Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 made a recent assessment of the adequacy of Government food procurement standards for supporting British produce.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UK produces world leading quality food and drink, demonstrating excellence in animal welfare and sustainable production standards. The Government has a Manifesto commitment to encouraging the public sector to procure British food to support the environment, animal welfare and our farmers. To achieve this aim, we consulted last summer on options to update our public sector food procurement standards. This included a proposal to increase the amount of food procured to higher environmental production standards, such as LEAF and organic, and higher animal welfare within the public sector.
We are reviewing the responses received through the consultation and will be considering how best to update the current standards for public sector food and catering.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to bring forward a Food and Feed Bill to bring existing food standards into UK law.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government is in the process of analysing and assessing retained EU law (REUL) to determine what should be preserved as part of domestic law, and what should be repealed, or amended. This work will determine how we use the powers in the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Reform) Bill
In reviewing REUL, the Government’s aim is to ensure that food law is fit for purpose and the UK regulatory framework is appropriate and tailored to the needs of UK consumers and business. The UK has world leading standards of food safety and quality, backed by a rigorous legislative framework but it is only right that we should evaluate REUL to ensure it continues to meet our needs. While this is an opportunity for review, maintaining the UK’s high food standards remains our priority. The Government remains committed to promoting robust food standards nationally and internationally, to protect consumer interests, facilitate international trade, and ensure that consumers can have confidence in the food that they buy.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether their Department has purchased mobile UV virus irradiation units.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
After searching our records, Defra do not hold any contracts for this type of equipment.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the oral contribution of the then Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to the debate on Breed-specific Legislation, Official Report, column 242WH, when the responsible dog ownership project will conclude its work.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
We expect the Responsible Dog Ownership working group to conclude its work and provide recommendations to Ministers later this year.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, on what date the Government plans to publish the results of the consultation on Consistency in Household and Business Recycling Collections in England.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
A date for publication has not yet been set.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 has made an assessment of the potential impact of ring-fenced parakeets on other native wildlife.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Defra has assessed the impact of ring-necked parakeets on native bird species. In 2021, Defra commissioned the Animal and Plant Health Agency to review the scientific evidence underpinning the General Licences authorising the control of wild birds in England.
There is sufficient evidence of an impact of ring-necked parakeets on wild birds and other fauna of conservation concern to warrant their inclusion as a target species on the General Licence to kill or take wild birds for conservation purposes. This impact is largely due to competition for nest sites with native cavity-nesting birds and aggressive attacks on bats.
Individuals do not need to apply for a General Licence but if carrying out lethal control under a General Licence then they must comply with the conditions set out in the licence.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
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 16 September to Question 45314 on Foie Gras: Imports, if he will set out a timeline for building a sufficient evidence base to inform decisions and any potential action in this area.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
The Action Plan for Animal Welfare noted that HM Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese which have been force fed raises serious welfare concerns and that the production of foie gras by force feeding is already illegal in the UK. The Action Plan also noted that now that the UK has left the EU, we are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform decisions on banning the import or sale of foie gras and other products derived from low-welfare systems.
HM Government is currently continuing to build this evidence base. No specific deadline has been set for this exercise, and further evidence that people may wish to share with HM Government would be gratefully received.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, by what date the Deposit Return Scheme will be operational.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Further details on when a Deposit Return Scheme will be introduced will be set out in the Government response to last year's consultation. We are working towards publication in late 2022.
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the report by Global Witness, entitled Cash Cow, published on 23 June 2022, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of including cattle and cattle products in the regulations which will implement first phase of Schedule 17 of the Environment Act, in response to the findings of that report that cattle and cattle products are responsible for the largest proportion of the UK’s deforestation footprint globally.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK is committed to tackling deforestation and protecting forests, and has taken action through our world leading Environment Act to deliver that. We recently consulted on implementing a key measure of the Act, mandatory due diligence on forest risk commodities, and on 1 June 2022 we published the government response: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/933985/due-diligence-forest-risk-commodities-government-response.pdf
Asked by: Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrat - St Albans)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Government response to the Consultation on implementing due diligence on forest risk commodities, published June 2022, if he will make it his policy to include cattle and cattle products in the regulations which will implement the first phase of Schedule 17 of the Environment Act, in response to the 99 per cent of responses in that consultation which were in favour of that approach.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The UK is committed to tackling deforestation and protecting forests, and has taken action through our world leading Environment Act to deliver that. We recently consulted on implementing a key measure of the Act, mandatory due diligence on forest risk commodities, and on 1 June 2022 we published the government response: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/933985/due-diligence-forest-risk-commodities-government-response.pdf