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
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.
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, how much his Department spent on (a) legal fees and (b) associated costs in connection with the proposed culling of Geronimo the alpaca from Shepherds Close Farm in Wickwar.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
With the exception of legal costs which were awarded to Defra by the High Court following the unsuccessful Judicial Review in 2019 and the owner’s failed appeal against the granting of a warrant, the costs associated with the compulsory slaughter of the twice-TB-test positive alpaca have not been separately accounted for.
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, whether fire and rescue services are exempt from bans on controlled burning where it facilitates wildfire training.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Fire and rescue services will not have a general exemption from the requirements of the regulations. We consider that our most protected sites are not the place for wildfire training, and that other more suitable locations exist. We will engage with the Chief Fire Officers Association to understand whether this will impact on their ability to retain their expertise.
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 representations he has received from Natural England on the (a) granting of licences for scientific research on deep peat to inform his Department's policy and land management decisions in the future and (b) continuation of long-term research on Moorhouse National Nature Reserve.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The request for a Minor and Temporary Adjustment to Higher Level Stewardship Schemes is a matter for the Rural Payments Agency in consultation with Natural England, who will take into consideration any wider circumstances surrounding that adjustment where it is made known to them.
In relation to the Moorhouse National Nature Reserve, there have been no representations to perform any future burning. There is no specific ban on burning for scientific purposes, but any such burning would need to be undertaken in accordance with the legislation.