Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reasons the list of agricultural products in schedule 1 part 1 of the Agriculture Bill does not include sheepmeat and pigmeat.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The current list of sectors in Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Agriculture Bill applies to England and is based on the list in EU Common Market Organisation Regulation No 1308/2013, which provides the legislative framework for existing EU marketing standards. There is a power in Part 3 of Schedule 1 that will enable the Government to add sectors to that schedule via secondary legislation. The list of sectors and the regulation-making power (including the power to add sectors to the list) are reproduced for Northern Ireland at paragraphs 15 and 16 of Schedule 4 of the Bill.
In England, the power to add sectors will be exercised if, following public consultation with interested stakeholders, a decision is made to introduce a new marketing standard. As agricultural policy in the UK is devolved, it is for each administration to decide its approach and what measures it should adopt. Decisions on amending the list in Schedule 4 of the Bill will fall to the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the proposed process is for adding products under part 1 of schedule 1 to the Agriculture Bill.
Answered by Robert Goodwill
The current list of sectors in Part 1 of Schedule 1 of the Agriculture Bill applies to England and is based on the list in EU Common Market Organisation Regulation No 1308/2013, which provides the legislative framework for existing EU marketing standards. There is a power in Part 3 of Schedule 1 that will enable the Government to add sectors to that schedule via secondary legislation. The list of sectors and the regulation-making power (including the power to add sectors to the list) are reproduced for Northern Ireland at paragraphs 15 and 16 of Schedule 4 of the Bill.
In England, the power to add sectors will be exercised if, following public consultation with interested stakeholders, a decision is made to introduce a new marketing standard. As agricultural policy in the UK is devolved, it is for each administration to decide its approach and what measures it should adopt. Decisions on amending the list in Schedule 4 of the Bill will fall to the Northern Ireland Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make an assessment of the potential merits of introducing a grant to encourage farmers with slurry tanks to erect more effective safety railings around those tanks.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government does not currently provide funding for safety rails around slurry tanks in England. However, we keep the focus of our Rural Development Programme schemes under review. If we were to introduce a scheme for slurry management under the programme in future we would consider what it should fund.
All UK administrations have their own EU funded Rural Development Programmes. Any funding for slurry tank safety rails in Northern Ireland through this means would be a matter for the Northern Ireland programme.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
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 has made an assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidies to UK flower producers after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The Government has not explicitly made an assessment of the potential merits of providing subsidies to UK flower producers after the UK leaves the EU.
We have made clear that we propose to phase out the concept of farm subsidies and replace them with a new system that rewards and encourages the delivery of public goods, principally environmental goods. The Government is currently consulting on a new domestic agriculture policy, including a new environmental land management system, to be introduced in the next Parliament.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate he has made of the total amount allocated to UK aquaculture through the European Fisheries Fund for the period 2007 to 2013.
Answered by George Eustice
The total amount allocated to UK aquaculture through the European Fisheries Fund (EFF) for the period 2007 to 2013 was £6,332,265. EFF funding was co-financed with £4,026,108 of national funding (UK Exchequer) along with private investment of £17,644,734, resulting in total investment in the aquaculture sector of £28,003,107.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
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 prevent the presence of plastic particles in bottled water.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The UK has world-leading standards of food safety and quality, backed by a rigorous legislative framework. The Natural Mineral Water, Spring Water and Bottled Drinking Water (England) Regulations 2007 set strict chemical and microbiological limits and minimum quality criteria for different types of bottled waters. Local Authority Trading Standards departments are responsible for enforcing the regulations on bottled waters and are required to carry out routine monitoring checks and sampling.
The Government is committed to maintaining the highest standards of food safety and quality for bottled waters to protect UK consumers.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
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 regulate the aquaculture sector after the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by George Eustice
The European Union (Withdrawal) Bill ensures that, so far as possible, the same rules and laws will apply on the day after we have left the EU as on the day before. This will provide the maximum possible certainty and continuity to businesses, workers and consumers across the UK.
Aquaculture sector policy is a devolved matter. In England, any future changes to the regulatory framework for aquaculture will need to be considered and consulted upon carefully. Any such changes should build on the success of existing initiatives and collaborations, such as those achieved as part of the Seafood 2040 plan, whilst working towards achieving the Government’s commitment within the 25 Year Environment Plan to achieve good environmental status in our seas while allowing marine industries (such as aquaculture) to thrive.
Asked by: Paul Girvan (Democratic Unionist Party - South Antrim)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the (a) quantum and (b) value of finfish (i) landed at (A) Portavogie, (B) Ardglass and (C) Kilkeel ports and (ii) produced through aquaculture in Northern Ireland between 2007 and 2017.
Answered by George Eustice
Landings of demersal and pelagic species into specified Northern Irish Ports by all vessels (UK and foreign) between 2007 and 2016 | |||
Port | Year | Quantity (tonnes) | Value (£) |
|
|
|
|
Ardglass | 2007 | 8,376 | £3,489,510 |
2008 | 8,408 | £3,325,027 | |
2009 | 6,875 | £2,753,290 | |
2010 | 9,448 | £4,309,981 | |
2011 | 9,265 | £6,534,563 | |
2012 | 6,338 | £4,532,077 | |
2013 | 6,663 | £3,162,364 | |
2014 | 8,056 | £4,391,489 | |
2015 | 4,100 | £1,815,755 | |
2016 | 3,108 | £1,971,925 | |
|
|
|
|
Kilkeel | 2007 | 909 | £1,257,164 |
2008 | 1,006 | £1,361,656 | |
2009 | 689 | £880,623 | |
2010 | 901 | £1,169,573 | |
2011 | 736 | £1,019,243 | |
2012 | 699 | £860,484 | |
2013 | 976 | £1,003,762 | |
2014 | 741 | £1,203,688 | |
2015 | 955 | £1,038,491 | |
2016 | 1,069 | £1,428,862 | |
|
|
|
|
Portavogie | 2007 | 591 | £1,080,025 |
2008 | 635 | £1,266,315 | |
2009 | 593 | £1,033,793 | |
2010 | 457 | £897,536 | |
2011 | 273 | £534,050 | |
2012 | 162 | £283,047 | |
2013 | 268 | £265,893 | |
2014 | 215 | £194,163 | |
2015 | 366 | £252,197 | |
2016 | 392 | £341,676 | |
Figures for 2017 are not currently available. Provisional UK wide fisheries statistics will be published on Friday 23rd February.
Quantum and Value of Finfish produced through aquaculture in Northern Ireland between 2007 and 2016 | ||
Year | Quantity (tonnes) | Value (£m) |
2007 | 830 | £2.1 |
2008 | 584 | £1.5 |
2009 | 1120 | £3.3 |
2010 | 1155 | £4.6 |
2011 | 1060 | £3.9 |
2012 | 945 | £4.1 |
2013 | 896 | £4.3 |
2014 | 1117 | £5.1 |
2015 | 1136 | £4.3 |
2016 | 1069 | £4.1 |
Figures for 2017 are not currently available.