Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
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 make an assessment of the potential merits of providing financial support to egg producers under Section 1 of the Agriculture Act 2020.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The UK egg industry operates in an open market and the value of egg commodities, including the farm gate egg price, is established by those in the supply chain. While the Government may act in exceptional circumstances, we do not set retail food prices nor comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies.
Defra does not believe it would be appropriate to intervene in the market by providing specific financial support to egg producers under Section 1 of the Agriculture Act 2020 at this time. Other agricultural sectors have experienced similar challenges related to rising input costs such as energy, feed and fuel. On energy costs, the government has already provided financial support to the agricultural industry via the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. We have also seen supply chains themselves adjusting to address the challenge of rising input costs.
I hosted an egg industry roundtable on 6 December 2022. This involved the participation of representatives from across the UK egg supply chain. The roundtable focused on the various challenges that the sector is facing. The meeting was productive with a clear willingness from all parties to address issues affecting the supply chain.
We continue to keep the egg sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which was set up by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market across all key agricultural commodities.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
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 support poultry farmers with increased energy costs.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The UK poultry sector operates in an open market and the value of poultry commodities is established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. We have already seen supply chains adjusting to address the challenges related to rising input costs, including feed, fuel, fertiliser and energy costs.
Since November 2022, the poultry industry has been able to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). In January 2023 the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) that will replace EBRS when it comes to an end on 31st March 2023. This new scheme will run until 31st March 2024.
Following the review of EBRS, beyond the broad baseline support provided for all sectors under EBDS from 1st April 2023, the government will target higher levels of support at the most energy and trade intensive sectors (ETIIs) – which are primarily manufacturing businesses. Poultry meat processing falls within the remit of the Government’s Energy Intensive Industries exemption scheme and will therefore also qualify for the enhanced level of ETII support.
Within the context of the wider economy, we do not consider there is a case for further financial support to the poultry sector at this time. We continue to keep the sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments.The UK poultry sector operates in an open market and the value of poultry commodities is established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. We have already seen supply chains adjusting to address the challenges related to rising input costs, including feed, fuel, fertiliser and energy costs.
Since November 2022, the poultry industry has been able to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). In January 2023 the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) that will replace EBRS when it comes to an end on 31st March 2023. This new scheme will run until 31st March 2024.
Following the review of EBRS, beyond the broad baseline support provided for all sectors under EBDS from 1st April 2023, the government will target higher levels of support at the most energy and trade intensive sectors (ETIIs) – which are primarily manufacturing businesses. Poultry meat processing falls within the remit of the Government’s Energy Intensive Industries exemption scheme and will therefore also qualify for the enhanced level of ETII support.
Within the context of the wider economy, we do not consider there is a case for further financial support to the poultry sector at this time. We continue to keep the sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to change the Renewable and Low Carbon Energy guidance to allow development of solar installations on grade 3b agricultural land.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of HM Government’s manifesto.
Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Land is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework and Natural England’s guide to assessing development proposals on agricultural land as land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification.
The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.
Planning Practice Guidance does not mention BMV land but sets out a preference for the use of lower quality agricultural land.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
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 help end illegal puppy smuggling.
Answered by Mark Spencer
HM Government published its Action Plan for Animal Welfare in May 2021, which is a wide-reaching plan that sets out our current and future work to build on our already high standards of animal welfare.
Now that we have left the EU, we are making some significant changes to domestic law through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, bringing in legislation to meet our manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was re-introduced to the House of Commons in May and will progress to Report stage as soon as Parliamentary time allows.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill allows us to 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, HM Government launched a consultation on how these powers should be used. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a response in due course.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions officials in his Department are having with representatives of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on (a) extending the waiver on level 7 English language requirements for Official Veterinarians introduced in June 2021 and (b) relaxing the technical supervisory conditions imposed as a condition of that waiver.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
There are no current plans to discuss extending the waiver on level 7 language requirements for official veterinarians supporting the delivery of official controls in abattoirs. Nor are there any plans to discuss relaxing the technical supervisory conditions imposed because of that waiver. Defra has therefore not raised these proposals in discussion with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.
Asked by: Alec Shelbrooke (Conservative - Wetherby and Easingwold)
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 ensure that grants from the village hall improvement grant fund are able to be allocated to (a) Collingham Memorial Hall and (b) other halls where refurbishment is already underway and due for completion in time to commemorate the centenary of their opening in 2020.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government announced the establishment of the £3 million Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund on 5 April this year. It will be administered by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) on behalf of Defra and work is currently in hand to finalise arrangements. Halls can already make an expression of interest in the scheme through ACRE’s website and we understand that the trustees of Collingham Memorial Hall have already done so. It is not possible to guarantee funds for any particular hall. We hope that the first grants will be awarded in late summer.