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Written Question
Animal Welfare
Monday 12th December 2022

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how she plans to implement the (a) review of the use of cages, (b) introduction of animal welfare labelling for food and (c) other commitments of her Department's Action Plan for Animal Welfare; and if she will make a statement.

Answered by Mark Spencer - Minister of State (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Animal welfare is an important issue, and we are committed to strengthening standards and protections through our Action Plan for Animal Welfare which sets out our vision for a wide range of ambitious improvements.

We are committed to exploring the phasing out of confinement systems. Decisions on the timing of public consultation around this issue must be carefully considered in light of wider challenges Britain’s farmers are currently facing.

Last year we ran an extensive call for evidence on the impacts, costs and deliverability of food labelling for animal welfare as part of our work on the new Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. Based on the evidence provided, and as announced in our Food Strategy, we plan to consult on reforming mandatory labelling for animal welfare, and proposals are being co-developed with partners across the supply chain.

We continue to drive forward our animal welfare agenda through legislation as Parliamentary time allows, and through non-legislative reforms.


Written Question
Overseas Trade: Israeli Settlements
Thursday 11th February 2021

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

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 8 February 2021 to Question 148675 on Overseas Trade: Israeli Settlements, which products originating from settlements in the Occupied Palestinian Territories must be labelled as such.

Answered by Victoria Prentis - Attorney General

Under retained marketing and food information rules, country of origin information is required for unprocessed beef, pork, sheep, goat and poultry, fruit and vegetables, olive oil, fish and shellfish (whether pre-packed or loose), wine, and honey.

Under the provisions of the retained 1169/2011 Regulation on the provision of food information to consumers, the country of origin or place of provenance of food must also be given on prepacked food where failure to indicate this might mislead the consumer as to the true country of origin or place of provenance of the food, in particular if the information accompanying the food or the label as a whole would otherwise imply that the food has a different country of origin or place of provenance.

In addition, retained Regulation 775/2018 requires that if the origin or provenance of food is provided and is different to that of the primary ingredient of that food, the origin of the primary ingredient must also be given or an indication that it is not the same as that of the food.

In respect of wine, retained Regulation 1308/2013 requires that an indication of the provenance of a wine must be shown on the label. This should match the indication of provenance shown on the VI1 import certificate, and be authorised by the appropriate bodies in the exporting country.


Written Question
Utilities: Prices
Tuesday 23rd April 2019

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

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 that the prices of (a) energy bills, and (b) water bills are affordable for those of state pension age.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

a) Energy policy is the responsibility of the Department for Business, Energy, and Industrial Strategy.

b) The Government’s November 2017 ‘Strategic policy statement to Ofwat’, the economic regulator for the water industry, challenged the water industry to do more for vulnerable customers in England, including older people. In Ofwat’s Price Review 2019 process in which water companies set out their business plans for 2020-25, Ofwat required companies to set out in their business plans how they would better identify and support those customers who need financial help. Work on the plans is ongoing.

Current support includes the Government mandated WaterSure scheme which enables water companies to cap bills for eligible low income customers using a lot of water for essential family or health reasons. All water companies also offer schemes, known as social tariffs, for eligible customers on low incomes or receiving specific benefits. Approximately 400,000 household customers currently benefit from such water bill support schemes.

Legislative powers recently put in place in the Digital Economy Act 2017 allow data sharing between water companies and other organisations, including Government departments such as the Department for Work and Pensions. This will help companies identify and consequently provide support to more customers who may need help with their bills.


Written Question
Animal Products: Transport
Tuesday 5th March 2019

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the effect of leaving the EU without a deal on the cost of transporting animal products from the EU to the United Kingdom.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

The Government is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, and continues to work with industry to help manage the economic impacts on the livestock sector and other stakeholders in planning for a possible no deal scenario. Whilst it is very likely that third country rules will be applied to EU imports of products of animal origin, contingency options are being developed, and we will not be introducing any new border checks in the immediate aftermath of a no deal scenario. As a result, animal products can come into the UK at any port of entry as they do now to minimise disruption to trade. Only animal products from EU countries with disease outbreak safeguard measures will need to be notified to the UK before arrival.


Written Question
Animal Products: Exports
Tuesday 29th January 2019

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether EU law requires the export of animal-based products from the EU to be via a designated border inspection point; and if will he make a statement.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Animal-based product (POAO) being exported from the EU to a third country is not required to exit the EU via a Border Inspection Post (BIP).

It would only be required to exit via a BIP if it was transiting the EU from and to a Third Country as laid down in Council Directive 97/78/EC.


Written Question
Animals: Trade
Monday 28th January 2019

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress he has made in developing a replacement for the Trade Control and Expert System required after the UK leaves the EU.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

A replacement for the Trade Control and Expert System (TRACES) has been developed and is currently being tested.

This new system allows importers to raise notifications of consignments bound for the UK and enables port health authorities to carry out and record checks on imports.

Once the new system is ready to go live, importers with the greatest need will be given access. This managed roll-out will enable us to further test and refine the system before the full public release.


Written Question
Immigration Controls: Ports
Monday 21st January 2019

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which ports with regular ferry services to the UK he plans to designate as EU Border Inspection Posts by 29 March 2019.

Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)

Border Inspection Posts (BIPs) are commercial ventures set up by ports and airports which are inspected and approved for operation by the relevant Competent Authority and the Commission. Any BIPs at ports with regular ferry services to the UK would be approved by the Competent Authority of that EU Member State, not the Secretary of State.

As explained in the Technical Notice on “Importing animals and animal products if there’s no Brexit deal”, consignments originating in the EU will not initially be required to enter the UK through a BIP. For this reason we are not anticipating a significant increase in demand for BIPs at UK ports receiving ferries coming from the EU and have not received any applications for approvals of new BIPs.

A full list of current BIP facilities across the EU can be found here: https://ec.europa.eu/food/animals/vet-border-control/bip-contacts_en


Written Question
Air Pollution
Tuesday 16th October 2018

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

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 for the Joint Air Quality Unit to publish a report on steps local authorities have taken to implementing to tackle air pollution.

Answered by Thérèse Coffey

On 5 October, the Government published a Supplement to the 2017 UK plan for tackling roadside nitrogen dioxide emissions, along with 33 local feasibility studies developed by local authorities initially identified as having shorter term NO2 exceedances.

These set out the work carried out by local authorities to identify measures to bring forward compliance with legal NO2 limits, and the next steps the Government has directed them to take where they have identified measures.

28 local authorities were directed in 2017 to develop plans to tackle air pollution by the end of 2018 – the Government expects local authorities will make their plans public once they are completed and final and several local authorities have already conducted public consultations and engagement on their plans.


Written Question
Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit
Wednesday 13th December 2017

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what quantitative assessments his Department has made of the effect of the UK leaving the EU on the sectors for which his Department is responsible.

Answered by George Eustice

As part of our preparations to leave the EU, we are in the process of carrying out a programme of rigorous and extensive analytical work that will contribute to our exit negotiations, help to define our future partnership with the EU, and inform our understanding of how leaving the EU will affect the UK’s domestic policies and frameworks. Our analysis is constantly evolving based on our discussions with stakeholders and our negotiations with the EU.


Written Question
Animal Welfare: Sentencing
Tuesday 7th November 2017

Asked by: Stephen Timms (Labour - East Ham)

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 consult (a) Battersea Dogs and Cats Home and (b) other animal welfare charities before publishing the draft legislation to increase sentences for animal cruelty for wider consultation.

Answered by George Eustice

As announced on 30 September, a bill to increase the maximum penalties for animal cruelty will be available for comment around the turn of the year. It has not been decided what form of consultation will be undertaken.