Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment his Department has made of the impact of fireworks on (a) domestic pets and (b) livestock.
Answered by Jo Churchill
Defra understands concerns about the distress fireworks can cause to domestic pets and livestock. Our assessment is that noisy fireworks have the capacity to cause distress to pets, livestock and wildlife. This is one of the reasons that there is a noise level limit of 120 decibels on fireworks for home use.
It is an offence under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 to cause an animal any unnecessary suffering and this includes through the misuse of fireworks. The Animal Welfare (Sentencing) Act came into force on 29 June 2021 and has increased the maximum penalty for cruelty to animals to five years’ imprisonment and/or an unlimited fine.
The Government also publishes a statutory Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs, which applies to all owners/keepers of dogs and which encourages dog owners/keepers to avoid exercising dogs in extreme weather or during times when fireworks could be let off. Further advice about pets and fireworks can be found on the Blue Cross website, here: https://www.bluecross.org.uk/pet-advice/fireworks-and-pets
Fireworks should not be set off near livestock or close to buildings that house livestock, or near to horses in fields. Anyone planning a firework display in rural areas should warn neighbouring farmers.
Fireworks used for professionally organised displays, classified as F4, are available for sale only to people who have undertaken an accredited course of training in pyrotechnics and who hold relevant professional insurance. It is up to local councils to decide whether or not to put on public displays.
We would encourage livestock owners who are concerned about planned firework displays to contact the organisers to see if any compromises can be made, such as using less noisy fireworks.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps he is taking to protect hedgerows across the UK.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Hedgerows are one of the most important ecological building blocks in our farmed landscape. They maintain the distinctive character of our countryside and provide crucial habitats and food for wildlife. Legal protection for hedgerows in England and Wales is provided by the Hedgerows Regulations 1997.
These 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’ because of its wildlife, landscape, historical or archaeological value and should not be removed.
A local authority also has the power to impose enforceable planning conditions on a developer to protect hedges or trees assessed as being worthy of retention, which might otherwise be harmed by construction or the new land-use. Land managers in receipt of Basic Payment Scheme payments are also required to protect hedgerows on their land.
Agri-environment schemes such as Countryside Stewardship fund the management of hedgerows to deliver recognised benefits for wildlife, landscape and the historic environment. Hedgerow management is one of the most popular options within Countryside Stewardship.
Following our exit from the European Union the development of our new environmental land management schemes will continue to recognise the role and fund the management of hedgerows. The hedgerow standard, part of the new Sustainable Farming Incentive scheme, will pay farmers to plant more hedgerows, leave them uncut or raise the cutting height.
Asked by: Peter Gibson (Conservative - Darlington)
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 take steps to strengthen local authority powers on tackling fly tipping from (a) members of the public and (b) commercial operators.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Fly-tipping is unacceptable and illegal wherever it occurs. It blights local communities and the environment and is an issue we are committed to tackling.
We have recently provided local authorities with enhanced enforcement powers to tackle fly-tipping. Since January 2019 local authorities have been able to issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of up to £400 to householders who fail in their duty of care and give their waste to fly-tippers. We had previously given local authorities the power to issue FPNs to those who were caught fly-tipping.
We have also given local authorities, that are also waste collection authorities, the power to search and or seize vehicles that they suspect have been involved, are involved or are about to be involved in fly-tipping and other waste crimes.
Going forward, we are seeking powers in the Environment Bill to ensure agencies and authorities can work more effectively to combat waste crime through better access to evidence and improved powers of entry.
In addition to enhancing enforcement powers, we committed in the Resources and Waste Strategy (RWS) to develop a fly-tipping toolkit to help local authorities and others work in partnership to tackle fly-tipping. The RWS is available at www.gov.uk/government/publications/resources-andwaste-strategy-for-england.