Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
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 make an assessment of the adequacy of his Department's guidance on hedge laying; and if he will include roadside hedges in the Countryside Stewardship grant BN5: Hedgerow laying.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Under action BN5, support is available to farmers to lay roadside hedgerows where the farmer has management control of both sides of the hedgerow. In January we set out a commitment to introduce a cycle of reviews for scheme actions from 2025, which will include BN5. The current guidance is clear and as part of the cycle of reviews, we will assess the suitability of the guidance, including taking into account any farmer or stakeholder feedback we receive.
We will be publishing voluntary guidance to support the expanded Sustainable Farming Incentive offer in the summer.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
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 make an assessment of the potential impact of the draft Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2024 on the incomes of farmers.
Answered by Mark Spencer
As part of our transition away from Direct Payments, the draft Agriculture (Delinked Payments) (Reductions) (England) Regulations 2024 will apply reductions to delinked payments in 2024. However, this money is not being lost to the sector. The overall farming budget in England is being maintained at an average of £2.4 billion per year across this Parliament. The money released from the reductions is being reinvested in our other schemes for farmers and land managers. This means farmers can access funding which will help reduce costs and improve productivity and resilience, as well as benefitting the environment.
Analysis of the impacts of removing Direct Payments was included in the Government’s 2019 farming evidence compendium and 2021 and 2022 Agriculture in the UK Evidence Packs.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his planned timetable is for publication of the report on improving sampling and analysis of microplastics in surface waters and sediments.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The report has been published. It can be accessed via Defra’s Science Search web site - Measurement and Characterisation of Microplastics in English River Catchment Waters and Sediments - WT15135 (defra.gov.uk).
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
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 effectiveness of wastewater treatment plants in removing microplastics from waste water.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A recent UK water industry project investigated the quantities and types of microplastics entering a range of wastewater treatment works. The Department reviewed the findings from the work and agrees with the conclusion that conventional wastewater treatment is effective in removing microplastics from wastewater. The evidenced showed treatment processes can take out an average of 99% of microplastics (by-number of microplastics) and 99.5% by-mass from wastewater arriving at the works.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in South Africa on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from his international counterparts on the potential impact of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members’ Bill introduced by the Rt. Hon. Member for Warley.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Zimbabwe on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from his international counterparts on the potential impact of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members’ Bill introduced by the Rt. Hon. Member for Warley.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Tanzania on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from his international counterparts on the potential impact of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members’ Bill introduced by the Rt. Hon. Member for Warley.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Namibia on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from his international counterparts on the potential impact of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members’ Bill introduced by the Rt. Hon. Member for Warley.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Zambia on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from his international counterparts on the potential impact of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members’ Bill introduced by the Rt. Hon. Member for Warley.
Asked by: Bill Wiggin (Conservative - North Herefordshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has received recent representations from his counterpart in Botswana on the potential impact of his Department's legislative proposals on trophy hunting on that country.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not received any representations from his international counterparts on the potential impact of the Hunting Trophies (Import Prohibition) Private Members’ Bill introduced by the Rt. Hon. Member for Warley.