Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate the Government has made of the proportion of live animals and products of animal origin which currently require documentary, identity and physical checks on entry into Northern Ireland from Great Britain.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
There are currently no requirements regarding sanitary or phytosanitary (SPS) checks on most products of animal origin (POAO) intended for human consumption on entry into Northern Ireland (NI) from Great Britain (GB). They do not need to be certified by an Official Veterinarian. Certain live animals and germinal products under commercial movement from GB to NI, including livestock such as cattle and sheep, do require a health certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian. These live animal movements are currently subject to a degree of checks at the port of entry, determined by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs as the relevant competent authority.
Endangered animals and plants covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) do not currently require CITES checks on entry from GB to NI, although some specimens may require specific documentation for commercial use.
POAO travelling from GB to NI do not require an export health certificate or SPS documentary, visual and physical checks.
There are SPS, regulatory and customs checks as goods arrive in NI from third countries. This will not change as a result of the NI Protocol.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of live animals and products of animal origin currently require a Export Health Certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian in consignments between Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
There are currently no requirements regarding sanitary or phytosanitary (SPS) checks on most products of animal origin (POAO) intended for human consumption on entry into Northern Ireland (NI) from Great Britain (GB). They do not need to be certified by an Official Veterinarian. Certain live animals and germinal products under commercial movement from GB to NI, including livestock such as cattle and sheep, do require a health certificate signed by an Official Veterinarian. These live animal movements are currently subject to a degree of checks at the port of entry, determined by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs as the relevant competent authority.
Endangered animals and plants covered by the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) do not currently require CITES checks on entry from GB to NI, although some specimens may require specific documentation for commercial use.
POAO travelling from GB to NI do not require an export health certificate or SPS documentary, visual and physical checks.
There are SPS, regulatory and customs checks as goods arrive in NI from third countries. This will not change as a result of the NI Protocol.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to bring forward legislative proposals to reduce levels of plastic pollution.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government published the Resources and Waste Strategy in December last year which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.
Domestically we have made good progress: from banning microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and removing 15.6 billion plastic bags from circulation with our 5p charge to strengthening the protection of our marine areas.
We have already consulted on banning plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and are currently consulting on extending the carrier bag charge. We will shortly consult on reforming existing packaging waste regulation, introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and increasing consistency in the recycling system. Legislative proposals will be developed taking account of the consultation responses.
The Government will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products.
The 25 Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to remove all single-use consumer plastics from central Government offices and the Resources and Waste Strategy has confirmed that the Government will do this by 2020. A number of Departments, including Defra, have already taken steps to eliminate single-use consumer plastics from their operations.
The Government is also committed to the plastics tax announced by the Chancellor.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
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 the Government's progress on reducing plastic pollution.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government published the Resources and Waste Strategy in December last year which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.
Domestically we have made good progress: from banning microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and removing 15.6 billion plastic bags from circulation with our 5p charge to strengthening the protection of our marine areas.
We have already consulted on banning plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and are currently consulting on extending the carrier bag charge. We will shortly consult on reforming existing packaging waste regulation, introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and increasing consistency in the recycling system. Legislative proposals will be developed taking account of the consultation responses.
The Government will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products.
The 25 Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to remove all single-use consumer plastics from central Government offices and the Resources and Waste Strategy has confirmed that the Government will do this by 2020. A number of Departments, including Defra, have already taken steps to eliminate single-use consumer plastics from their operations.
The Government is also committed to the plastics tax announced by the Chancellor.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether the Government plans to phase-out unnecessary single-use plastic.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The Government published the Resources and Waste Strategy in December last year which sets out our plans to reduce plastic pollution. This builds on the commitment in the 25 Year Environment Plan to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste.
Domestically we have made good progress: from banning microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and removing 15.6 billion plastic bags from circulation with our 5p charge to strengthening the protection of our marine areas.
We have already consulted on banning plastic straws, stirrers and cotton buds and are currently consulting on extending the carrier bag charge. We will shortly consult on reforming existing packaging waste regulation, introducing a deposit return scheme for drinks containers and increasing consistency in the recycling system. Legislative proposals will be developed taking account of the consultation responses.
The Government will continue to review the latest evidence on problematic products and materials to take a systematic approach to reducing the use of unnecessary single-use plastic products.
The 25 Year Environment Plan includes a commitment to remove all single-use consumer plastics from central Government offices and the Resources and Waste Strategy has confirmed that the Government will do this by 2020. A number of Departments, including Defra, have already taken steps to eliminate single-use consumer plastics from their operations.
The Government is also committed to the plastics tax announced by the Chancellor.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
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 23 October 2018 to Question 180250 on Pet Travel Scheme, if he will publish the (a) increased resources at major UK ports and (b) the responsibilities of the intelligence-led Task Force.
Answered by David Rutley
The Animal and Plant Health Agency is responsible for monitoring puppy imports at major UK ports. Since January 2017 the resources made available for monitoring puppy imports have increased by one-third.
The Task Force is a forum that enables agencies to collaborate in coordinating action to disrupt and reduce illegal dog importation activities. Membership of the Task Force and specific responsibilities are in the process of being agreed and this is expected to be finalised in the near future.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
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 report Puppy Smuggling: When will this cruel trade end?, published by the Dogs Trust, what steps his Department is taking to tackle abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme.
Answered by David Rutley
Defra takes the health and welfare of dogs coming into the UK very seriously. We share Dogs Trust’s concerns about illegal puppy trafficking, where commercial operators have abused European Union (EU) pet travel rules to traffic underage puppies into the UK, using falsified pet passports to conceal the animals’ true ages.
Defra has zero tolerance for this abuse of the Pet Travel Scheme. Defra has published guidance for owners on buying a pet. This contains guidelines such as buying from a reputable supplier and viewing the animal and its documentation, and also highlights the trade in illegal imports. A wider public communications campaign is also being planned.
We have increased resourcing at major UK ports. The UK carries out more checks at the border than most other EU Member States and penalties are in place where people are found to be breaking these rules. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is working in partnership with Dogs Trust, enforcement bodies and transport carriers to identify non-compliant animals destined for Dover and Folkestone ports. This partnership began in December 2015 and has since then resulted in over 800 puppies being seized and placed into quarantine.
Defra has also launched an intelligence-led Task Force to work on this issue. We are working with a wide range of stakeholders (including Dogs Trust) to develop long term solutions to the illegal puppy trade.
Defra considers it extremely important to raise the profile of this issue at an EU level. In 2017, an EU Platform on Animal Welfare was set up, and the UK is a member of this. It contains a specific, smaller subgroup on the dog trade. Defra considers this subgroup to be an important initiative and our Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer will speak at a conference on the Online Puppy Trade in Brussels in November, which is affiliated with this subgroup.
Defra has in recent months held a consultation on a proposed ban on commercial third party puppy and kitten sales in England. This would mean that anyone looking to buy or adopt a puppy or kitten must either deal directly with the breeder or with one of the nation’s many animal rehoming centres. It is hoped that this will drive up animal welfare standards and deter those motivated to traffic puppies into the UK and sell them on for financial gain. This consultation closed in September and is now being reviewed.
We welcome the latest Dogs Trust report and will be reviewing the evidence it presents to consider what further action can be taken to end the illegal puppy trade.
Asked by: Louise Haigh (Labour - Sheffield Heeley)
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 whether there is a link between fracking and the production of non-degradable plastics.
Answered by David Rutley
I refer the Hon. Member to the answer given by the Minister of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to PQ 146306.