Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department has taken recent steps with Cabinet colleagues to help increase awareness of mental health support organisations in the farming community, in the context of increased pressures on poultry farmers following the avian flu outbreak.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The scale of Avian Influenza (AI) outbreaks occurring in the UK and Europe is unprecedented and we recognise that these outbreaks are very distressing for the individual poultry farmers that are affected and the impact this can have on their mental health. On 28 October we announced a new package of measures to support domestic producers with the impacts of AI. This included changes to the compensation scheme allowing compensation to be paid to farmers from the outset of planned culling rather than at the end. In consultation with the Food Standards Agency, an easement to marketing rules is also being introduced in England to give producers certainty over business planning.
Defra has established the Farmer Welfare Forum which brings together England's largest farming welfare organisations, many of which provide mental health support to the agricultural industry. AI and its impact on poultry farmers has been discussed at recent meetings of this forum and we are working together to ensure farmers are aware of what support is available.
Defra continues to monitor the AI situation and to work closely with the poultry sector and farming welfare organisations.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to reduce (a) nitrogen oxide levels and (b) particulate matter where particles are less than 2.5 micrometres (PM2.5) in the vicinity of primary and secondary schools.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Local Authorities have responsibility for managing the local road networks including around schools. Through our local air quality grant, local authorities can bid for funding to take forward projects in their area. Previous projects under this grant have included anti-idling campaigns around schools alongside behaviour change campaigns to raise awareness of air quality issues.
Through our ongoing review of the Air Quality Strategy, we are considering how best to support local authorities to take action to improve air quality in their areas in a strategic way.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to support the transit of seed potatoes from Scotland to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra continues to view lifting the EU prohibition on GB seed potatoes as a priority, and we continue to raise this issue in our engagements with EU SPS officials. I can confirm that the most recent meeting of the Trade Specialised Committee on SPS Measures was on 19 October and the issue regarding securing equivalence for seed potatoes was raised. HM Government challenged the TCA compliance of the EU’s prohibition and repeated our desire to find a solution to resume trade. Unfortunately, the Commission has yet to respond to a UK request for a risk assessment justifying the EU’s prohibition of GB seed potatoes. When challenged on a timeline for a response during the SC meeting, the Commission indicated that a draft response was under consideration. This will help inform our next steps. On the movement of seed potatoes from Great Britain to Northern Ireland specifically, HM Government has been clear there is no biosecurity justification for them to be prohibited as set out in the UKG Command Paper.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 ensure that the compensation offered to farmers affected by avian flu in their flocks is adequate.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Compensation, as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981, is payable for healthy birds only. There is no compensation available for sick birds or birds that have died. Compensation policy for birds culled by HM Government for disease control purposes is designed to promote prompt reporting of suspicion, as swift and humane culling of birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity are critical for preventing the amplification of avian influenza and subsequent environmental contamination and to reduce the risk of disease spread from infected premises.
APHA makes its assessment of the disease status of the birds based on clinical inspection and veterinary judgment. Historically this assessment has been based on the actual number of birds culled rather than the number of healthy birds at the point that culling starts. The amount paid therefore depended on the evolution of the disease on site between the initial assessment of the number of healthy birds close to the start of culling less any that die between the start and end of culling.
In response to feedback from industry on the impact the rapid mortality caused by the current H5N1 strain and risk that escalating cases numbers leading to substantial delays to culling can have on the amount of compensation paid, changes to the compensation scheme for avian influenza have been introduced (effective from the 1 October).
Compensation will now be linked to decisions taken at the start of planned culling rather than at the end. This will allow us to give earlier certainty about entitlement to compensation, better reflect the impact of outbreaks on premises and lead to swifter payments to help stem any cash flow pressures.
The amount of compensation is established by APHA using the relevant valuation rate card (or for specialist stock by a specialist valuer).
Biosecurity guidance and a biosecurity self-assessment checklist have been published by HM Government to assist all bird keepers in instigating and maintaining good biosecurity.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the adequacy of the gas supply for the slaughter of flocks affected by avian flu.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
CO2 is used for the humane culling of birds affected by the unprecedented outbreak of avian influenza which is currently affecting the UK. We are not aware of any current shortages in supplies.
The Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) which is responsible for ensuring the culling of birds affected by AI has recently commissioned an increase in their contingency supplies to further enhance their resilience. APHA's contractors have also acted to guarantee weekly quotas of bulk gas to support their operations. Defra and APHA will continue to monitor the availability of CO2.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has had recent discussions with her counterpart in the Republic of Ireland on controlling the spread of avian flu.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK Chief Veterinary Officer has regular discussions with her counterparts in the Republic of Ireland, the EU and globally through the World Organisation for Animal Health.
At the international level, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) virologists and epidemiologists collaborate with colleagues in Europe and around the world to closely analyse viruses involved in both outbreaks in poultry and other captive birds and those found in wild birds, with the aim of trying to understand what makes these viruses different and how they might change in the future. Collaboration is underway to investigate the cases we’re currently reporting. This work is facilitated through the World Animal Health Organisation (WOAH) and Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) international reference laboratory for Avian Influenza located at APHA Weybridge.
In addition, DAERA in Northern Ireland also have regular discussions with the Republic of Ireland regarding the current outbreak of avian influenza, given they share a land border, and are able to pass information between this forum and the UK forums, including the UK’s National Disease Control Centre (NDCC) meetings, the Animal Disease Policy Group (ADPG) and the different stocktakes where ongoing disease control strategy is reviewed.
We continue to monitor the current situation both in Europe and globally, as well as the effectiveness of any disease control measures taken, including vaccine development.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 taken steps to provide clarification for Northern Ireland based businesses on the impact of the EU Single-Use Plastics Directive, and what discussions he has had with the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs on this issue.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Northern Ireland Executive is responsible for providing guidance to industry, as this is a devolved matter. This has been communicated to the Minister for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to support the development of zero emission technology for the metals recycling sector.
Answered by Jo Churchill - Minister of State (Department for Work and Pensions)
The Government has allocated £30 million for research funding through UK Research and Innovation for a four-year programme, launched in January 2021, to establish five circular economy research centres and a central hub. One of the five centres, The Interdisciplinary Centre for Circular Metal, aims to help the UK become the first country to fully recycle and reuse its metals.
Other Government funding, made available through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, includes:
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 take steps to enable the Woodland Trust to send trees to Northern Ireland to allow local groups to fully participate in The Queen’s Green Canopy to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Queen’s Green Canopy (QGC) is a unique tree planting initiative created to mark Her Majesty’s Platinum Jubilee in 2022 which invites people from across the United Kingdom to “Plant a Tree for the Jubilee”.
The QGC is encouraging schools and communities to get involved in planting Jubilee trees, with free tree packs available in Scotland, Wales and England through the Woodland Trust. In Northern Ireland, free tree packs for schools and communities are available through the Conservation Volunteers.
Asked by: Carla Lockhart (Democratic Unionist Party - Upper Bann)
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 impact of the rise in fertiliser prices on UK farms; and what steps his Department is taking to help support farms in finding options for reducing bought-in fertiliser.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Islington South and Finsbury on 28 October 2021, PQ UIN 62654.