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Written Question
Pigs: Imports
Monday 14th November 2022

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to ensure that import controls are sufficient to protect UK pigs from African Swine Fever.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We announced new controls restricting the movement of pork and pork products into Great Britain to help safeguard Britain's pig population. Travellers from the EU are no longer allowed to bring pork or pork products weighing over two kilograms into GB, unless they are produced to the EU's commercial standards. The new controls, which came into force on 1 September, will strengthen GB's biosecurity in relation to the standards for bringing pork and pork products into GB from the EU and EFTA states. More information on the new controls can be found on GOV.UK.

www.gov.uk/government/news/strict-new-controls-on-pork-and-pork-products-to-protect-britains-pig-sector-against-african-swine-fever


Written Question
Food: Exports
Monday 14th November 2022

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

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 consult UK farmers and food processors on her decision to change pre-export requirements from a farmer declaration to a veterinary attestation with immediate effect on 13 December 2022.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Businesses exporting goods from GB to the EU are required by the EU to use Export Health Certificates (EHCs) signed by an official vet. EU law sets out the rules which animals and products from third countries must meet via an EHC. Since the introduction of the EU’s Animal Health Regulation in April 2021, these requirements have included a need for ‘regular’ animal heath visits by a veterinarian to establishments of origin of animals providing products of animal of origin for export i.e., for meat, the farm where the animals were kept before slaughter. These requirements are set by the EU and are not within the control of the UK Government. The purpose of the veterinary visit is to detect or provide information on the signs of disease and these visits must take place at a frequency proportionate to risk.

Official Veterinarians (OV) are required to meet the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons principles when signing Export Health Certificates. The process of providing evidence of regular vet visits is outlined to Official Veterinarians and exporters in the Notes for Guidance. We are aware of the concerns raised by industry about the process of providing evidence of regular vet visits for non-assured farms and we are engaging with businesses and the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons to try and ease the burden on exporters in meeting these EU requirements. Defra’s published existing Notes for Guidance to support this export activity is clear that 13 December date for a change to the form of evidence a certifying vet can accept will be kept under review. We expect to issue further information to industry in the coming weeks.


Written Question
Whisky: Scotland
Wednesday 24th February 2021

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

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 ability of the Scotch Whisky industry to contribute to national economic recovery after the covid-19 outbreak.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

No specific assessment has been made of the ability of the Scotch whisky industry to contribute to the national economic recovery from Covid-19. The Scotch whisky industry makes a significant contribution to the UK economy. We are confident that the strength and resilience of the industry will ensure that it successfully recovers from these challenging times and continues to contribute.


Written Question
Nature Conservation: 5G
Wednesday 3rd July 2019

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

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 effect of the roll-out of 5G on the sustainability of (a) insects, (b) other animals and (c) other wildlife.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

Defra has funded national and global assessments of the status of pollinators and the factors driving changes in their populations. These assessments do not identify 5G or electromagnetic radiation as a driver.

Defra has not undertaken any formal assessment of the potential effect of the roll out of the 5G network on insects, other animals or other wildlife. The Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport is the lead Department for 5G roll out and I refer the hon. Member to the reply previously given to the hon. Member for Stroud, Dr David Drew, on 29 May 2019 to PQ 256919.


Written Question
Food: Packaging
Monday 13th May 2019

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

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 encourage major supermarket chains to stop using plastic packaging for fruit and vegetables.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

The Packaging (Essential Requirements) Regulations already require all retailers to ensure that all their packaging does not exceed what is needed to make sure the products are safe, hygienic and acceptable for both the packed product and for the consumer. As part of the Resources and Waste Strategy, we have committed to review the effectiveness of these regulations by the end of next year.

We are also consulting on reforms to the way we manage packaging waste. We have set out in our consultation options for how we want to enhance the incentive for producers to make better packaging design choices.

Plastic packaging for some fruit and vegetables can extend their shelf life, which can help to reduce food waste.


Written Question
Water: Standards
Friday 22nd February 2019

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans the Government has to ensure the quality of (a) bathing water at UK beaches and (b) drinking water after the UK leaves the EU.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

The EU Withdrawal Act 2018 will make sure all existing EU environmental law continues to operate in UK law, providing businesses and stakeholders with certainty as we leave the EU. This will include the secondary legislation which has already transposed the EU Bathing Water Directive, which will ensure the UK maintains or surpasses the same standards and levels of testing for water quality required of EU Member States.

In January 2018, the Government published its 25 Year Plan for the environment detailing our ambition to be the first generation to leave the environment in a better state than we found it. As part of its plan for clean and plentiful water, the Government aims to minimise harmful bacteria in designated bathing waters by 2030 and make sure that potential bathers are warned of any short term pollution risks.

Drinking water and bathing waters are both devolved matters. With regards to drinking water, standards derived from the EU Drinking Water Directive have been transposed into UK law and the regulations in force cover the whole of the UK. These standards apply currently and will continue to apply when the UK leaves the EU. National standards which are not directly derived from the EU Drinking Water Directive are also enshrined in UK law and will remain so once the UK leaves. The UK is covered by three technical regulators of drinking water quality: the Drinking Water Inspectorate covering England and Wales, the Drinking Water Quality Regulator for Scotland and the Drinking Water Inspectorate for Northern Ireland. These organisations will continue their role in scrutinising water company activities and enforcing standards on departure from the EU. Bathing water quality standards are derived from the EU Bathing Water Directive and will also continue to apply when the UK leaves the EU. Water quality is monitored by the Environment Agency (in England), Natural Resources Wales, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency.


Written Question
Fisheries: Exports
Monday 18th February 2019

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the UK fishing industry will be able to export tariff free and without customs checks to EU markets after the transition period.

Answered by George Eustice

The objective of the future economic partnership between the UK and the EU is to provide for no tariffs, fees, charges or quantitative restrictions across all sectors. It would also provide for ambitious customs arrangements which builds on and improves the single customs territory provided for in the Withdrawal Agreement.

Under the Withdrawal Agreement, if the UK does not agree a trade agreement with the EU (and we subsequently need to enter the backstop) then fish products could be subject to tariffs unless a fisheries agreement is in place. The political declaration that accompanies the Withdrawal Agreement is clear that both the UK and EU will use their best endeavours to conclude and ratify a new fisheries agreement by 1 July 2020 so that it is in place in time to be used for determining fishing opportunities for the first year after the transition period.


Written Question
Plastics: Packaging
Thursday 1st February 2018

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions his Department has had with major supermarkets on the reduction of plastic use.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

Defra officials recently met Iceland’s Managing Director to discuss Iceland’s plan to eliminate plastic in its own brands by 2023.

In December 2017, the Secretary of State chaired a roundtable with representatives from across the plastic sector to discuss reducing the amount of packaging produced and increasing the level of recycling.

In November I wrote to a number of major retailers to ask about their packaging choices for specific products.


Written Question
Air Pollution
Tuesday 18th April 2017

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what mitigating actions local authorities that breach air quality targets are required to take.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

Sections 82 to 84 of the Environment Act 1995 require local authorities to review air quality in their areas and to designate an air quality management area (AQMA), where air quality objectives are not being achieved. Where an AQMA is designated, local authorities must produce an air quality action plan describing the pollution reduction measures to be put in place.

Local authorities in England can already implement Clean Air Zones voluntarily. We have recently consulted on a national framework for Clean Air Zones and supporting legislation to enable the Government to mandate local authorities to implement Clean Air Zones. This is a devolved matter.


Written Question
Air Pollution: Monitoring
Tuesday 18th April 2017

Asked by: Ian Murray (Labour - Edinburgh South)

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 introduce a national air quality monitoring system.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

Defra currently supports a network of 270 monitoring sites in the UK, measuring concentrations of 13 pollutants (270 sites active as at 12 December 2016). The Environment Agency manages the UK's national monitoring sites on behalf of Defra and the Devolved Administrations..

Many local authorities also undertake monitoring separately for the purpose of Local Air Quality Management. The majority of local authority monitoring stations are not part of Defra’s national monitoring network as they do not meet the criteria set out in European legislation.

Further information and pollutant monitoring data is available on the UK Air website.