Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has received from businesses on the decision of the Environment Agency to close its Definition of Waste Panel to new applications; and what assessment she has made of the effect of that closure on businesses.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
Defra and the Environment Agency have received 12 representations from businesses and three from the trade press about the closure of the Definition of Waste Panel. A review of the points made by businesses shows that their main concerns relate to economic effects, business development and innovation.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to promote the use of more sustainable materials in topsoil and mulch products.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
We are supporting the horticulture sector to work towards targets for the removal of peat use in horticulture by 2020 for the retail sector and 2030 for the commercial sector as set out in the Natural Environment White Paper published in 2011. Part of this work is focussed on working with the industry on the development of a tool for assessing responsibly sourced and manufactured growing media ingredients.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
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 whether the requirement of the ferry company DFDS to require companion animals such as dogs and cats to remain inside vehicles and unattended during ferry crossings is compliant with her Department's pet travel policies.
Answered by George Eustice
Carriers who transport companion animals, such as pet cats and dogs, are obliged to meet the requirements of Council Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. This Regulation requires commercial carriers, such as the ferry company DFDS, to be authorised as an animal transporter. Authorised transporters must ensure that staff are trained and must have procedures and operating instructions in place that demonstrate compliance with the Regulation.
In addition, in England, we also expect ferry companies to take into account the requirements of The Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs and the Code of Practice for the Welfare of Cats when transporting cats and dogs in order to meet their welfare needs in accordance with the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
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 prevent ferry companies from requiring companion animals, such as dogs and cats, to remain inside vehicles and unattended during ferry journeys.
Answered by George Eustice
Carriers who transport companion animals are obliged to meet the requirements of the EU Welfare in Transport Regulation (EC) No 1/2005 as well as either The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006, or The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Scotland) Order 2006 or The Welfare of Animals (Transport) (Wales) Order 2007, depending on where the animals arrive in Great Britain.
Commercial carriers, such as ferry companies, specify their own terms and conditions of carriage for companion animals and this provides the most appropriate way of meeting both animal welfare and operational needs.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to ban third party sales of dogs and puppies while allowing an exemption for registered and approved rehoming charities.
Answered by George Eustice
We are currently reviewing the regulations that control the breeding and sale of dogs following a recent Defra public consultation on the licensing by local authorities of animal establishments. Whilst there are no proposals to ban the sales of dogs by third parties, there are proposals to tighten up the standards of welfare that apply to such activities. We published the summary of responses to the consultation on 15 September and shall announce the outcome in due course.
Asked by: Paul Monaghan (Scottish National Party - Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross)
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 effect of the UK's decision to leave the EU on the rural economy.
Answered by Baroness Coffey
The UK is still a member of the EU and we will continue to engage with EU business as normal and be engaged in EU decision-making in the usual way.
Once Article 50 is invoked, we will remain bound by EU law until the withdrawal agreement comes into force.
We now have a historic opportunity to deliver an environment for future generations to be proud of, grow our world-leading food and farming industry that continues to attract significant global investment and harness the enormous economic potential of our rural communities.