Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 potential impact of cooking oil price rises on small and medium size businesses.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Most oilseeds are internationally traded commodities. Subsequently, their supply chains are dynamic and responsive to global market developments in price and availability. The rise in cost of cooking oil has been influenced by the war in Ukraine due to its role as a major exporter of sunflower oil and oilseed rape, as well as additional factors unrelated to the conflict, such as weather conditions and currency fluctuations.
We have a highly resilient food supply chain, which has coped well in responding to unprecedented challenges. Through Defra's engagement with small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) food and drink manufacturers, including a monthly SME forum, and regular bilateral conversations with SMEs and their business representative organisations, we have gained a good understanding of the challenges SMEs are facing in relation to the rising cost of cooking oils.
In response to the Ukraine invasion the Food Standards Agency issued guidance to Local Authorities advising them that sunflower oil may be substituted with refined rapeseed oil, or fully refined coconut, soyabean, and palm oils, as well as fully refined maize/corn oils without the label reflecting this immediately, where absolutely necessary, and as a temporary measure. This has helped reduce burdens on businesses impacted by supply chain disruption.
We are in regular ongoing contact with representatives in the arable sector, including major grain traders and oilseed crushers, to discuss any potential pressures on domestic production, impacts of global events on supply chains and relevant developments in other countries.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 estimate of the proportion of businesses that use Glycine in their (a) products and (b) services; and what steps his Department is taking to help reduce the impact of global Glycine price rises on UK businesses and supply chains.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK's food supply is highly resilient. The day-to-day supply of Glycine is a commercial matter for industry, and they are well versed in responding to shortages without delay and with the least amount of disruption to the public. Defra works closely with industry to monitor supply issues relating to both food products and critical inputs in the food system. Defra further works to encourage diverse and resilient supply chains to protect consumers and businesses.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to ensure that the UK is able to compete effectively in the international alternative protein market.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government has no formal plans to assess the merits of increasing investment into the UK alternative protein sector, or the merits of providing research and development on plant-based and cultivated meat alternatives. However, we do recognise that developing this sector could support UK growth and are making significant investment to unlock innovation and use our world-leading research across agriculture and food innovation to improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, to move towards net zero emission farming systems.
We have several funding programmes open to industry as well as our own farming and food science research. These funding streams address key areas such as soil systems and land management, regenerative agriculture, sustainable feed and pest management, automation, alternative proteins, and precision farming.
As stated in the Government’s Food Strategy, through funding we will support progress on a wide range of issues, including alternative proteins and progress on gene editing. We will also work with the Food Standards Agency to develop dedicated guidance materials for approval of new alternative protein products while reviewing our novel food regulations. This will ensure they are transparent for innovators and investors, whilst maintaining world-leading consumer safety standards.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 made a recent assessment of the potential merits of increasing investment into the UK alternative protein sector on (a) job creation and (b) regional economic growth.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government has no formal plans to assess the merits of increasing investment into the UK alternative protein sector, or the merits of providing research and development on plant-based and cultivated meat alternatives. However, we do recognise that developing this sector could support UK growth and are making significant investment to unlock innovation and use our world-leading research across agriculture and food innovation to improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, to move towards net zero emission farming systems.
We have several funding programmes open to industry as well as our own farming and food science research. These funding streams address key areas such as soil systems and land management, regenerative agriculture, sustainable feed and pest management, automation, alternative proteins, and precision farming.
As stated in the Government’s Food Strategy, through funding we will support progress on a wide range of issues, including alternative proteins and progress on gene editing. We will also work with the Food Standards Agency to develop dedicated guidance materials for approval of new alternative protein products while reviewing our novel food regulations. This will ensure they are transparent for innovators and investors, whilst maintaining world-leading consumer safety standards.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
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 (a) merits of providing funding for research and development on plant-based and cultivated meat alternatives and (b) potential effects of levels of such funding on the UK's international competitiveness in that market.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government has no formal plans to assess the merits of increasing investment into the UK alternative protein sector, or the merits of providing research and development on plant-based and cultivated meat alternatives. However, we do recognise that developing this sector could support UK growth and are making significant investment to unlock innovation and use our world-leading research across agriculture and food innovation to improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, to move towards net zero emission farming systems.
We have several funding programmes open to industry as well as our own farming and food science research. These funding streams address key areas such as soil systems and land management, regenerative agriculture, sustainable feed and pest management, automation, alternative proteins, and precision farming.
As stated in the Government’s Food Strategy, through funding we will support progress on a wide range of issues, including alternative proteins and progress on gene editing. We will also work with the Food Standards Agency to develop dedicated guidance materials for approval of new alternative protein products while reviewing our novel food regulations. This will ensure they are transparent for innovators and investors, whilst maintaining world-leading consumer safety standards.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of Natural England funding for national trails is allocated to urban areas.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
It is not possible to proportion the amount of National Trail funding allocated to urban areas. Funding is allocated to National Trail Partnerships who spend their allocation in accordance with the priorities identified for individual trails to ensure the trail is maintained to national trail standards. Trails in urban areas are generally hard surfaces therefore tend to require less funding than in rural areas.
Asked by: Chi Onwurah (Labour - Newcastle upon Tyne Central and West)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Thames Path National Trail features alternate routes along both banks of the Thames in London; and whether it is possible for a National Trail to have alternate or dual routes.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Thames Path provides a route on both the north and south banks of the river in Central London in order to facilitate the viewing or visiting attractions along the Thames Embankment. Such ‘braided’ routes may be created where there is of particular recreational benefit or where landscapes or features of interest which otherwise may be missed or, on Trails open to horse riders and cyclists, where the preferred route is unsuitable for, or unavailable to them.