Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) Cabinet colleagues, (b) the Food Standards Agency and (c) other stakeholders on the potential impact of reducing UK tariffs on US meat and seafood products.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Secretary of State has regular discussions with Cabinet colleagues on a range of issues. The department engages regularly with the Food Standards Agency and other stakeholders on a range of topics, including trade.
Nobody wants a trade war, and our focus for now is on keeping calm and continuing to negotiate a wider economic deal with the United States. The UK will only do a deal that is in the national interest of the UK and its businesses.
To enable the UK to have every option open to us in the future, the Business and Trade Secretary has launched a request for input on the implications for British businesses of possible retaliatory action.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 implications for his policies of the French Government's decision to ban products containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has recently completed a rapid review of the Environment Improvement Plan (EIP) 2023 and will introduce a revised EIP in 2025. The revised EIP will include the Government's approach to managing chemicals, including the risks posed by PFAS. Other work is continuing across the Government to help us assess levels of PFAS occurring in the environment, their sources and potential risks to inform future measures. This includes the initiation of a UK REACH dossier investigating whether to restrict the use of PFAS in firefighting foams. We also monitor measures being taken in other jurisdictions such as France to inform possible approaches in the UK.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 it his policy to amend the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulations to allow, by derogation, the placing on the market of UV-328 present in articles and the use of such articles in land-based motor vehicles until 26 February 2030.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials are in the process of engaging with the automotive industry in relation the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulation 2024, including the use of UV-328 by the automotive industry and the issue of derogations. Details of any further steps will be published in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 publish an impact assessment of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulations on the automotive industry.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials are in the process of engaging with the automotive industry in relation to the impacts of the Persistent Organic Pollutants (Amendment) Regulation 2024. Details of any further steps will be published in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to respond to the letter from the hon. Member for Wokingham to the Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury on funding for surplus food redistribution, dated 30 October 2024.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A reply to the hon. Member has been prepared and will be issued very shortly.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 19 November 2024 to Question 11480 on Import Controls: Fees and Charges, when he plans to make available further information on the (a) charge and (b) operating costs at Sevington.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government plans to publish this information in Spring 2025.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 publish the (a) number, (b) value and (c) repayment rate of invoices issued at Government-run border control point for charges incurred since 30 April 2024.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Further information on the charge and the operating costs at Sevington will be made available in due course.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 impact of leaving the European (a) Union, (b) Customs Union and (c) Single Market on food prices.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government cares deeply about the cost of living and food security; therefore, it closely monitors factors impacting food prices. Defra modelling shows that consumer food prices are driven by farmgate prices, import prices, exchange rates, labour costs in food manufacturing and non-labour costs in food manufacturing.
We are working to reset our relationship with our European friends to strengthen ties and tackle barriers to boost UK-EU trade. We will seek to negotiate a veterinary/SPS agreement to boost trade and deliver benefits to businesses and consumers in the UK and the EU. We have been clear that we are ambitious to improve our trading relationship but we are not rejoining the single market or customs union, and we will not return to freedom of movement.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
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 he has made of the impact of the UK's withdrawal from the EU on farmers.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Data relating to farmers are regularly published. Agriculture in the UK 2023 was published in June 2024. Farming evidence packs have been recently updated including key statistics and farm performance Farming statistics evidence packs - GOV.UK. These set out an extensive range of data to provide an overview of agriculture in the UK, and the contribution of Direct Payments to farm incomes, including analysis by sector, location in England and type of land tenure.
We publish regular statistics on farm income, agricultural productivity and food production, including data earlier this year looking at how farm business income has changed since the start of the agricultural transition.
Monitoring the agricultural transition period in England, 2022/23 - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)
We will continue to carry out appropriate and timely assessments of our interventions to inform policy development.
Asked by: Clive Jones (Liberal Democrat - Wokingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to legislate to ensure that imported egg products meet welfare standards equivalent to the UK.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government recognises farmers’ concerns about imports produced using methods not permitted in the UK. We have been clear that we will use our Trade Strategy to promote the highest food production standards.