Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 potential impact on nesting birds of delinking publicly funded farm payments and minimum good practice requirements for hedges because of the transition from basic payments to the Environmental Land Management scheme.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We recognise the importance and value of hedgerows, which have a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change and enhancing our countryside. As we move away from legacy EU Common Agricultural Policy arrangements, we are committed to ensuring our high environmental standards are maintained and that we have the right framework in place. Whilst the majority of hedgerows are on agricultural land, approximately a fifth are not. It is important, therefore, that all landowners recognise their importance and do their bit to protect them.
The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales outside of cross compliance. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. It decides whether a hedgerow is ‘important’ and should not be removed because of its wildlife, landscape, historical or archaeological value. Alongside the Hedgerows Regulations, all wild birds, their eggs and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing, injuring or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests. These regulations jointly provide important protections for most countryside hedgerows and for nesting wild birds.
In addition to these legislative protections, our new Environmental Land Management schemes will also continue to fund the improvement and management of hedgerows, in recognition of their historical, cultural and environmental value to our countryside.
We will be consulting shortly on what the regulatory arrangements for hedgerows should be after cross compliance ceases at the end of 2023 and how we can best continue to improve and protect hedgerows.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 ensure that the gap in legal protection for hedgerows because of the transition from basic payments to the Environmental Land Management scheme that will arise on 31 December 2023 will be filled on 1 January 2024.
Answered by Mark Spencer
We recognise the importance and value of hedgerows, which have a key role in conserving and enhancing biodiversity, tackling climate change and enhancing our countryside. As we move away from legacy EU Common Agricultural Policy arrangements, we are committed to ensuring our high environmental standards are maintained and that we have the right framework in place. Whilst the majority of hedgerows are on agricultural land, approximately a fifth are not. It is important, therefore, that all landowners recognise their importance and do their bit to protect them.
The Hedgerows Regulations 1997 set legal protections for hedgerows in England and Wales outside of cross compliance. These existing regulations prohibit the removal of most countryside hedgerows (or parts of them) without first seeking approval from the local planning authority. It decides whether a hedgerow is ‘important’ and should not be removed because of its wildlife, landscape, historical or archaeological value. Alongside the Hedgerows Regulations, all wild birds, their eggs and their nests are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, which prohibits killing, injuring or taking of wild birds or taking or damaging their eggs and nests. These regulations jointly provide important protections for most countryside hedgerows and for nesting wild birds.
In addition to these legislative protections, our new Environmental Land Management schemes will also continue to fund the improvement and management of hedgerows, in recognition of their historical, cultural and environmental value to our countryside.
We will be consulting shortly on what the regulatory arrangements for hedgerows should be after cross compliance ceases at the end of 2023 and how we can best continue to improve and protect hedgerows.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department is taking steps to help tackle the sale of (a) Ferber Painting Badger Killer, (b) Ferber Painting Hedgehog Killer and (c) other illegal poisons that are used on protected species.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The Government strongly condemns any attempts to harm or kill hedgehogs or badgers with either of the named Ferber Painting products, and the use of any poisons targeted at our protected species. Badgers and hedgehogs are both protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Those found guilty of such illegal activities can expect to face the full force of the law, including potentially severe fines and custodial sentences.
The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) is investigating after being made aware of Ferber Painting products being advertised for sale online for the control of protected species.
There are strict regulations in place in Great Britain (GB) to make sure that products for pest control are used properly. Products must be authorised before they can be made available on the market and must be used in accordance with the conditions of that authorisation. There are no such authorisations for the two Ferber Painting products referenced.
It is a criminal offence to fail to comply with the laws that regulate the supply of chemicals in GB, or to use chemicals in a way which harms people, pets, protected species or the wider environment, with penalties that may lead to unlimited fines or imprisonment.
There are robust, multi-agency arrangements in place for enforcing the illegal supply and use of chemicals which include HSE, the Environment Agency, the police and local authorities, with the illegal poisoning of protected species investigated by a dedicated Wildlife Incident Investigation Scheme. HSE will be engaging with these agencies where appropriate as part of this investigation.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when her Department will respond formally to the recommendations in the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime report Wildlife and Forest Crime Analytic Toolkit Report: United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, published in August 2021.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
We welcome this report and the fact that it recognises the UK's global leadership in fighting wildlife and forestry crime. We invited the UN to undertake this analysis and we are proud to be the first G7 country to request this assessment.
We are carefully considering all the recommendations to help us build on the positive progress we have already made in tackling wildlife crime. This will include strategic engagement with our partners that have responsibilities where individual recommendations are concerned such as the devolved administrations, the Crown Prosecution Service, and the National Wildlife Crime Unit.
Progress has already been made in response to the report. For example, this year Defra has more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from £165,000 per year to over £1.2 million over the next three years. Additionally, Border Force has increased numbers in their team specialising in the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). Defra is not under any obligation to formally respond to the UNODC's assessment, but we will identify where we can act, including with stakeholders, to strengthen the UK's approach to tackling wildlife and forestry crime.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her policies of the report by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds entitled 2021: Birdcrime: fighting raptor persecution, published 15 October 2022; and whether her Department has taken recent steps to help tackle raptor persecution.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The RSPB 2021 Birdcrime report, was published on 15th November so, as yet, we have not fully assessed the findings of the report.
The Government takes wildlife crime seriously. Raptor persecution is a national wildlife crime priority and there are strong penalties in place for offences committed against birds of prey and other wildlife. Most wildlife crimes carry up to an unlimited fine and/or a six-month custodial sentence.
Defra supports the work of Bird of Prey Crime Priority Delivery Group, which brings together police, government and stakeholders from conservation and country sports organisations to tackle raptor persecution. This year Defra has more than doubled its funding of the National Wildlife Crime Unit (NWCU) from £165,000 per year to over £1.2 million over the next three years to target wildlife crime priorities, in particular crimes against birds of prey. In addition, we are providing funding to Science and Advice for Scottish Agriculture (SASA) to develop DNA forensic analysis for the police and other organisations investigating crimes against peregrine falcons.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
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 make it her policy to ensure that hedgerows are central to Environmental Land Management Schemes, including the provision of funding to plant and restore hedgerows that enhance local landscape character.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Hedgerows and field boundaries are the very essence of our British countryside. They provide vital resources for mammals, birds, and insect species. Many are also important historical and cultural landscape features. Our new environmental land management schemes will fund the management of hedgerows, in recognition of their historical, cultural and environmental value to our countryside. Capital grants to support the planting and reinstatement of hedgerows are currently available via the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she will include capital support for planting new or reinstating hedgerows within the new Sustainable Farming Incentive.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Following our exit from the Common Agricultural Policy, environmentally sustainable farming will be fundamental to our approach to England’s agricultural system. The development of our new environmental land management schemes will continue to recognise the role and fund the management of hedgerows. For example, a Hedgerow Standard has been included within the initial phase of piloting of the Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme. Capital grants to support the planting and reinstatement of hedgerows are currently available via the Countryside Stewardship scheme.
We are working with Sustainable Farming Incentive pilot participants to gather learning from the pilot version of the Standard and are incorporating this feedback into the development of the live version of the Hedgerow Standard and its supporting capital items, which are due to be rolled out into the scheme in 2023.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to publish the findings of the review of the case for implementing Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
HM Government is currently undertaking a review of the case for implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The review and decision on implementation will be reported in Autumn 2022.
Asked by: Olivia Blake (Labour - Sheffield Hallam)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he plans to implement Schedule 3 of the Flood and Water Management Act 2010 to require the installation of sustainable drainage systems in new developments.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
HM Government is currently undertaking a review of the case for implementing Schedule 3 to the Flood and Water Management Act 2010. The review and decision on implementation will be reported in Autumn 2022.