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.