Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
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 ensure free movement of cultivated plant biodiversity.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
UK plant health controls take a risk-based approach informed by the evidence and balance ensuring robust biosecurity with the facilitation of trade. The threat from plant pests and diseases is significant and growing due to globalisation and climate change.
The increase in trade and travel has resulted in an escalation in the volume and diversity of plants and plant products entering the UK from sources across the world. These plant imports can act as hosts or vectors and are one of the primary ways in which new pests and diseases can be introduced.
High plant health and biosecurity standards keep harmful pests and diseases, like Xylella fastidiosa, out of the UK, benefiting both the horticultural trade and the environment in the long term. The UK has some of the highest plant health and biosecurity standards in the world, and we have been clear we will not compromise on these standards. They are integral to supporting and protecting the horticultural industry overall as well as sustaining our food supply and natural environment.
The UK Plant Health Risk Group is continuously reviewing risks to plant biosecurity and identifying actions needed to mitigate the most significant threats. These include keeping our regulatory regime up to date, carrying out focused surveillance and inspections, contingency planning, research, and awareness raising as well as identifying areas where intervention would not be helpful or justified.
Further, the UK is a member of both:
o the OECD Seed Schemes which provide harmonised standards for the international trade of seed of regulated plant species for agriculture, and
o the OECD Forest Seed and Plant Scheme which ensures Forest Reproductive Material (FRM) is produced, controlled and traded according to harmonised standards.
The EU has granted equivalence to the UK for agricultural seed (excluding production of vegetable seed), fruit and vegetable propagating material, and forest reproductive material (FRM), ensuring these commodities may be marketed in the EU.
The UK Plant Health Information Portal has published Defra guidance to importers and exporters of plant material to support trade facilitation.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
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 establish a plant health agreement with the EU for the export of seeds, plants and trees.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is not looking to establish a specific plant health agreement with the EU
The Trade and Cooperation Agreement includes a sanitary and phytosanitary (SPS) chapter which allows the UK and the EU to take a risk-based approach to our respective SPS border controls and provides a basis for cooperation on avoiding unnecessary barriers to trade.
A key part of this is the Trade Specialised Committee, which is tasked with regularly reviewing the Parties' SPS measures, including certification requirements and border clearance processes, and their application, in order to facilitate trade between the Parties.
We are open to discussions with the EU on additional steps to further reduce trade friction, but these cannot be on the basis of future alignment with EU rules. This would compromise UK sovereignty over our own laws.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of the adequacy of support available to the ornamental horticulture and landscaping industry in the transition to peat-free plant exports.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Alongside publishing our consultation on ending the sale of peat and peat containing products in horticulture in England and Wales, we assessed the economic impact of each of the proposed measures. This assessment can be found at: Consultation Impact Assessment Ending the Retail Sale of Peat in Horticulture in England and Wales.pdf (defra.gov.uk)
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the potential merits of extending the seasonal workers visa scheme from six to nine months to include tree production and other ornamental horticulture workers.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is considering the latest data and working with the ornamental horticulture production industry to understand labour demand and supply, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements. We will continue to monitor the labour needs of the ornamental horticulture sector and help to ensure that these are met.
The Seasonal Workers Pilot was expanded for 2021, from 10,000 to 30,000 visas, for workers to come to the UK for up to six months to pick and package fruit and vegetables on our farms.
The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment he has made of (a) ornamental horticulture’s contribution to the environment and biodiversity and (b) the potential merits of including that sector in the Seasonal Workers Pilot scheme to support the sector to increase the production of plants and trees.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
While no specific assessment has been made of the ornamental horticulture sector’s contribution to the environment and biodiversity, domestic ornamental horticulture production is an important part of the supply chain for green infrastructure. Green infrastructure includes greenspace such as parks and woodlands but also other environmental features such as street trees, hedgerows and green walls and roofs.
Defra is considering the latest data and working with the ornamental horticulture production industry to understand labour demand and supply, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements. We will continue to monitor the labour needs of the ornamental horticulture sector and help to ensure that these are met.
The Seasonal Workers Pilot was expanded for 2021, from 10,000 to 30,000 visas, for workers to come to the UK for up to six months to pick and package fruit and vegetables on our farms. The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the adequacy of supply of seasonal workers for ornamental horticulture.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
Defra is considering the latest data and working with the ornamental horticulture production industry to understand labour demand and supply, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements. We will continue to monitor the labour needs of the ornamental horticulture sector and to help ensure that these are met.
The Government has announced that the seasonal worker visa route will be extended to 2024 to allow overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months to harvest both edible and ornamental crops. 30,000 visas will be available. This will be kept under review with the potential to increase by 10,000 visas if necessary.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the levels of compensation required to support fishermen on the Tees Valley coast affected by the large scale deaths of crustacea in that area.
Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General
No assessment of the potential for compensation has been made as the investigation into the cause of the mass mortality is ongoing. The Department along with its Arm’s Length Bodies are undertaking extensive testing and engaging with fishermen and their representatives to get a fuller understanding of the incident.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions he has had with (a) Cefas and (b) the Environment Agency on investigating the cause of the deaths of crabs, lobster and other crustacea along the Tees Valley coastline.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra, Cefas, MMO and the Environment Agency (EA), along with other agencies, are continuing to collaborate on the investigation into the cause of death of crustacea along the Tees Valley and other parts of the coastline in the north east. The EA and Cefas have undertaken extensive tests to try to determine the cause and are reviewing the evidence gathered since the start of this incident, as well as considering any additional work needed. Previously, chemical pollution was ruled out by the EA as a likely cause for the mortality.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if his Department will publish the risk assessments and relevant documents relating to the dredging on the River Tees in September and October 2021.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
All applications, decisions and supporting documentation associated with licensed dredging activity are published on the Marine Licensing public register. This includes the results of sampling and testing undertaken in accordance with international guidance developed to ensure this activity does not harm marine life.
Asked by: Robert Goodwill (Conservative - Scarborough and Whitby)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what support his Department has given to fishermen and coastal communities affected by the mass deaths of crustacea on the Tees Valley coast.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Defra has regularly updated stakeholders and attended a public meeting on 14 December with the industry and its representatives. This gave an opportunity for industry to raise concerns and to hear actions taken to date as part of the multi-agency response to ascertain and address any potential cause for the mortality. Advice to fishermen and coastal communities has been provided in relation to food safety and hygiene practice, and we remain in close contact with fishermen and others to fully understand the impacts of the incident.