Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the burning of peatland in England.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Government has always been clear on the need to end burning of protected blanket bog to conserve these vulnerable habitats and we are looking at how legislation could achieve this.
Progress is being made in promoting sustainable alternatives. We have urged landowners to adopt these and we continue to work with them constructively.
Our intention has always been to legislate if a voluntary approach failed to deliver.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps the Government is taking to reduce the risk of flooding in flood risk areas by maintaining (a) peatland, (b) natural dams and (c) other natural catchment areas and defences.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The use of nature based solutions is an important part of the Environment Agency’s (EA) strategy in strengthening resilience to flood and coastal erosion risk. Nature based solutions can include activities in different areas of a catchment for example:
Upper slopes (tree planting, leaky debris dams and peatbog restoration)
Mid-catchment (flood washlands and river re-connection and naturalisation)
Coastal (management and creation of coastal marsh and sand dune systems)
Nature based solutions that are appropriately designed and situated, can help manage flood and coastal risks, often alongside other measures. Nature based solutions can also provide benefits to the natural environment, including but not limited to habitat creation, increased biodiversity and improved water quality. Approximately 40 projects in the EA’s core Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management Investment programme include natural flood risk management elements and we expect the use of nature based solutions to increase.
Defra has a £15 million programme of 58 projects piloting the effectiveness of nature based solutions. These projects are testing new approaches to help determine where natural measures can be most effective at improving resilience to flood risk. Additionally, since 2003, the Moors for the Future Partnership has transformed over 32 square kilometres of bare and eroding peat in the Peak District and South Pennines through re-vegetation, grip and gully blocking, and sphagnum planting.
Finally the Government’s Agriculture Bill introduced to the House of Commons on 16 January sets out an ambitious and effective system based on the principles of ‘public money for public goods’. This new scheme will enable land managers to enter into agreements to be paid for delivering a range of public goods set out in the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan. This includes mitigation of and reduced risk from environmental hazards, such as flooding which could be achieved through natural flood management.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 (a) track and (b) reduce the volume of microplastics in rivers; and whether his Department plans to introduce an independent regulatory body to enforce and monitor the reduction of microplastics in wastewater and rivers.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Defra is working with the Environment Agency, Highways England, academics and the UK water industry to understand the scale of the microplastic pollution problem and to establish detection methods to monitor, characterise and quantify the types of microplastics entering our rivers. There has been substantive research reporting the presence and impacts of microplastics in the marine environment. However, little is known about their sources, release and impact on freshwaters and their ultimate transport to the marine environment. Defra has commissioned evidence reviews to further understand these issues and will use the outcomes from these and other research to develop policy options.
The Government has set a target to eliminate all avoidable plastic waste within the lifetime of the 25 year Environment Plan (by 2042) and set aside £20 million for research and development managed through the Plastics Innovation Fund in March 2018. A further £10 million was committed in the 2018 Autumn Budget for continued/additional plastics research and development along with £10 million to pioneer innovative approaches to boosting recycling and reducing litter.
The Department does not plan to introduce an independent regulatory body to enforce and monitor the reduction of microplastics in wastewaters and receiving rivers.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what welfare protections will be put in place for caged animals as part of the Agriculture Bill.
Answered by David Rutley
The Government shares the public’s high regard for animal welfare and the welfare of our farmed livestock is protected by comprehensive and robust legislation. This is backed up by statutory species specific welfare codes, which encourage high standards of husbandry and which keepers are required by law to have access to and be familiar with. Animal and Plant Health Agency inspectors and local authorities conduct inspections on farms to check that the animal welfare standards are being met.
Whatever the system of production, the most important factor in determining animal welfare is good stockmanship and the correct application of husbandry standards. This reflects the advice of the Farm Animal Welfare Committee.
We have already banned cages or close confinement systems where there is clear scientific evidence that they are detrimental to animal health and welfare. For example, we banned the keeping of calves in veal crates in 1990, the keeping of sows in close confinement stalls in the UK in 1999, and the use of conventional (‘battery’) cages for laying hens in 2012.
The Government will maintain its high regulatory baseline and look to raise standards sustainably over time as new research and evidence emerges. We have been very clear that our departure from the EU will not lead to a lowering of our high animal welfare standards. Our regulatory system will offer the same level of assurance of animal welfare following exit as it does now and we are actively exploring options for strengthening the UK system moving forward. We have introduced mandatory CCTV in abattoirs and are looking to control exports of live animals for slaughter. On 26 June, the Government introduced a Bill to enable tougher prison sentences for the worst animal abusers. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Bill means that animal abusers could face up to five years in prison, a significant increase from the current maximum sentence of six months. Courts will be able to take a firmer approach to cases such as dog fighting, abuse of puppies and kittens, or gross neglect of farm animals.
In England, we intend to use the powers in the Agriculture Bill to develop publicly funded schemes for farmers to deliver animal welfare enhancements beyond our high regulatory baseline that are not sufficiently rewarded by the market, and also want to provide greater transparency and certainty for consumers and for farmers. We will work with industry, retailers, welfare groups and the Farm Animal Welfare Committee to define these enhancements.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what events he attended to commemorate World Bee Day on 20 May 2019.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
World Bee Day’s objective is to raise public awareness of the role of beekeeping, bees and other pollinators in increasing food security and fighting hunger as well as providing key ecosystem services for agriculture.
Lord Gardiner, the Minister with responsibility for policy on bee health and pollinators, attended an event on 16 May at Winfield House, hosted by the United States Ambassador to the United Kingdom, to mark World Bee Day. The event was also attended by many of our partners on the National Pollinator Strategy and the Healthy Bees Plan. Lord Gardiner was invited to provide a short address in which he emphasised the importance of supporting healthy wild and managed bee populations.
Lord Gardiner also recently attended the RHS Chelsea Flower Show to support Sarah Eberle’s Gold Medal winning ‘Resilience Garden’ and its promotion of the importance of biosecurity in protecting our native species, including bees and other pollinators, from pests and disease.
Furthermore, at the Suffolk Show this May, Lord Gardiner celebrated the contribution local farmers are making to create vital habitats for bees and pollinators which, in turn, benefits the region’s crop production.
As part of the National Pollinator Strategy, Defra established and coordinates ‘Bees’ Needs Week’ alongside conservation groups, beekeepers, farmers, researchers and businesses to promote and raise awareness of the actions everyone can take for bees and other pollinators all year round. This year’s campaign runs from 8-14 July.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect of the introduction 5G services on the accuracy of weather forecast predictions.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
Defra Digital Data and Technology Services (DDTS) has been tracking, through its emerging technology scanning activity, the recent news on the potential impact of the introduction of 5G services on the accuracy of weather forecast predictions. Defra DDTS has not undertaken any assessment of this potential impact, and is not aware of any such assessment being undertaken within Defra.
The Environment Agency and the Met Office Flood Forecasting Service would be expected to undertake such an assessment, but this service is not within core Defra.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has to protect harbour porpoises from being trapped in gillnets.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The Government is working closely with stakeholders including the UK fishing industry to find ways to tackle this problem together. In March, we held a UK bycatch workshop to look at ways to effectively mitigate this problem, and over the coming months we will be working hard to develop and test practical solutions to this critical issue.
The report from the workshop will be published at the end of May. It will include a set of recommendations for tackling this problem and an outline of how Defra, working with stakeholders, intends to take these forward.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 the potential merits of ending the transfer of live animals for fattening.
Answered by David Rutley
The transport of live animals, including to fattening units, must comply with EU and domestic legislation aimed at protecting animal welfare.
Last year we launched a Call for Evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter and improving the welfare of all animals during transport. We have passed this evidence to the independent Farm Animal Welfare Committee and expect to receive their report and recommendations shortly.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 (a) maintain and (b) increase animal welfare standards in battery hen farms.
Answered by David Rutley
The use of conventional (“battery”) cages for laying hens has been banned in the UK since 2012. Laying hens are kept in either enriched colonies, free range, barn or organic systems. Enriched colonies provide more space for the birds to move around and are legally required to provide nest boxes, litter, perches, and claw shortening devices which allow the birds to carry out a greater range of natural behaviours.
The new statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Laying Hens and Pullets provides improved and up-to-date guidance for owners and keepers on how to comply with the legislation and help maintain high animal welfare standards.
We intend to continue being a world leader in animal welfare after we leave the EU by maintaining and strengthening our already world-class welfare standards. As part of our move to higher regulatory standards we intend to develop publicly-funded schemes for farmers to deliver animal welfare enhancements beyond our high regulatory baseline that are valued by the public.
Asked by: Mark Hendrick (Labour (Co-op) - Preston)
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 recent flooding incidents in Lancashire on (a) local residents, (b) roads and (c) sheep; and what measures he will put in place to reduce the risk of flooding in the future.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
On 16 March 2019 there was heavy rainfall across Lancashire, and reports of flooding to highways and alongside rivers. The Environment Agency (EA) issued flood warnings for Colne Water at Lenches, around Waterside Industrial Estate, the River Ribble at Samlesbury and Walton-le-Dale. Despite heavy rainfall affecting roads in East Lancashire and in the Ribble Valley no properties were reported as having been flooded. No road or property flooding was reported in Preston, however fire crews were called to a flooded field at Samlesbury where 170 marooned sheep were successfully rescued by Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service.
The EA is delivering a joint capital programme with other Risk Management Authorities to better protect over 34,000 homes from flooding in Lancashire between 2015 and 2021 at an estimated cost of £100 million. This programme has already delivered better protection to nearly 28,000 homes and over 1,000 businesses.
Planned future measures include the Preston South Ribble Scheme, which will improve flood mitigation to around 3,600 residential properties as well as over 300 businesses. This scheme, which is approaching the design stage, is expected to cost around £40 million and take 5-6 years to complete. Ground investigation surveys are due to start on 25 March 2019.