Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she plans to include provisions to extend the length of farm business tenancies in her proposed long-term plan for food and farming.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government recognises that longer tenancies for some farm businesses are important to provide tenants with security to invest and grow their businesses. Flexibility to agree contracts that suit a range of business needs is also important to enable a diverse farming sector. We are working closely with industry to develop policy priorities for a 25-year Food and Farming Plan. Agricultural tenancies and other farming business models will be considered as part of these discussions to help deliver a competitive farming sector in future.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on reforming the taxation of let agricultural land to encourage longer-term farm business tenancies.
Answered by George Eustice
The Secretary of State has had no discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on this issue.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
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 encourage the letting of longer-term farm business tenancies.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government recognises that longer tenancies for some farm businesses are important to provide tenants with security to invest and grow their businesses. Flexibility to agree contracts that suit a range of business needs is also important to enable a diverse farming sector. We are working closely with industry to develop policy priorities for a 25-year Food and Farming Plan. Agricultural tenancies and other farming business models will be considered as part of these discussions to help deliver a competitive farming sector in future.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
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 effect of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 in improving the efficiency of land use in the agricultural sector.
Answered by George Eustice
An assessment of the Agricultural Tenancies Act 1995 was published in 2002. This included the extent to which the Act had improved the economic efficiency of land use. The assessment concluded there was some evidence of an improvement in economic efficiency, but clearer evidence that the Act had resulted in an increase in let land and that Farm Business Tenancies had provided a simple vehicle to enable farm businesses to expand.
Data on the areas of land under different agricultural tenures can be found on GOV.UK (at https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/structure-of-the-agricultural-industry-in-england-and-the-uk-at-june
and https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/farm-rents).
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
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 the use of antibiotics in animals was accounted for by mass medication in the last six years.
Answered by George Eustice
Data collected on antibiotics sold for use in animals does not show what an antibiotic was used for, or in how many animals it was administered.
Antibiotics for administration through medicated feeding stuffs and water, which are typically used to treat livestock groups of any size, have accounted for, on average, 88% of total sales of veterinary antibiotics for the last six years.
Regardless of administration route, antibiotics can only be prescribed by a veterinary surgeon following a clinical diagnosis.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate her Department has made of how many apprentices work in the food, farming and agri-tech sector.
Answered by George Eustice
The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills publish data online showing Apprenticeship Programme Starts by Sector Framework, including agriculture, horticulture, animal care and food manufacture:
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish in full all monitoring data collected in each year of the badger culls in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Answered by George Eustice
In April 2014 and December 2014 respectively, the Government published monitoring data for the badger culls in 2013 and 2014 in Gloucester and Somerset. The Government plans to publish monitoring data for culling in subsequent years.
Asked by: Maria Eagle (Labour - Liverpool Garston)
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 plans to take to ensure that she receives independent scientific advice on safety, effectiveness and humaneness for each year of the badger cull pilots in Gloucestershire and Somerset.
Answered by George Eustice
The Independent Expert Panel provided advice on the safety, effectiveness and humaneness of controlled shooting of free-ranging badgers, during the pilot phase which took place during a six-week period in 2013. We have since moved from piloting to implementation.
Natural England will continue to monitor this year’s culls. Monitoring will include compliance checks, and observing accuracy of shooting by new contractors. Effectiveness and progress in each cull area will continue to be monitored closely during the culls, and the police will continue to be closely involved to ensure shooting is carried out safely.