Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the role of intensive farming in the climate emergency; and what steps the Government will take to transition to sustainable and humane food systems.
Answered by Vicky Ford
At COP26, the UK announced the £65 million Just Rural Transition Support Programme to support developing countries design and implement approaches that help farmers build resilience and drive investment into more sustainable methods of agriculture. This builds on £9 million of current UK Government support to the Just Rural Transition which is helping countries to take initial steps to implement sustainable land use policies and practices. This is also a priority domestically. Following our exit from the European Union, England has begun a programme of ambitious agriculture reform. This new policy will, over a gradual transition period, phase out the area-based EU style subsidies and instead introduce a package of voluntary grants and continuous payments which reward farmers for environmental outcomes, increase productivity and support investment in technology.
It is clear that global food and agriculture systems are central drivers of climate change, contributing up to 33% of global Greenhouse Gas Emissions and are the leading driver of biodiversity loss. Through the COP26 campaign on Accelerating Transition to Sustainable Agriculture, the UK COP Presidency raised visibility and mobilised action for transformation in agriculture, land use and food systems, essential to ensure sustainable food production for a growing population whilst building resilience for farmers and a just transition to reduce emissions and reversing harmful impacts on biodiversity.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what steps her Department taking to help encourage the resolution of disputes between the federal government in Iraq and the Kurdistan Regional Government; and if she will make a statement.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK supports a strong relationship between the Kurdistan Regional Government and Federal Government of Iraq and continues to encourage cooperation to resolve outstanding issues. We want to see a strong and successful Kurdistan region within a thriving and multicultural Iraq.
Asked by: Henry Smith (Conservative - Crawley)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policy of the Mauritian sovereignty claim on the Chagos islands.
Answered by Amanda Milling
The UK has no doubt about its sovereignty over the British Indian Ocean Territory (BIOT), which we have held continuously since 1814.
Mauritius has never held sovereignty over BIOT and we do not recognise its claim.
However, we stand by our commitment, first made in 1965, to cede sovereignty of the territory to Mauritius when it is no longer needed for defence purposes.