Asked by: Gillian Keegan (Conservative - Chichester)
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 review his Department's policy on pesticides.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government intends to commence an in-depth review of pesticides policy later this year and will work closely with all interested parties as we develop our policy thinking.
Asked by: Gillian Keegan (Conservative - Chichester)
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 water security for farmers and growers as a result of the closure of the European Agricultural Fund's Water Resource Management grant.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Defra keeps water security for farmers and growers under review. However, as the Countryside Productivity Water Resource Management offer was a relatively small scheme offering localised support for individual farmers and growers, we have no plans to undertake a detailed assessment of its impact on national water security.
The Government’s abstraction plan sets out how the Environment Agency will develop strong local partnerships with abstractors, including farmers, and catchment groups. The partnerships will work to agree local solutions that improve water security and protect the environment.
Asked by: Gillian Keegan (Conservative - Chichester)
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 promote responsible dog ownership near livestock.
Answered by George Eustice
Defra has been working closely with the police and local authorities and provided clear guidance to them on how they can tackle irresponsible dog ownership, including dealing with dog attacks on livestock. This has included promoting the Local Environmental Awareness on Dogs (LEAD) initiative to encourage partnership working between police and local authorities and to address minor incidents involving dogs before they escalate. We have also updated the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, which encourages owners to keep their dog on a lead around livestock or to avoid such situations, in order to make it more accessible to readers.