Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she has made an assessment of the implications for her Department’s policies of the Surfers Against Sewage’s Citizen Science Brand Audit 2022.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
No assessment has been made of the implications of Defra policies in relation to Surfers Against Sewage's Citizen Science Brand Audit 2022. However, we have already made significant progress that aligns with their recommendations, introducing one of the world's toughest bans on microbeads in rinse-off personal care products and brought in measures to restrict the supply of plastic straws, plastic drink stirrers, and plastic-stemmed cotton buds in October 2020. The use of single-use carrier bags has been reduced in the main supermarkets by over 97% with our five, now ten, pence charge. We are going further and have consulted on a ban of single-use plastic plates, cutlery, balloon sticks and expanded and extruded polystyrene food and beverage containers.
Where we can reduce unnecessary packaging and incentivise more recyclable materials, we will do so. That is why we will introduce Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) for packaging from 2024, moving the cost of dealing with packaging waste from households away from local taxpayers and councils and onto the packaging producers. This will encourage businesses to think carefully about how much packaging they use, to design and use packaging that is easily recyclable, and encourage use of reusable and refillable packaging. Our plans to introduce a Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers is expected to deter littering; increase recycling; provide higher quality recyclate for reprocessors; and drive changes in consumer behaviour.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 for the implications of his policy on food security of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s report entitled Labour shortages in the food and farming sector, published 29 March 2022.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Enabling an innovative, productive and competitive food supply chain which invests in its people and the skills they need is a priority for this Government
The Government thanks the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee for its report into labour shortages in the food and farming sector. We are aware that there are both short and long-term workforce challenges across the food and farming sector, particularly with respect to seasonal labour. It is with great concern that we have seen evidence of horticulture businesses reducing their plantings, ploughing in crops or considering offshoring production because of concerns over labour availability, all of which have food security implications.
Defra continues to work closely with industry and other government departments to understand labour supply and demand and its implications, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce. We extended the Seasonal Worker visa route until 2024 and expanded the number of visas available through this route to 40,000 (now including 2000 visas for poultry workers to meet pre-Christmas demand) as a result of the clear evidence of need this year. Last autumn we delivered emergency, temporary visa schemes for the poultry, pork, and HGV food transportation sectors in response to specific challenges, and introduced an accompanying package of non-immigration measures to alleviate pressures in the pig sector, including Private Storage Aid and Slaughter Incentive Payment Schemes.
As announced in the Government Food Strategy, the Government will soon be commissioning an independent review to tackle labour shortages in the food supply chain, covering automation, domestic labour and migration. The review will consider the challenges facing food and farming businesses to access the labour they require and will provide recommendations.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, with reference to the Environment Agency’s environmental performance report 2021 in respect of water and sewerage companies in England, published on 14 July 2021, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the (a) statutory powers and (b) resources it has to ensure water and sewerage companies meet their environmental performance targets and obligations.
Answered by Steve Double
The Environment Agency (EA) published the latest Environmental Performance Assessment of water companies on 14 July (www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-2021/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-2021). This report showed that most water companies' performance had declined. This is simply unacceptable and the Government, Ofwat, and the EA share a joint commitment to tackling this issue.
We have been clear about our expectations that the sector cleans up their act. Where they are found to not be complying with legal obligations as a minimum, government will work with regulators to ensure they take robust action. The EA and Ofwat have powers under the Water Industry Act 1991, Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that allow Ofwat to issue fines of up 10% of annual turnover, and the EA to prosecute water companies and their directors, leading to Court imposed fines.
Since 2015, the Environment Agency has brought 54 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies securing fines of over £139 million. Following an EA investigation, in July 2021 Southern Water were fined a record £90 million after pleading guilty to the thousands of illegal discharges of sewage. Upon our request, the independent sentencing council have also agreed to review guidelines to ensure fines applied by the Courts remain an effective deterrent.
The Environment Act 2021 set new duties and transparency mechanisms into place to further drive up the environmental performance of water companies. If we do not start to see the changes we expect rapidly, we will not hesitate to take further action.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 implications for his policies of the Environment Agency’s environmental performance report 2021 in respect of water and sewerage companies in England, published on 14 July 2021; and what steps he plans to take in response to the findings of that report.
Answered by Steve Double
The Environment Agency (EA) published the latest Environmental Performance Assessment of water companies on 14 July (www.gov.uk/government/publications/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-2021/water-and-sewerage-companies-in-england-environmental-performance-report-2021). This report showed that most water companies' performance had declined. This is simply unacceptable and the Government, Ofwat, and the EA share a joint commitment to tackling this issue.
We have been clear about our expectations that the sector cleans up their act. Where they are found to not be complying with legal obligations as a minimum, government will work with regulators to ensure they take robust action. The EA and Ofwat have powers under the Water Industry Act 1991, Environmental Permitting Regulations 2016, and the Environmental Protection Act 1990 that allow Ofwat to issue fines of up 10% of annual turnover, and the EA to prosecute water companies and their directors, leading to Court imposed fines.
Since 2015, the Environment Agency has brought 54 prosecutions against water and sewerage companies securing fines of over £139 million. Following an EA investigation, in July 2021 Southern Water were fined a record £90 million after pleading guilty to the thousands of illegal discharges of sewage. Upon our request, the independent sentencing council have also agreed to review guidelines to ensure fines applied by the Courts remain an effective deterrent.
The Environment Act 2021 set new duties and transparency mechanisms into place to further drive up the environmental performance of water companies. If we do not start to see the changes we expect rapidly, we will not hesitate to take further action.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 14 December 2021 to Question 87705, on Agriculture: Sewage, when his Department plans to publish the public consultation to effect the changes laid out in the sludge strategy, including the effectiveness of regulation of farmers’ use of sludge.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government is currently assessing the strategy’s impact on both the water and agricultural industry, and targeted outcomes. The outcomes of this assessment will determine how it will proceed, and when a consultation may be held.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what research his Department has commissioned on the impact of currently authorised pesticides on (a) bees and (b) the potential consequences for the environment.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK is a world leader in developing greener farming practises and upholds the highest standards of environmental and health protection. Our first priority is to ensure pesticides have no unacceptable effects on the environment and no harmful effects on human health.
The authorisation of pesticide products, including those containing neonicotinoid active substances, is based on a detailed and robust scientific risk assessment. This is carried out by the regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), using studies and information provided by the applicant to address the extensive data requirements. The regulatory process is constantly updated so that it advances with scientific knowledge, and pesticides are reviewed regularly to ensure that they meet the latest standards. HSE’s assessment includes consideration of what happens to a pesticide after it is applied. This includes determining whether it breaks down, its persistence and mobility in soil and water, as well as effects on a range of non-target organisms.
Linking pesticide usage directly to changes in both managed and wild pollinator populations remains challenging because of the range of pressures which affect pollinators, such as habitat loss and climate change, in addition to the complexities of assessing and attributing pesticide usage and risk to impacts.
However, research suggests that the EU moratorium on the use of neonicotinoid (thiamethoxam, clothianidin, imidacloprid) seed treatments on mass-flowering crops in 2013 was effective at reducing exposure of honeybees to these pesticides over the subsequent years.
We have funded research into the exposure of honeybees to pesticides, both over time and at national scale, through chemical analysis of pesticide residues found in honey samples. Using genetic techniques, such as DNA metabarcoding, this research can assess the plants foraged by exposed bees and highlight common pesticide exposure routes for this key pollinator species. We expect the results of this work to be published in the coming months.
We are also funding research exploring how we could further develop our monitoring to better understand the effects, and the impacts, of pesticides on pollinators, such as expanding residue assessments to include wild pollinator species of bumblebees and solitary bees.
Furthermore, Defra is developing a Pesticide Load Indicator which takes account of both the chemical properties of pesticides used and the weight applied. This uses pesticide usage data, ecotoxicity and environmental data to better understand how the pressure from pesticides on the environment, including bees, has changed over time. Much of this research will be published this year.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to investigate the impact of currently authorised pesticides on honey bees.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK is a world leader in developing greener farming practises and upholds the highest standards of environmental and health protection. Our first priority is to ensure pesticides have no unacceptable effects on the environment and no harmful effects on human health.
The authorisation of pesticide products, including those containing neonicotinoid active substances, is based on a detailed and robust scientific risk assessment. This is carried out by the regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), using studies and information provided by the applicant to address the extensive data requirements. The regulatory process is constantly updated so that it advances with scientific knowledge, and pesticides are reviewed regularly to ensure that they meet the latest standards. HSE’s assessment includes consideration of what happens to a pesticide after it is applied. This includes determining whether it breaks down, its persistence and mobility in soil and water, as well as effects on a range of non-target organisms.
Linking pesticide usage directly to changes in both managed and wild pollinator populations remains challenging because of the range of pressures which affect pollinators, such as habitat loss and climate change, in addition to the complexities of assessing and attributing pesticide usage and risk to impacts.
However, research suggests that the EU moratorium on the use of neonicotinoid (thiamethoxam, clothianidin, imidacloprid) seed treatments on mass-flowering crops in 2013 was effective at reducing exposure of honeybees to these pesticides over the subsequent years.
We have funded research into the exposure of honeybees to pesticides, both over time and at national scale, through chemical analysis of pesticide residues found in honey samples. Using genetic techniques, such as DNA metabarcoding, this research can assess the plants foraged by exposed bees and highlight common pesticide exposure routes for this key pollinator species. We expect the results of this work to be published in the coming months.
We are also funding research exploring how we could further develop our monitoring to better understand the effects, and the impacts, of pesticides on pollinators, such as expanding residue assessments to include wild pollinator species of bumblebees and solitary bees.
Furthermore, Defra is developing a Pesticide Load Indicator which takes account of both the chemical properties of pesticides used and the weight applied. This uses pesticide usage data, ecotoxicity and environmental data to better understand how the pressure from pesticides on the environment, including bees, has changed over time. Much of this research will be published this year.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 (a) effectiveness of the authorisation process for pesticides and (b) the effect of that matter on (i) honey bees and (ii) wild pollinators.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK is a world leader in developing greener farming practises and upholds the highest standards of environmental and health protection. Our first priority is to ensure pesticides have no unacceptable effects on the environment and no harmful effects on human health.
The authorisation of pesticide products, including those containing neonicotinoid active substances, is based on a detailed and robust scientific risk assessment. This is carried out by the regulator, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), using studies and information provided by the applicant to address the extensive data requirements. The regulatory process is constantly updated so that it advances with scientific knowledge, and pesticides are reviewed regularly to ensure that they meet the latest standards. HSE’s assessment includes consideration of what happens to a pesticide after it is applied. This includes determining whether it breaks down, its persistence and mobility in soil and water, as well as effects on a range of non-target organisms.
Linking pesticide usage directly to changes in both managed and wild pollinator populations remains challenging because of the range of pressures which affect pollinators, such as habitat loss and climate change, in addition to the complexities of assessing and attributing pesticide usage and risk to impacts.
However, research suggests that the EU moratorium on the use of neonicotinoid (thiamethoxam, clothianidin, imidacloprid) seed treatments on mass-flowering crops in 2013 was effective at reducing exposure of honeybees to these pesticides over the subsequent years.
We have funded research into the exposure of honeybees to pesticides, both over time and at national scale, through chemical analysis of pesticide residues found in honey samples. Using genetic techniques, such as DNA metabarcoding, this research can assess the plants foraged by exposed bees and highlight common pesticide exposure routes for this key pollinator species. We expect the results of this work to be published in the coming months.
We are also funding research exploring how we could further develop our monitoring to better understand the effects, and the impacts, of pesticides on pollinators, such as expanding residue assessments to include wild pollinator species of bumblebees and solitary bees.
Furthermore, Defra is developing a Pesticide Load Indicator which takes account of both the chemical properties of pesticides used and the weight applied. This uses pesticide usage data, ecotoxicity and environmental data to better understand how the pressure from pesticides on the environment, including bees, has changed over time. Much of this research will be published this year.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 potential merits of including a Budds Farm treatment centre within the storm overflow discharge reduction plan.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Working with water companies, the Environment Agency has concluded a programme to install Event Duration Monitors (EDM) on the vast majority of storm overflows, just over 80% of overflows in England, by the end of 2020. These monitors provide a robust and consistent way of monitoring how often and for how long storm overflows are used. By the end of 2023, the remaining number will be monitored.
Our landmark Environment Act places a direct duty on Water Companies and the Environment Agency to publish this sewage discharge data, building on the commitments to openness and transparency made through the Defra led Storm Overflows taskforce. This data was published for the first time in March 2021 for data in 2020.
The Environment Act also goes further, requiring water companies to monitor both the upstream and downstream impacts of their assets and to notify of spills in near real time (within 1 hour). The government will be bringing forward implementing legislation in respect of these duties in due course. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, also legislated for in the Environment Act, is due to be published in September 2022.
It will be up to individual water companies to take account of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and other guidance when considering specific local projects to be included as part of their business plans.
Asked by: Stephen Morgan (Labour - Portsmouth South)
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 effectiveness of regulations on water providers on notifying customers of sewage discharges those companies are responsible for into rivers and watercourses.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
Working with water companies, the Environment Agency has concluded a programme to install Event Duration Monitors (EDM) on the vast majority of storm overflows, just over 80% of overflows in England, by the end of 2020. These monitors provide a robust and consistent way of monitoring how often and for how long storm overflows are used. By the end of 2023, the remaining number will be monitored.
Our landmark Environment Act places a direct duty on Water Companies and the Environment Agency to publish this sewage discharge data, building on the commitments to openness and transparency made through the Defra led Storm Overflows taskforce. This data was published for the first time in March 2021 for data in 2020.
The Environment Act also goes further, requiring water companies to monitor both the upstream and downstream impacts of their assets and to notify of spills in near real time (within 1 hour). The government will be bringing forward implementing legislation in respect of these duties in due course. The Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan, also legislated for in the Environment Act, is due to be published in September 2022.
It will be up to individual water companies to take account of the Storm Overflows Discharge Reduction Plan and other guidance when considering specific local projects to be included as part of their business plans.