Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
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 Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023, when he plans to launch the consultation to determine which activities fall within the regulations.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Animals (Low-Welfare Activities Abroad) Act 2023 provides a framework for the introduction of a ban on the advertising and offering for sale of specific low-welfare animal activities abroad. It is an important step in protecting animals from considerable suffering and unacceptable practices.
This Government continues to make animal welfare a priority and we are currently exploring a number of options to progress this issue as soon as is practicable.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will review the position of sustainable aviation fuel within the waste hierarchy.
Answered by Robbie Moore - Shadow Minister (Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
The best environmental outcome for waste that cannot be either prevented or prepared for reuse is for material to be recycled. However, we know that that is not always possible. Where waste cannot be reused or recycled, the Government supports maximising the value of residual waste through recovering energy, including supplying electricity or heat, or through use as a fuel.
The process of converting waste into fuels is an energy recovery operation for the purposes of the waste hierarchy. We do not consider it the role of the waste hierarchy to determine the priority of recovery processes through which residual waste should be managed. There is nothing preventing the production of fuel from residual waste if this is determined to be the best overall value for money and environmental outcome for non-recyclable wastes. We therefore have no plans to change the position of sustainable aviation fuel within the waste hierarchy.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
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 to include method of slaughter as an option in his recent consultation on consumer products food labelling.
Answered by Mark Spencer
In 2021, Defra ran a call for evidence to gather data on the impacts of different types of labelling reform for animal welfare, including considerations around imports, production systems and method of slaughter. We received over 1,600 responses and a summary of these responses is available on GOV.UK.
As recently announced by the Secretary of State, we will soon be launching a consultation on clearer labelling. This will explore options for labels and the animal welfare standards behind them, including the period of life which should be covered by these standards.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to undertake a post-implementation review of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra has been working on a post-implementation review (PIR) of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018 in line with the requirements of the regulations’ review clause. This review considers whether the regulations have met their objectives, and where there could be scope for further improvements.
Defra values the engagement of sector partners, local authorities, animal welfare groups, and licensed and unlicensed businesses working in the sector. We will continue a close dialogue with these stakeholders as we work to implement the review’s recommendations.
We recognise the importance of this PIR, and thus want to ensure that we have had sufficient time to properly consider the findings. The PIR will be published soon.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
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 reduce the threat of antimicrobial resistance to human health from overuse of antibiotics on industrial farms.
Answered by Mark Spencer
The Government takes a ‘One-Health’ approach to antimicrobial resistance (AMR) as set out in the ‘UK 5-year action plan for antimicrobial resistance 2019 to 2024’, which is underpinned by the UK’s 20-year Vision to Contain and Control AMR by 2040 . Defra is a co-signatory with the Department of Health and Social Care on the 5-year National Acton Plan and 20-year vision on AMR, and Defra leads on delivering the animal, plant and environment elements.
The UK is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals to reduce the risk of development and spread of AMR in animals and humans. In the UK, we have a well-established antimicrobial use and resistance surveillance programme, which includes monitoring of sales and use of antibiotics in animals as well as routine monitoring of AMR in major food-producing species, healthy pigs and poultry. These surveillance programmes allow us to monitor progress and results are published every year in the UK Veterinary Antibiotic Resistance Sales and Surveillance (UK-VARSS) report.
The recently published UK-VARSS report shows that sales of antibiotics in food producing animals are at their lowest ever level, with a 59% reduction since 2014. This highlights the success of the UK’s voluntary and collaborative approach between Government and the farming and veterinary sectors to make sustainable reductions in antibiotic use whilst ensuring high animal health and welfare. The report also highlights that sales of highest priority, critically important antibiotics (HP-CIAs) have reduced by 82% since 2014 and account for less than half a percent of total sales. This is to ensure that these medically important antibiotics are protected for use in humans.
The newly published third edition of The UK’s One Health report, a joint report from Veterinary Medicines Directorate (VMD) and UK Health and Security Agency (UKHSA), brings together antibiotic use and resistance data for people and animals and sales of antibiotics in 2019 show that approximately two thirds of antibiotics are used in people whilst one third are used in animals. This report demonstrates the UK Government’s One Health approach to tackling AMR to keep antibiotics working in both people and animals.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to (a) publish the results of the Veterinary Medicines Regulations consultation and (b) introduce revised regulations.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Veterinary medicines play a vital role in protecting our animals’ health and welfare. Defra is updating the Veterinary Medicines Regulations in respect of Great Britain, to ensure the Regulations continue to be fit for purpose, and we consulted on these changes earlier this year. We are finalising the response to the consultation, where we will set out the changes we are taking forward. We are aware that there is significant interest in our proposed changes and we are taking our time to make sure we get it right. We will then seek to introduce the revised Regulations as soon as possible.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he is taking steps to support the provision of a nutritionally balanced plant-based meals on menus for staff in his Department.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Defra provides a catering offering at four locations. There is a focus on healthy eating and the meal selection always includes plant-based options.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps she is taking to tackle illegal dog fighting.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
Causing an animal fight to take place, or attempting to do so, is an offence under Section 8 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006. It is also an offence to be present a at a dog fight without reasonable excuse or lawful authority.
The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act 2021 increases the maximum sentence for such offences from six months to five years imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine. This strengthened penalty sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated and will enable our courts to take a firm approach to cases such as dog fighting.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the potential impact of over-breeding on (a) cats and (b) their kittens.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
In light of concerns raised by stakeholders during the post-implementation review of the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, the department has commissioned an opinion from the Animal Welfare Committee on the welfare implications of feline breeding practices.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timetable is for bringing forward legislative proposals for each of the commitments previously set out in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We will be taking forward measures in the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill individually through other means during the remainder of this Parliament. Parliamentary business will be announced in the usual way. We have also launched a consultation on primate keeping standards and will bring legislation forward later this year to deliver the ban on the keeping of primates as pets.