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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 25 Jan 2018
Oral Answers to Questions

"By when does the Minister think that Volkswagen will face criminal charges in the UK for its emissions scandal?..."
Nick Smith - View Speech

View all Nick Smith (Lab - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 26 Oct 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"Can I press the Secretary of State to confirm whether the Government have undertaken an assessment of the impact of Brexit on the food and drink manufacturing sector, and to explain how they have consulted with businesses as part of that process?..."
Nick Smith - View Speech

View all Nick Smith (Lab - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 20 Jul 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"In Blaenau Gwent, we are proud of our Tudor Brewery. However, although beers can trade on their Britishness, there is no guarantee that they are produced on these shores. With calls to buy British ever louder, what are the Government doing to ensure that customers know that British brands are …..."
Nick Smith - View Speech

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Written Question
Food: Labelling
Thursday 20th July 2017

Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)

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 promote (a) local and (b) British produce through food labelling.

Answered by Baroness Coffey

Accurate and informative food labelling helps people know the quality and provenance of their food. Most food for sale in the UK is labelled with the country of origin and producers are developing labelling to show the provenance of their food whether it is local to the community in which it is sold or made in Britain. The Government wants this to continue and will do what we can to protect the UK’s iconic food and drink.

Protected Food Names, for example Traditional Welsh Cider and Traditional Welsh Perry, offer an effective way to demonstrate great local and UK food and we are working to increase the number of products covered by the protected designation of origin (PDO), protected geographical indication (PGI), and traditional specialities guaranteed schemes (TSG): the newest being Conwy Mussels.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Wed 26 Apr 2017
Diesel Fumes: Islwyn

"Does my hon. Friend agree that companies such as Volkswagen seem to be getting off scot free with their diesel emissions scandal? Does he further agree that all our constituents need is a Government who hold companies such as Volkswagen to account for their very bad behaviour?..."
Nick Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 02 Mar 2017
Oral Answers to Questions

"Farmers are facing a critical shortage of seasonal labour, and some are afraid that our food will rot in the ground this year. The Government have been asked to reverse their decision to scrap the seasonal agricultural workers scheme, and Ministers say that they are reviewing the issue, but can …..."
Nick Smith - View Speech

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Written Question
Packaging: Recycling
Thursday 27th October 2016

Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what meetings her Department has had with supermarkets to discuss ensuring their packaging for produce and goods is recyclable.

Answered by Baroness Coffey

The Department has regular meetings and conversations with retailer stakeholder groups and representatives from the packaging industry, including representatives of supermarkets. The Department also works through the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) on wide-ranging initiatives aimed at increasing recycling. Many of these initiatives, including the Courtauld Commitment, involve supermarkets.

Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 13 Oct 2016
Oral Answers to Questions

"Given the recent discovery of a livestock strain of MRSA in British meat products in UK supermarkets, what action is the Secretary of State’s Department taking to stop the emergence of resistant bacteria? Will she increase support to UK farmers on the use of antibiotics in meat production, to address …..."
Nick Smith - View Speech

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Speech in Commons Chamber - Thu 07 Jul 2016
Oral Answers to Questions

"Cheers, Mr Speaker. [Laughter.] I am glad that the food unit is showing success. However, while the Secretary of State boasts about her support for British food, DEFRA headquarters sources almost half its food from overseas, and other Departments are falling even further behind. Why is DEFRA not …..."
Nick Smith - View Speech

View all Nick Smith (Lab - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney) contributions to the debate on: Oral Answers to Questions
Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Food
Thursday 12th May 2016

Asked by: Nick Smith (Labour - Blaenau Gwent and Rhymney)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the budget is for food produced for her Department's offices at Smith Square, London; and what proportion of food produced for her Department was sourced from British producers in the last period for which figures are available.

Answered by George Eustice

Defra does not set a budget for food served in the canteen at its Smith Square offices (Nobel House). Catering services are provided by a private company under contract to Defra which leases facilities in Nobel House and provides food to staff without subsidy. Spending on food is determined by the contractor based on sales receipts from Defra staff.

Defra has worked with its current supplier to align the existing contract with the requirements of the balanced scorecard.

The amount of food sourced from British producers for Nobel House was 56% (Jan-Mar 2016). This figure includes non-indigenous products; including drinks such as tea and coffee. It marks, overall, an improvement of 4% over the previous quarter. Furthermore, all meat, milk and yoghurt served in Nobel House is produced in the UK.