Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 3 February 2025 to Question 26353 on Tyres: Recycling, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of financial support available for increasing domestic tyre processing capacity.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has not completed an assessment as described; however the Government offers a range of support to businesses looking to invest in recycling infrastructure in the UK, including through the British Business Bank and National Wealth Fund, and financial support continues to be available for increasing domestic tyre processing capacity through Innovate UK responsive programmes and more targeted programmes focused on resource efficiency.
As explained in response to PQ 26353 on 3rd February, the Secretary of State has convened the Circular Economy Taskforce to help us develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England. Together we are considering the evidence for interventions right across the economy and are exploring a wide range of levers to drive circularity, including in the recycling sector, as we develop our strategy.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what precautions his Department is taking regarding the ongoing avian influenza outbreak to prevent its spread among (a) commercially kept birds, (b) domestically kept birds and (c) wild birds.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra’s approach to avian influenza is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales. Swift and humane culling of birds on infected premises coupled with good biosecurity are used to prevent disease spread.
Avian Influenza Prevention Zones (AIPZ) mandating enhanced biosecurity are in force across the UK The AIPZs apply to all bird keepers whether they have pet birds, commercial flocks or just a few birds in a backyard flock. In addition, mandatory housing for kept birds is in force in England across the unitary authorities of the East Riding of Yorkshire, the unitary authority of York, the City of Kingston upon Hull and all districts in Cheshire, Herefordshire, Merseyside, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Norfolk, North Yorkshire, Shropshire Suffolk and Worcestershire and all areas of Northern Ireland to mitigate the risk of further outbreaks of disease occurring.
Additional biosecurity measures also apply in disease control zones in force surrounding infected premises. Certain higher risk bird gatherings have also been prohibited. Guidance for keepers on maintaining scrupulous biosecurity to protect their flocks has been published at gov.uk/bird-flu.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether compensation will be available for commercial poultry farmers for flock losses due to avian influenza control measures.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Compensation paid for birds culled by the Government for disease control purposes is designed to promote prompt reporting of suspicion of disease and is only payable for healthy birds as set out in the Animal Health Act 1981. There is no compensation available for sick birds or birds that have died.
Compensation is not paid for consequential losses, including business interruption caused by control measures, nor for eggs or poultry meat.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whetherhis Department plans to renew the licence for glyphosate for agricultural use in 2025.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All active substances used in pesticides are periodically reviewed to ensure they meet modern standards which take into account current knowledge. HSE will review the approval of glyphosate for all uses when it is due for renewal in GB. Pesticides are only authorised following a thorough scientific risk assessment that concludes all safety standards are met.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what lessons his Department has learned from the (a) avian inflluenza outbreak in Scotland in 2022-23 and (b) other avian influenza outbreaks in the UK to help prevent the spread.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra’s approach to avian influenza is set out in the Notifiable Avian Disease Control Strategy for Great Britain supported by the Mitigation Strategy for Avian Influenza in Wild Birds in England and Wales and the Scottish wild bird highly pathogenic avian influenza response plan. Current policy reflects our experience of responding to previous outbreaks of exotic animal disease and is in line with international standards of best practice for disease control. All exotic disease control and prevention measures are kept under regular review as part of the government’s ongoing work to monitor and manage the risks of exotic disease.
In addition, to regularly exercising our disease response capabilities lessons identified reviews are undertaken at the conclusion of outbreaks to identify and evaluate where improvements to disease response capability, processes and organisational structures for managing an outbreak of exotic notifiable disease can be made.
The feedback, including that of Devolved Governments, operational partners and stakeholders is collated in lessons identified reports. These reports are published on gov.uk and provide the framework for improvements of the response to and management of disease outbreaks and the review of contingency plans, policies and operational instructions.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
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 plans to bring forward secondary legislation to permit gene editing by the end of March 2025.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
On 25 February 2025, the secondary legislation needed to implement the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act 2023 for plants was laid in Parliament. If passed, the legislation will come into force in Autumn 2025.
This is a devolved matter, and the legislation is England only.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
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 potential impact of used tyre exports on the environment; and what steps his Department is taking to help mitigate these impacts.
Answered by Emma Hardy - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
UK legislation requires that those involved in the shipment of waste take all necessary steps to ensure waste is managed in an environmentally sound manner throughout its shipment and at the waste management facility in the country of destination. Any operators found to be illegally exporting waste can face severe sanctions - from financial penalties to imprisonment for a period of up to two years.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 11 November 2024 to Question 12667 on African Swine Fever: Disease Control, whether his Department plans to continue to provide funding to Dover District Council beyond financial year 2024-25.
Answered by Daniel Zeichner
Defra, like all Government departments, is undergoing a zero-based review so this policy is being measured against all others. Any ongoing funding will be subject to approvals as part of the Spending Review.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether her Department is taking steps to (a) increase domestic recycling capacity for end-of-life vehicle tyres and (b) reduce reliance on exports.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to beginning the transition to a circular economy. The Secretary of State has asked his Department to work with experts from industry, academia, civil society, and the civil service to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England and a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting Government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what further interventions may be needed as we develop the Circular Economy Strategy.
Asked by: Harriet Cross (Conservative - Gordon and Buchan)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to help support the development of domestic (a) infrastructure and (b) technology for tyre recycling.
Answered by Mary Creagh - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
This Government is committed to beginning the transition to a circular economy. The Secretary of State has asked his Department to work with experts from industry, academia, civil society, and the civil service to develop a Circular Economy Strategy for England and a series of roadmaps detailing the interventions that the Government will make on a sector-by-sector basis, supporting Government’s Missions to kickstart economic growth and make Britain a clean energy superpower. We will consider the evidence for action right across the economy and evaluate what further interventions may be needed as we develop the Circular Economy Strategy.