - Kilmarnock and Loudoun)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what arrangements he has in place for the provision of plant passports for the movement of plants when the transition period ends on 31 December 2020.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Movements of plants which currently require a plant passport from the EU will need to be accompanied by a phytosanitary certificate after the end of the transition period. Further details on this change can be found here:
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/importing-and-exporting-plants-and-plant-products-from-1-january-2021.
For internal GB movements, GB will continue to use a domestic plant passport system from 1 January 2021, which will be similar to the current EU plant passport system. The plant passport system is necessary to maintain traceability for internal movements of plants and ensure that operators who issue plant passports meet a minimum standard of plant health.
We have aimed to keep the domestic plant passport system similar to the current system to ease the burden on operators.
For example, imports from the EU will require a plant passport from the First Place of Destination; this is the same process as for imports from third countries now. Furthermore, existing authorisations to issue EU plant passports will roll over from 1 January 2021, and therefore there is no need for operators to fill out further forms for plant passporting if they are already authorised.
The vast majority of guidance regarding plant passports will remain the same, and movements of plants within GB which require a plant passport now will continue to require one after the transition period; therefore for most operators the post-transition domestic plant passport system should not present additional burden to the existing system.
Changes that will occur, for example the content and format of the new UK plant passport, have been communicated to industry to ensure they are ready for those changes.