Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
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 extend the rebate for South West Water customers for a further year, in the context of pricing structures for 2022-23 being determined by water companies early in 2022.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government has provided the customer subsidy since 2013 in recognition that water bills in the region can be a source of financial pressure. South West Water's business plan for this price review period sets out efficiency savings, which have already seen household bills in the region decrease. We are currently liaising with South West Water on the future funding requirement for the rebate.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
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 his Department has made of the potential merits of widespread vaccination of the UK’s badger population for the purpose of reducing the spread of bovine tuberculosis; what evidence his Department has that vaccination will be effective in protecting livestock on farms in England; and whether his Department will make provisions to retain culling in areas where vaccination does not prove effective.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Evidence indicates that vaccination reduces disease burden in the badger population, with field trials showing that vaccinated badgers were at least 54% (and up to 76%) less likely to test positive for TB. The same field trial found that when more than a third of the social group was vaccinated, infection risk to unvaccinated cubs reduced by 79% (Carter et al 2012 [1]).
Both modelling in a post-cull environment in England (Smith GC & Budgey R, 2021 [2]), and evidence from Ireland (Martin SW, et al. 2020 [3]), suggests that vaccination following culling should help maintain reductions in cattle TB incidence. In a trial of badger vaccination in Ireland, vaccination was found to be as effective as long-term continuous culling in lowering cattle TB incidence in four of the seven counties studied, which led to a policy change to gradually replace culling with vaccination.
Logically, as badgers cause a proportion of cattle breakdowns and badger vaccination has been proven to reduce the disease burden in badgers, vaccination is expected to result in a reduction in cattle TB incidence where badgers are infecting cattle. However, there has been no trial in England to assess the magnitude or timing of these effects. Accordingly, we are developing a surveillance and monitoring system that will allow us to monitor levels of disease in wildlife and cattle. This will enable government and industry to be more agile in tackling the disease.
Badger culling would remain an option where epidemiological assessment indicates that it is needed.
[1] https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0049833
[2] https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0248426.
[3] https://doi.org/10.1016/j.prevetmed.2020.105004.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made in tackling the backlog of pigs awaiting slaughter on farms; and what recent discussions he has had with the (a) National Pig Association and (b) National Farmers’ Union on issues affecting the pig industry.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
We have been working closely with the pig industry to understand how best to support it in response to the challenges it is facing due to the pandemic, disruption to CO2 supplies, a temporary shortage of labour and several processing plants losing access to the Chinese export market. Ministers and officials meet regularly with the National Pig Association and the National Farmers Union to discuss matters of joint interest including the current situation in the pig sector.
On 14 October, the Government announced a package of measures to support the pig industry and to seek to reduce the animal welfare implications of pigs backing up on farms.
These measures include the approval of up to 800 temporary visas for pork butchers, a Private Storage Aid scheme, and a Slaughter Incentive Payment Scheme to increase the throughput of pigs through processors. We also continue to work with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board to identify new export markets for pork, particularly for lightly processed pork.
Furthermore, in England and Scotland, the two meat levy bodies have introduced a suspension on the statutory levy for pig farmers and producers during November 2021 – suspending payments of the levy pig farmers and producers are required to pay. This will amount to savings for the sector of just under £1 million.
The Government will continue to monitor the evolving situation and to work closely with the industry through this challenging period.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
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 Written Statement of 24 June 2021, HCWS119 on Government response to the Landscapes Review, what recent progress has been made in developing proposals for the reform of National Parks and AONBs; what meetings he has had with the Dartmoor National Park Authority on structural reform to national park governance; and if he will make a statement.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Secretary of State has not met the Dartmoor National Park Authority to discuss the response to the Landscapes Review. However, Lord Benyon has met with National Parks England, and Government officials have met regularly with representatives from several National Parks Authorities, to inform our response to the review.
The Government intends to respond to the review in full and consult on draft proposals shortly.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to ensure that the implementation of the principle of local governance of national parks remains effective; and what assessment he has made of the compatibility of that principle and the introduction of a National Landscape Service.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Landscapes Review recommended that the current system of local governance for National Parks should be reformed, and set out a number of specific proposals for how it should be changed to inspire and secure ambition in our national landscapes and better reflect society. It also recommended that a new National Landscapes Service is needed to ensure that our protected landscapes can achieve more than the sum of their parts for people and for nature.
The government will work with our partner organisations to consider carefully the importance of effective local governance as we develop our response to the review, including any changes to local and national governance structures. We will publish our response in due course.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
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 help alleviate the environmental impact of (a) polystyrene bodyboards and (b) other disposable beach products.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
We know that when polystyrene bodyboards and other items used at the beach are littered they can have harmful impacts on the environment. The Government is committed to encouraging local solutions for local problems. This is particularly relevant in dealing with litter and fly-tipping issues, which require a local approach, tailored to the characteristics of the area and the community in which the problems occur.
The Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse advises councils to monitor and clean beaches below the high-water mark areas as appropriate. Beaches present unique challenges. They may not always be cleaned to the maximum standard possible because of the terrain, conditions, accessibility and the need to be sensitive to habitats. The duty body should do as much as is practicable. It is recommended that councils and beach managers are aware of the different types and nature of beaches in their areas and carry out regular monitoring and suitable cleaning.
The Government's Resources and Waste Strategy for England published in December 2018 sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution and move towards a more circular economy. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste. The measures set out in the Strategy will help our society move away from a 'take, make, use and throw' approach regarding resources and materials to where we reuse, recycle, and repair more and waste less. Our Environment Bill will enable us to significantly change the way that we manage our waste and take forward a number of the proposals from the Resources and Waste Strategy.
In general, we prefer to help people and companies make the right choice, rather than banning items outright. There may, however, be times when a ban is appropriate as part of a wider strategic approach. Which is why we introduced measures to restrict the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds in October 2020. We will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and/ or materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
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 implement the recommendations of the 2019 Landscapes Review; and when he plans to publish the Government’s response to that review.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The independent Landscapes Review, led by Julian Glover, set out a compelling vision for more beautiful, more biodiverse and more accessible National Parks and Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONBs).
We welcome this ambition, as the government is committed to ensuring our protected landscapes flourish as havens for nature and are places that everyone can visit and enjoy.
The Landscapes Review included recommendations for long-term structural changes, such as creating a new National Landscape Service and changing National Park and AONB statutory purposes, that would require legislation were they to be taken forward.
We are taking time to carefully consider the recommendations and working with partner organisations to inform and develop our response to the review, which we will publish in due course.
In the meantime, we are working to implement the ambitions of the Review on the ground now. For example, we are leading a £5.77m cross-governmental project to test nature-based social prescribing in seven test and learn sites, run national experimental work to understand its scalability, and deliver a robust project evaluation. This will help improve mental health and wellbeing by connecting more people to nature, including in protected landscapes.
The £80m Green Recovery Challenge Fund, which launched in September 2020, will kickstart a programme of nature-based projects to restore nature, tackle climate change and connect people with the natural environment. Some of these projects will help deliver on the Landscape Review's recommendations, such as the proposal to give every child a night under the stars in a national landscape.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent steps his Department has taken to ensure that UK fishing businesses are able to gain access to EU markets with minimal delays arising from customs procedures.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Defra is working with other Government departments, industry and EU authorities to ensure smooth trade flow and minimise disruption at the border. To do so, we have established a twice-weekly seafood exports working group to identify issues and resolve across Government. To further support businesses Defra has developed a support package of guidance and training with HMRC, including an online journey that guides fish exporters through each step of the export journey.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
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 challenges facing the British pig industry; and what steps the Government is taking to support pig farmers in the Torridge and West Devon constituency.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
I am very much aware that the pig sector is currently facing a number of challenges due to Covid-19 and global trading conditions. I will be hosting a roundtable with key industry stakeholders to discuss these challenges and will continue to work with the pig industry to address them.
The Government has made available financial assistance via a number of Covid-19 HM Treasury schemes. These can be accessed by the pig sector and we encourage companies impacted by Covid-19, including those in Torridge and West Devon, to investigate if any of these schemes are appropriate for their needs.
Asked by: Geoffrey Cox (Conservative - Torridge and Tavistock)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of culled badgers are tested for bovine tuberculosis.
Answered by George Eustice
Badgers removed under licence between 2013 and 2015 were not routinely tested for TB.
In 2013, four badgers removed were tested at the specific request of landowners. The tests were carried out privately by independent veterinary surgeons and one badger was confirmed to be infected with TB. This information is publicly available: https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/323530/RFI_6489.pdf.
In 2016 we initiated development of a badger TB surveillance programme in nine cull areas in the High Risk Area of England. A report on the results from tested badgers is publicly available: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/bovine-tb-surveillance-in-wildlife-in-england-2016-to-2017.
In 2017, 84 badger carcasses from one cull area were submitted for TB testing as part of a research project to develop and validate novel techniques for diagnosing TB in badgers. A further nine carcasses from a different cull area were also submitted for TB testing as part of a commercial collaboration. No results from these tests are yet available.