Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Marine Management Organisation on the potential cost to the public purse of having one Inshore Vessel Monitoring System approved for use for fishing vessels under 12 meters in length.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra Ministers and officials have had regular contact with the Marine Management Organisation on the delivery of iVMS devices to under 12m vessels in England.
The MMO announced the revocation of ‘Type Approval’ for two iVMS devices (Maritime Systems Ltd MS44 device and from the Satlink Nano) on the 19 May 2023. However, two devices (Fulcrum Nemo and Succorfish SC2), retain ‘Type Approval’.
All fishers are being contacted directly to make them aware of how this affects them. Fishers will be financially supported to secure suitable, replacement devices.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has had with the Marine Management Organisation on increasing the number of vessel monitoring systems approved for use by fishing vessels under 12 meters in length.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra Ministers and officials have had regular contact with the Marine Management Organisation on the delivery of iVMS devices to under 12m vessels in England.
The MMO announced the revocation of ‘Type Approval’ for two iVMS devices (Maritime Systems Ltd MS44 device and from the Satlink Nano) on the 19 May 2023. However, two devices (Fulcrum Nemo and Succorfish SC2), retain ‘Type Approval’.
All fishers are being contacted directly to make them aware of how this affects them. Fishers will be financially supported to secure suitable, replacement devices.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
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 Cabinet colleagues on the inclusion of Swift bricks in public construction programmes.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
All local authorities have a duty to have regard to conserving biodiversity as part of their policy or decision making. As well as this duty, national planning policy states that the planning system should minimise impacts on biodiversity and provide net gains in biodiversity where possible. Planning Practice Guidance published to help implement planning policy makes clear that relatively small features can often achieve important benefits for wildlife, such as incorporating 'swift bricks' and bat boxes in developments and providing safe routes for hedgehogs between different areas of habitat. Specific biodiversity features, such as swift bricks, would normally be required of developments through either the relevant local plan or through the local authority's development control team.
Through the Environment Act 2021 we have introduced a mandatory duty for developers to deliver a biodiversity net gain, which will mean that habitats for wildlife must be left in a measurably better state than they were before any development.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
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 of 6 June 2022 from the hon. Member for Inverness, Nairn Badenoch and Strathspey on raptor licence applications.
Answered by Scott Mann - Government Whip, Lord Commissioner of HM Treasury
Unfortunately, Defra has no record of receiving a letter from the hon. Member dated 6 June 2022. We would be grateful if the letter could be sent to Correspondence.Section@defra.gov.uk and we will issue a response.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with the Food Standards Agency on the use of the term (a) sourdough for bread products that do not use traditional sourdough bread-making techniques and (b) freshly baked for bread products sold in shops that that have been produced off-site.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Food Standards Agency were part of the UK Government and the Devolved Administrations recent review of Bread and Flour Regulations. The key proposals for change are outlined in a public consultation published on 1 September 2022 which is open for responses until 23 November 2022. The Government considered the merits of requests for the inclusion of a definition for sourdough in law but is keen to avoid creating further regulatory barriers in trade at this time. The Government is therefore supportive of non-regulatory measures and encourages further work on the joint industry code of practice which could help achieve a better mutual understanding in this area and help address the technical differences around the production of sourdough. An update of existing guidance around commonly used marketing terms - such as reference to food being ‘fresh’ - across all foods is planned for the future.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing seed for grain crops as direct aid to farmers in Ukraine.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The UN World Food Programme (WFP) is in the process of buying Ukrainian grain to ship straight to countries benefitting from its programme. Following close discussions with key seed supplier organisations on the ground in Ukraine, our assessment is that growers are particularly seeking maize and sunflower seed, however they have been currently receiving sufficient supplies of these through countries such as Germany. The UK does not hold significant surplus stocks of these species; however, key seed supplier organisations have confirmed that there are surpluses of other seeds, including for vegetables and cereals, and these have been offered as part of a broader support package to Ukraine. We are also supporting countries on the frontline of the food crisis. In June, the Prime Minister committed £372 million at the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting (GHOGM) for emergency aid and agricultural innovation. The UK is also a major contributor to the UN’s World Food Programme, providing the equivalent of USD 302.3 million to the fund so far this year. We remain committed to supporting Ukraine and we are in constant communication with the Ukrainian government to ensure that any aid is targeted to where it is needed most.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of providing funding for (a) increased seed production and (b) expanded agricultural land acquisition for seed production for grain crops to be provided as aid to farmers in Ukraine.
Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra officials have been working with a range of businesses and trade associations who have an interest in re-opening and helping export grain and oilseeds out of Ukraine. The recently launched EU - Ukraine business matchmaking platform is just one programme that is helping facilitate logistics operations for exporting and importing goods to and from Ukraine. This tool will connect UK and Ukrainian businesses quickly to find pragmatic solutions to the export of agricultural produce from Ukraine, to support the Ukrainian economy and global trade, and alleviate this threat to food security. Defra officials and ministers have also arranged introductions to the Ukrainian government to facilitate support on a range of products, such as seeds and machinery, and continue to engage with the sector to support a coordinated approach.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
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 taken steps to assess the impact on supply chains of additional agri-good paperwork for the importation of olive oil from the EU for independent retailers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra routinely engages with stakeholders on a wide range of food issues including olive oil, but has not undertaken any formal assessment on this point.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will make an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the Animal and Plant Health Agency to conduct regulatory checks on animals travelling with refugees from Ukraine immediately upon their arrival in the UK.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government wishes to ensure that people fleeing from Ukraine can come here with their pets, in a way which also safeguards our rabies-free status.
The UK has been rabies-free for many years, and we wish to remain so. Ukraine is a high-risk country for rabies and animals coming to the UK from Ukraine need to meet the health preparation requirements before they travel. In practice, this means having a microchip, a rabies vaccination, passing a blood test 30 days later and then waiting for three months before travelling.
However, we recognise that many people fleeing from Ukraine will not have been able to complete all of these requirements. Therefore, people fleeing from Ukraine can bring their pets with them under licence. In cases where their pets need to spend time in quarantine, we are covering the costs of this.
We have streamlined the license application process for people fleeing from Ukraine with their pets. Pets from Ukraine may also be eligible for home isolation in England if they are found to have rabies antibodies, subject to strict criteria.
Asked by: Drew Hendry (Scottish National Party - Inverness, Nairn, Badenoch and Strathspey)
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 merits of undertaking visual checks to confirm that dogs entering the UK match pet passports.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
We operate one of the most rigorous and robust pet travel checking regimes in Europe. All non-commercial dogs entering Great Britain on approved routes (every route other than Republic of Ireland, Northern Ireland and the Crown Dependencies) under the pet travel rules undergo 100% documentary and identity checks by authorised pet checkers.
To enter Great Britain dogs must have been implanted with a microchip or have a legible tattoo imprinted prior to 3 July 2011. A dog’s identity is checked by ensuring that the microchip or tattoo details correspond to the details in the dog’s documentation. Carriers can refer suspected non-compliances to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA). APHA staff are highly trained to deal with intercepted shipments.
APHA works collaboratively with Border Force and other operational partners at ports, airports and inland, sharing intelligence to enforce the pet travel rules, disrupt illegal imports, safeguard the welfare of animals and seize non-compliant animals.
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2021 and will progress as soon as parliamentary time allows. The Bill allows us to further protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation.