Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to take steps to promote alternative growing media to replace peat in the production of (a) ornamental and (b) edible crops.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government recognises the progress already made in transitioning to peat-free alternatives. Nevertheless, some sectors within the horticulture industry are encountering particular challenges. Therefore, we consulted industry representatives to develop our planned time limited exemptions for the professional sector.
We are currently co-funding with the horticultural industry monitoring of the composition of growing media (including peat) that is supplied for horticultural use. We are also working with the industry to continue to develop a Responsible Sourcing Scheme for Growing Media, which allows manufacturers and retailers to make informed choices of growing media inputs to amateur or retail products. Defra will continue to work with the industry to identify blockages and develop solutions to ending the use of peat and peat containing products.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether it is her policy to maintain the 30 March 2022 guidance on the Farming Rules for Water for the next twelve months.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Defra have committed to review the statutory guidance, issued to the Environment Agency on the application of the Farming Rules for Water, by September 2025. This is to ensure that it continues to serve its function and reflect the priorities and best practice of the time.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 take steps the simplify the process of reporting fly-tipping incidents.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Fly-tipping incidents should be reported to the relevant local authority. This can be done by visiting the local authority's website. Individuals can find help on identifying the relevant local authority webpage on Gov.uk at https://www.gov.uk/report-flytipping
There are also several mobile reporting apps available which allows members of the public to report fly-tipping incidents to their local council. We are developing a fly-tipping toolkit in partnership with the National Fly-tipping Prevention Group and an upcoming part of the toolkit will cover the use of new technology to report fly-tipping including how reporting apps can be best utilised by local authorities.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 she has made of the effectiveness of the Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Sustainable Farming Incentive opened for applications in June 2022. To date we have received over 1,700 eligible applications and more than 1,400 agreements are live. We have received positive feedback from farmers about how quick and easy it is to apply for an SFI agreement, that they are paid quarterly and have flexibility to choose how to deliver actions in their agreement.
The Sustainable Farming Incentive is being introduced incrementally between now and 2025, and as the offer is expanded, we expect uptake to accelerate.
We have plans in place to monitor the effectiveness of the scheme as farmers join and the offer is expanded and continue to learn from our SFI Pilot and Environmental Land Management Tests and Trials.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she is taking steps to review rules on the labelling of free range (a) eggs and (b) poultry, in the context of outbreaks of avian influenza.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Egg Marketing Standards provides a 16-week derogation period during which the free-range description can be retained on eggs even if hens have been housed. Defra currently has no plans to review this derogation period
In recognition of the pressures the egg sector is currently facing, Defra has granted a concession which will apply if the housing orders that are currently in place in England exceed the 16-week derogation period. This concession will allow producers and packers, on a one-off basis, the option to use either direct print to pack or an affixed label on free-range boxes. Accompanying clear and transparent point of sale signage should also be in place to ensure consumers are not misled and to avoid undermining consumer confidence in the free-range industry.
Poultry Meat Marketing Regulations provide a 12-week derogation period during which the free-range description can be retained on meat from poultry that has been housed. As most free-range poultry is slaughtered at around 8 weeks, in practice the derogation period of 12 weeks is rarely exceeded. When this does happen then the free-range description cannot be used and the relevant production method must be indicated. There are no plans to review this derogation period
Egg and Poultry Meat Marketing are both devolved policy matters. Any review of, or changes to, these standards outside England is therefore the responsibility for each of the devolved administrations.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 help ensure the availability of (a) urea and (b) other fertilisers for domestic food production in (i) 2023 and (ii) 2024.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Britain sources both nitrogen-based and non-nitrogen fertiliser from a wide range of countries and produces ammonium nitrate (AN) fertiliser domestically. While global fertiliser prices have risen, the supply chain providing imports of fertiliser to the UK has remained dynamic in sourcing products. CF Fertilisers continues to produce ammonium nitrate fertiliser from its plant at Billingham
We are continuing to monitor the security and stability of fertiliser and other supply chains, and work closely with colleagues across government and devolved administrations as well as industry figures
Defra hosts regular Fertiliser Industry Taskforce meetings with devolved administrations and key industry figures including the National Farmers Union, the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and the Agricultural Industries Confederation
To support farmers the Basic Payment Scheme payment is being made in 2 instalments to give farmers greater financial fluidity. Other actions taken include changes to guidance on farmers using manures, increased grants for farmers and growers, boosting research and development
Indicative data suggest that farmers have made a slight shift to using more urea based fertilisers this year, because of higher AN prices. Urea fertilisers emit greater amount of ammonia, after spreading, than other inorganic fertilisers so care must be taken to optimise application for agronomic and environmental benefit. The Government will monitor the success of industry action on reducing ammonia emissions from use of urea fertilisers and if regulation is needed this is likely to require use of ammonia inhibitors rather than a complete ban on urea
Defra recently laid a Statutory Instrument (SI) to enable continued ammonium nitrate supply and importation, by extending the current provision allowing use of both EU and UK laboratories for Detonation Resistance Testing
Support in the form of guidance from fertiliser suppliers and agricultural organisations such as National Farmers Union can be found from various public sources. Furthermore, AHDB recently published reports commissioned by Defra, modelling the potential impact on arable and grassland yields of fertiliser price rises, and have also published a new fertiliser price dashboard.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
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 he has made of progress on the delivery of the Tenbury Wells flood defence scheme.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The final outline designs and costings are expected to be agreed shortly. The designs will inform the Outline Business Case, which will be submitted for approval in late February 2022, and inform the Planning Permission submission expected in May 2022.
Asked by: Harriett Baldwin (Conservative - West Worcestershire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the effectiveness of the Seasonal Agricultural Workers pilot scheme; and when he plans to publish evaluation information on the (a) first-year pilot and (b) extended pilot.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
On 22 December 2020, the Government extended the Seasonal Workers Pilot for one year and expanded the number of visas from 10,000 to 30,000.
The extension and expansion of the Pilot for 2021 will allow for further review of the Pilot, including how growers will reduce their reliance on migrant labour now we have left the EU, whilst also easing some of the pressure experienced on farms when they are at their busiest. We intend to publish the first-year review later this year.
Defra is working closely with industry and the Home Office – who engage with a wide range of stakeholders, including non-governmental organisations, when designing and implementing immigration policy – to understand better the effectiveness of interventions and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce beyond 2021.