Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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) selection criteria and (b) scoring mechanism for that criteria used by his Department when selecting which operators to licence to supply seasonal agricultural labour from abroad as part of the seasonal agricultural workers scheme.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Selecting the additional operators for the extended Seasonal Workers Pilot is a two-stage process. Defra conducted the first stage, which was the Request for Information (RFI) exercise inviting responses by 29 January 2021. Information on the selection criteria and scoring mechanisms is published online here:
Defra has now completed the RFI exercise and in doing so proposed two additional operators to the Home Office, who are now conducting the second-stage of approval and licensing.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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 his counterparts in (a) France, (b) the Netherlands and (c) the EU to develop mutual understanding on the checks required on agri-food goods moving between the UK and the EU.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
There is a constant engagement between Defra officials and our counterparts in the EU to discuss issues regarding agri-food goods at the borders as they are reported. Through these channels, and through our regular meetings with industry representatives, we’re closely monitoring live issues and working to resolve them. Officials also hold regular technical meetings with experts from the UK and Member States to ensure that border issues are quickly resolved, including multiple engagements between the UK’s Chief Veterinary Officer and their counterparts in EU Member States to further develop mutual understanding on controls and checks that are necessary at borders. The Secretary of State will also continue to engage directly with his counterparts in the EU and beyond.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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 whether export costs have increased and revenue has been lost due to the time taken to resolve export health certificate administrative problems for products of animal origin at Border Control Posts; and what plans he has to speed up the UK’s administrative processes to make the delivery of goods to the EU more efficient for UK distributors.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
We do not routinely track the costs of export certification, which is a commercial matter between certifiers and exporters. We have always been clear that new processes would apply for exports of products of animal origin to the EU, from 01 January 2021. Before then we introduced efficiency measures for exporters, including guidance for logistics hubs and consolidation of loads. These measures have reduced exporters’ administrative requirements and through consolidation the total number of export health certificates required for EU exports. We are working to improve the online process of applying for export heath certificates to reduce errors and speed up certification.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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 (a) effectiveness of the process and (b) adequacy of support available for obtaining model EHCs for exports of animal by-products to third countries; and what steps he plans to take to speed up the process for opening up new trading routes for those products.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Since leaving the EU, we are an independent trading nation and we will use our voice to champion free trade and lower barriers to trade.
In line with these ambitions, I am pleased to confirm that there is an established process for obtaining model Export Health Certificates (EHCs) for exports of animal by-products. Agreed EHCs for all commodities can be obtained from GOV.UK. Applicants can use the website to search, view and apply for the relevant Export Health Certificate to facilitate trade in their commodity.
In addition to this, some Export Health Certificates are even more accessible, and can be applied for via the EHC online system which reduces some of the manual procedures previously in place. This process is under iterative review in order to ensure improvements can be made for the future.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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 his Department's response to the consultation on ending live animal exports for slaughter, what assessment his Department has made of the requirements and needs of agri-food businesses whose export times necessarily exceed 24 hours.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The public consultation ended on 25 February and we are currently analysing all the responses we received; we will be publishing the Government response in due course.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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 11 March to Question 164621 on Potatoes: UK Trade with EU, for what reasons a maximum residue level applies to EU imports but not to potatoes produced in England.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
At the end of the EU Exit Transition Period, all extant EU maximum residue levels (MRLs) were carried over into the pesticides regulatory regime in place in Great Britain. These have not changed since and there is currently no difference between the EU and GB MRL for potatoes for 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (1,4-DMN). The 1,4-DMN MRL therefore applies to both domestic produce and produce imported from the EU. The key difference is in which pesticides are authorised for use in each country.
As of 1 January 2021, there is an autonomous pesticides regime in Great Britain. This means that the UK Government and the devolved administrations take our own decisions about which pesticides to authorise for use, based on scientific assessment of the risks. We may therefore sometimes take different decisions to countries in the EU or elsewhere. Last year, our regulator, the Health and Safety Executive, passed concerns arising from their risk assessment for 1,4-DMN to the EU for them to take into account.
In the meantime, emergency authorisations have been granted by all four UK administrations allowing limited and controlled use of a 1,4-DMN product.
We aim to establish a formal MRL review programme in the next few years and we are able to review MRLs when necessary, for example, to protect public health.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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 effect on domestic potato producers of banning the anti-sprouting component DMN while allowing EU potato producers using that component to import potatoes to the UK.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Before a pesticide can be used, its active substance must be approved and the pesticide itself must be authorised. Decisions on approval and authorisation are based on an assessment of the risks posed to people and to the environment. Such decisions are devolved and so are taken by the relevant government or by the Health and Safety Executive on its behalf. Decisions on the authorisation of pesticides for use in Scotland are not, therefore, taken by the UK Government.
The active substance 1,4-dimethylnaphthalene (1,4-DMN) is approved but at present there is no authorised product. All four UK governments have granted an emergency authorisation allowing the limited and controlled use until 31 May of a 1,4-DMN product to prevent sprouting of harvested potatoes. This emergency authorisation is granted in recognition of the need for sprout suppression and the lack, in certain circumstances, of alternative means of control.
Potatoes treated with 1,4-DMN are only permitted to be imported from the EU or elsewhere if the level of the chemical is below a statutory Maximum Residue Level of 15 mg/kg.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
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 28 January 2021 to Question 143107, when he plans to respond to the correspondence from the hon. Member for Angus of 3 December 2020 on the potential revocation of Vydate for treatment of potato crops, reference DD526.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
I apologise for the further delay in responding. A reply was issued to the hon. Member for Angus on 23 February 2021.
Asked by: Dave Doogan (Scottish National Party - Angus and Perthshire Glens)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons the EU is allowed to export potato seed into Great Britain.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Defra ministers agreed a policy proposed by Defra officials and cleared with Devolved Administration (DA) colleagues to accept EU seed potatoes for 6 months beyond the end of the transition period, until 30 June. This policy was a change from an original policy to block EU seed potatoes entirely, to protect Scotland's specialist industry. The policy options regarding the import of seed potatoes from the EU were discussed between officials of all four administrations and industry organisations. In the absence of a reciprocal agreement with the EU, the original preference was to block EU seed potatoes immediately after the transition period. However, the coordinated request from three organisations representing interests across the potato industry, and the UK Government’s concern that entirely blocking EU potatoes, could prove detrimental to a reciprocal agreement in the longer term, led us to revisit the policy. The industry organisations expressed concerns that although the UK is broadly self-sufficient in the total quantity of seed potato production, it does not currently produce the range of varieties required by the UK market. They also explained that the transitional provisions in the Withdrawal Agreement for goods on the market were unhelpful for seed potatoes because of the need for specialist storage. To address both issues, their request was to allow EU seed potatoes to be imported for planting in spring 2021 to provide a further period of adaptation. This led to the final proposal to accept EU seed potatoes in England and Wales until June 2021, supporting the industry as it adapts.
Defra officials and the DAs re-visited the policy following a joint letter from industry organisations representing both seed and ware potato growers. They proposed a compromise policy to accept EU seed potatoes for a limited time to ensure supply for the Spring growing season. This policy was discussed and agreed with the DAs and a sixth month period of grace was proposed, in line with other 'standstill' policies.