Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 adapt its policy on forestry in the event of a two degrees Celsuis of warming.
Answered by Jo Churchill
We understand that climate change is a significant challenge facing our woodlands and are taking steps to improve the resilience of trees and woodlands, as set out in the England Trees Action Plan.
A Woodland Resilience Implementation Plan is being developed to improve the ecological condition of our woodlands and increase their resilience to climate change, pests and diseases. We will also support the Forestry and Climate Change Working Group in implementing its adaptation plan, including launching a climate change competition to highlight best practice and the need to adapt new and existing woodlands to the effects of climate change.
Most of our native species have a large geographic range covering much of Europe, so should be able to cope with a changing climate. There is a high level of genetic diversity within our native woodlands, supporting evolutionary adaptation processes and we are advising woodland managers to think hard about the current and future climates and woodland resilience when planting and managing woodland. We have provided: Ecological Site Classification; a climate matching tool to help woodland managers with planning resilient woodlands; and Forest Research will shortly publish a new UK Forestry Standard Practice Guide on adapting forest and woodland management for the changing climate.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which environmental impact assessments detailing polychlorinated biphenyls leakage levels from historic landfill sites into South Wales watercourses have been made publicly available.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
This is a devolved matter, and so, it would not be appropriate to respond on this issue.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the closest polychlorinated biphenyls sediment level testing location is for the rivers (a) Ely, (b) Taff, (c) Usk, including beside old Newport Monsanto factory, (d) Severn Estuary, (e) Dee below old Cefn Mawr Monsanto Factory, (f) Cardiff Bay and (g) Newport Glebeland ditches.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
This is a devolved matter, and so, it would not be appropriate to respond on this issue.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether determinations under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 have been completed at known polychlorinated biphenyls and para-nitrochlorobenzene locations including (a) Sutton Walls, Herefordshire, (b) Cefn Mawr factory site, (c) Maendy Quarry, (d) Tyr Llwyd old quarry, (e) Llwyneinion acid tar lagoon, Ruabon, and f) Stoneyhill quarry, Telford.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates only to locations in England, (a) and (f).
These landfill sites are regulated by their respective local authorities, rather than the Environment Agency.
(a) In July 2010, Herefordshire County Council requested the EA undertake a comprehensive assessment of the former Sutton Walls landfill site. The site was deemed to meet potential Special Site criteria under Part 2a of the Environmental Protection Act (EPA) 1990, as there was a risk to potable water supplies. The EA used Contaminated Land Capital Funds to inspect the site. The investigation found that there were no significant contaminant linkages associated with the site and the EA advised HCC that the site did not meet the definition of contaminated land under Part 2a of the EPA 1990.
(f) In 2008, Telford & Wrekin Council (TWC) carried out an investigation of Stoneyhill landfill, in accordance with its obligations under Part 2a of the EPA 1990. The EA offered support and advice through this investigation. The investigation found no significant pollution to controlled waters so TWC concluded that the site did not meet the definition for being contaminated land under Part 2a of the EPA 1990.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
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 potential merits of exempting organic wine from certificate of organic importation requirements.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
We have no plans to exempt organic wine imports from the requirement for Certificates of Inspection that apply to all organic products imported into Great Britain (GB). These regulations exist to ensure that products sold as organic in GB meet the legal requirements and ensure consumer confidence in the integrity of the sector. Granting exemptions to these regulations for specific categories of product would be inappropriate and detrimental to consumer confidence.
Certification of organic products and organic operators (producers, processors, exporters and importers) is a long-established practice across the world. Organics is a method of production set in legislation. Certification of products and operators is an essential element for confirmation of the provenance and organic status of products and adherence of operators to organic requirements. Maintenance of consumer confidence that products marketed as organic are organic is vital.
Any business importing organic products into GB must be registered and certified by a UK control body. Organic imports from non-EU/EEA/Swiss third countries continue to require a GB Certificate of Inspection which must be approved before the organic products leave the third country. From 1 July 2022 organic imports from the EU, EEA and Switzerland will also require a GB Certificate of Inspection.
The Government is working to streamline bureaucratic processes inherited from the EU regulatory system to allow for a more flexible and responsive way to handle our regulatory obligations while reducing costs for producers and the burden on the public purse. For example, Defra has laid new legislation that streamlines updating the lists of recognised third countries and third country control bodies for organics goods being imported into GB. We have further streamlined the import process by accepting electronic (PDF) Certificates of Inspection.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of conifer woodland have been felled or removed and not replanted with conifers in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Government does not hold this information, however the Forestry Commission produces Official Statistics on woodland in England that is felled and not replanted as a part of the restoration and creation of open habitats. These are provided as a total for all woodland including both conifer and broadleaf on an annual basis in the Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators. These statistics are available from 2010-21 onwards and the areas from the published statistics are shown below:
Year (ending 31 March) | Open habitats restored or created in woodland in England (hectares) |
2011 | 893 |
2012 | 735 |
2013 | 460 |
2014 | 906 |
2015 | 343 |
2016 | 550 |
2017 | 285 |
2018 | 335 |
2019 | 181 |
2020 | -80 |
2021 | 408 |
Source: Forestry Commission administrative data
Note: the net reduction in 2019-20 in open habitat restoration or creation was due to a land transfer from Forestry England to Forestry and Land Scotland.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of conifer woodland have been felled or removed and replaced with broadleaf woodland in England in each year since 2010.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Government does not hold this information, however the Forestry Commission produces Official Statistics on plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) that have been restored to native broadleaf woodland in England (hectares). These are provided as a total for all plantation woodland on ancient woodland sites including both conifer and broadleaf on an annual basis in the Forestry Commission Key Performance Indicators. These statistics are available from 2010-21 onwards and the areas from the published statistics are shown below:
Year (ending 31 March) | Plantations on ancient woodland sites (PAWS) restored in woodland in England (hectares) |
2011 | 361 |
2012 | 2,893 |
2013 | 1,791 |
2014 | 4,402 |
2015 | 3,639 |
2016 | 5,239 |
2017 | 2,471 |
2018 | 1,420 |
2019 | 2,191 |
2020 | 1,295 |
2021 | 1,735 |
Source: Forestry Commission administrative data
Note: Figures are incomplete for 2010-11 as there is no data for PAWS restored in the nation’s forests managed by Forestry England for that year.
Asked by: Ben Lake (Plaid Cymru - Ceredigion Preseli)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many hectares of broadleaf woodland has been planted at an appropriate spacing and with protections from damage from grey squirrels and deer in each year since 2010.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Forestry Commission does not hold that data. However, it produces Official Statistics on new planting of woodland in England annually for each financial year in thousands of hectares. Most new planting in the period since 2010 has been supported by Forestry Commission-facilitated grants. Such grant-supported new planting is subject to inspection and there is an expectation that recipients of ongoing maintenance payments will support the careful establishment of their woodland, including appropriate protection from pests such as grey squirrels or deer, which may include tree guards. The areas for new planting of broadleaved woodland are published on Forestry Statistics.