Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
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 research by the University of Sydney, published in the Natural scientific journal on 20 June 2022, if he will take steps in response to that research that found a fifth of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions come from transporting edible products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government’s recently published Net Zero Strategy sets out our plans to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions. This includes a range of policies and actions to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions (including methane) from within the food system from farm to fork.
For example, ruminant livestock are the leading cause of food methane emissions, but feed additives with methane inhibiting properties have the potential to reduce emissions, especially from housed cattle. Whilst this is an emerging technology, the Government is actively investigating the promising role these products may have in delivering emissions savings in the medium term.
More broadly the Government will support the agricultural sector to decarbonise through the schemes set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan, which aims to support farmers to adopt low greenhouse gas emission farming practices and increase the carbon stored on their farms, helping to improve business productivity and profitability gains.
The Government also supports the work of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), whose Courtauld 2030 voluntary agreement includes a target to reduce GHG emissions across the food supply chain. Periodic estimates of UK household food waste levels are undertaken by WRAP with government funding with the next estimate reporting year being 2022/23.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
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 research by the University of Sydney, published in the Natural scientific journal on 20 June 2022, what assessment his Department has made of the validity of the finding that a fifth of all food-related greenhouse gas emissions come from transporting edible products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government’s recently published Net Zero Strategy sets out our plans to reduce all greenhouse gas emissions. This includes a range of policies and actions to further reduce greenhouse gas emissions (including methane) from within the food system from farm to fork.
For example, ruminant livestock are the leading cause of food methane emissions, but feed additives with methane inhibiting properties have the potential to reduce emissions, especially from housed cattle. Whilst this is an emerging technology, the Government is actively investigating the promising role these products may have in delivering emissions savings in the medium term.
More broadly the Government will support the agricultural sector to decarbonise through the schemes set out in the Agricultural Transition Plan, which aims to support farmers to adopt low greenhouse gas emission farming practices and increase the carbon stored on their farms, helping to improve business productivity and profitability gains.
The Government also supports the work of the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP), whose Courtauld 2030 voluntary agreement includes a target to reduce GHG emissions across the food supply chain. Periodic estimates of UK household food waste levels are undertaken by WRAP with government funding with the next estimate reporting year being 2022/23.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what his timeframe is for implementing secondary legislation to reform rights of way.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The Government has decided to take forward a streamlined package of measures to implement rights of way reform including repealing the 2026 cut-off date to record historic rights of way, as well as giving landowners the right to apply to divert or remove rights of ways in specific circumstances. These measures, along with accompanying guidance, will be implemented as soon as reasonably practicable.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
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 preparedness of Border Control Posts for the import inspection of horticulture products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Since 1 January, high-risk plants have been inspected at their places of destination. Defra is confident that the Border Control Posts (BCPs) will be ready to start physical inspections of high-risk plants and plant products when the new regime of checks commences on 1 January 2022. The BCPs will be ready to start physical inspections of low-risk plants and plant product checks from March 2022.
Defra continues to work directly with ports and airports to prepare the necessary infrastructure, staff and IT systems for SPS checks to be completed. We continue to monitor port BCP delivery and will support ports to achieve an initial operating capability as import controls are phased in.
The phased implementation reduces risk of BCP infrastructure not being ready and provides Port Health Authorities, importers, hauliers, exporters and their agents, sufficient time to prepare and familiarise themselves with these new requirements.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the effect of the Northern Ireland Protocol on the horticulture sector in (a) Northern Ireland and (b) Great Britain.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Northern Ireland Protocol obliges both the UK and EU to seek to streamline processes for trade between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI), and to avoid controls at NI ports as far as possible. In line with that obligation, through technical engagement with the European Commission, the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have developed helpful practical arrangements to simplify checks and controls on goods to the maximum extent.
The Scheme for Temporary Agri-food Movements to Northern Ireland currently in place allows authorised traders, such as supermarkets and their trusted suppliers, to move a large proportion of agri-food goods from GB to NI without the need for official certification, until 1 October 2021. Exporters of fruit, vegetables or cut flowers from GB to the EU or Northern Ireland, may also be eligible for the Plant Health Exports Audited Trader Scheme. Under this scheme, exporters are able to complete their own inspections and apply for phytosanitary certificates to be issued, which means checks take place at a time which suits them and avoids the need for official on-site inspections of each consignment.
The Government has also put in place the Movement Assistance Scheme. This scheme means that businesses moving plants, plant products or agricultural machinery from GB to NI do not need to pay for the fees associated with inspections and issuance of the phytosanitary certificates. Defra will monitor the performance of the scheme and review it after three months to determine how to best provide ongoing support to traders.
In line with announcements made by the UK Government at the beginning of March, it is now much simpler to move plants with soil and growing media attached from GB to NI. This will remain the case whilst engagement with the European Commission continues to develop appropriate, risk-based arrangements for the long-term.
Despite horticultural goods being eligible for some of these arrangements, comprehensive data on the movement of such goods between GB and NI is not available. However, total trade in Defra related goods between GB and NI is estimated to have recovered after a brief dip in January. Overall horticultural businesses have adjusting well since the end of the Transition Period and are trading effectively.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to ensure the flow of plants, seeds and other horticulture products from Great Britain to Northern Ireland.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Northern Ireland Protocol obliges both the UK and EU to seek to streamline processes for trade between Great Britain (GB) and Northern Ireland (NI), and to avoid controls at NI ports as far as possible. In line with that obligation, through technical engagement with the European Commission, the UK Government and Northern Ireland Executive have developed helpful practical arrangements to simplify checks and controls on goods to the maximum extent.
The Scheme for Temporary Agri-food Movements to Northern Ireland currently in place allows authorised traders, such as supermarkets and their trusted suppliers, to move a large proportion of agri-food goods from GB to NI without the need for official certification, until 1 October 2021. Exporters of fruit, vegetables or cut flowers from GB to the EU or Northern Ireland, may also be eligible for the Plant Health Exports Audited Trader Scheme. Under this scheme, exporters are able to complete their own inspections and apply for phytosanitary certificates to be issued, which means checks take place at a time which suits them and avoids the need for official on-site inspections of each consignment.
The Government has also put in place the Movement Assistance Scheme. This scheme means that businesses moving plants, plant products or agricultural machinery from GB to NI do not need to pay for the fees associated with inspections and issuance of the phytosanitary certificates. Defra will monitor the performance of the scheme and review it after three months to determine how to best provide ongoing support to traders.
In line with announcements made by the UK Government at the beginning of March, it is now much simpler to move plants with soil and growing media attached from GB to NI. This will remain the case whilst engagement with the European Commission continues to develop appropriate, risk-based arrangements for the long-term.
Despite horticultural goods being eligible for some of these arrangements, comprehensive data on the movement of such goods between GB and NI is not available. However, total trade in Defra related goods between GB and NI is estimated to have recovered after a brief dip in January. Overall horticultural businesses have adjusting well since the end of the Transition Period and are trading effectively.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
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) potential merits of introducing a trusted trader scheme for importers of ornamental horticulture products and (b) the role such a scheme could play in providing value for money for tax payers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
As the phased introduction of EU-GB plant health import controls is completed in early 2022, Defra is exploring possible options for performing plant health controls away from the border on a longer term basis, such as increased uptake in the use of designated plant health control points, or a trusted trader scheme for checks at destination. We would consult on any long term option with industry, to ensure that our high standards of biosecurity are maintained.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the costs of establishing and operating Border Control Posts for the inspection of plants and other horticultural products.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Border Control Posts (BCPs) are not being built or operated by the UK Government. The Government has provided generous funding to help local authorities construct and operate BCPs. This includes up to £200 million in grant funding from the Port Infrastructure Fund and Defra has provided £14 million to help recruit and train staff to support the checking regime.
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps his Department is taking to enable the early resumption of shooting after the covid-19 outbreak.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
The Government has said people can now leave their homes for the purposes of open-air recreation in public open spaces to promote their physical or mental health or emotional wellbeing. What counts as “open-air recreation” is not defined in the regulations but would include shooting. The regulations define public open spaces as:
(a) Land laid out as a public garden or used for the purpose of recreation by members of the public;
(b) land which is "open country" as defined in section 59(2) of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949, as that definition has been extended by section 16(1) of the Countryside Act 1968;
(c) land which is "access land" for the purposes of Part 1 of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (see section 1(1) of that Act)
The Government has published guidance on the phased return of outdoor sport and recreation. Outdoor sports courts and other outdoor sporting activities are permitted to reopen if those responsible for them are ready to do so and they can do so safely, following public health guidance. This can be found on the GOV.UK website at:
Asked by: Geoffrey Clifton-Brown (Conservative - The Cotswolds)
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 hold discussions with the Environmental Agency on reducing levels of raw sewage discharged into (a) main and (b) non-main rivers by water companies.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Ministers hold regular discussions with the Environment Agency (EA), on all environmental issues including water quality. My officials also regularly meet with their EA colleagues to discuss waste water management, including sewage discharges.
In England, the majority of the sewerage system is ‘combined’, meaning that sewage is collected along with rain water run-off. Combined sewer overflows (CSOs) in the sewerage system operate to reduce the risk of sewer flooding of homes and land during heavy rainfall. To prevent discharges, between 2015 to 2020 water companies are installing monitors on up to 13,000 of the 15,000 CSOs in England. These will measure how often and for how long they operate, helping inform where improvement works may be required and providing information to the public about spills. This information has been used to help develop the environmental programme that the water companies will be implementing over the next five years, which includes almost £4 billion of investment to reduce pollution from sewage.
All discharges from CSOs require a permit issued by the EA, containing conditions to protect the environment. The EA has the powers to take action if water companies breach their permits and cause harm to the environment.