Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 plans to bring forward legislative proposals to require vet practices to scan and check microchip registration of dogs and cats on their first appointment to ensure that pet and owner match.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
The Government agrees with the British Veterinary Association (BVA) that it is good practice for veterinary practices to scan dogs that are presented to them and particularly at the first appointment. However, the Government supports BVA’s position that vets should not be legally required to do so, due to the impact it could have on the vet-owner relationship. On 23 April 2019, the BVA met campaigners to discuss this issue. The BVA undertook to remind veterinary practices to scan dogs in line with best practice and help owners understand the importance of keeping their microchipping records up to date.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 ensure the maintenance of animal welfare standards in relation to live animal exports when the UK leaves the EU.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government’s manifesto made it clear that we would take early steps to control the export of live farm animals for slaughter once we leave the European Union. We are considering all of the options in the context of our exit from the EU as part of our broader commitment to further strengthen animal welfare.
Last year, we launched a Call for Evidence on controlling live exports for slaughter and improving the welfare of all animals during transport. We passed this evidence to the Farm Animal Welfare Committee (FAWC), who recently submitted their advice to Defra and the Devolved Administrations including in relation to live exports. We are considering FAWC’s report and aim to publish it, along with a Government response, in due course. We expect to come forward with proposals for public consultation to improve animal welfare in transport.
As we move towards a new relationship with Europe and the rest of the world, we have a unique opportunity to shape future animal welfare policy in the UK to ensure the highest standards in every area.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 the (a) enforcement of the current legal limitations and (b) prosecution of abuses relating to the tethering of horses as set out in section 9 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme, Paul Farrelly, on 7 February 2019, PQ 216147.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps are being taken to develop and enforce clear standards in the humane slaughter of animals in UK abattoirs.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Government cares highly about the welfare of animals and this includes their welfare at the point of slaughter. The Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015 (WATOK) implements and enforces Council Regulation 1099/2009 (EU Regulation) on the protection of animals at time of killing as well as maintaining our stricter national rules that provide greater welfare protection than the EU Regulation.
These requirements are monitored and enforced in slaughterhouses in England by Official Veterinarians (OVs) of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to ensure that animals are spared avoidable pain, suffering or distress. The FSA operates a zero tolerance policy towards animal cruelty and OVs take a prompt and proportionate approach to enforcement action where breaches are identified.
The Government has delivered on the manifesto commitment to make CCTV recording in slaughterhouses mandatory. This legislation came into force last year and requires slaughterhouse operators to install and operate a CCTV system in their premises that provides a clear and complete view of all areas where live animals are present. This legislation followed several well publicised cases of animal abuse in slaughterhouses. As an important complement to existing physical observation, CCTV should help maintain and improve animal welfare standards in all slaughterhouses and provide assurance to consumers that this is the case.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans his Department has put in place to ensure an adequate food supply for the UK in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; and whether those plans include stockpiling.
Answered by David Rutley - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Defra is preparing for our departure from the EU and is working alongside other relevant government departments. We are also engaging closely with businesses and trade associations across the food and drink sector at ministerial and official levels. The UK has a high degree of food security built on access to diverse sources of supply as well as domestic production. While we are making sensible preparations for all eventualities as we leave the EU, there are no plans to stockpile food.
The Government has already carried out significant ‘no deal’ preparations and has published a series of technical notices on GOV.UK so that businesses and citizens have time to prepare.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 reduce the use of non-biodegradable wet wipes.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
The Government is working with the water and manufacturing industries to prevent wet wipes entering our waterways and damaging our marine environment. I hosted a cross industry wet wipes roundtable in December 2016 to tackle them being incorrectly flushed and causing sewer blockages. Following the meeting, EDANA (the trade body for wet wipe products) produced a new labelling code of practice. This code has been widely adopted. Key changes include all baby wipes being labelled ‘do not flush’ and improvements to the size and legibility of the ‘do not flush’ symbol, which must now be displayed on the front as well as the back of packaging. Water UK and EDANA are also working together to develop an agreed ‘flushability’ standard for those wipes that are intended for disposal via toilets.
We also want to tackle the amount of plastic in circulation in the first place, which is why we are encouraging innovation so that more and more of these products can be recycled. We will continue to work with industry to support the development of alternatives, such as a wet wipe product that does not contain plastic.
While biodegradable materials may be seen as a solution to reduce the impact of waste, they can also be more environmentally damaging than non-biodegradable materials if disposed of incorrectly. Plastics which claim to be biodegradable should carry a relevant standard such as EN 13432 which will only biodegrade in very specific conditions.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 21 June 2018 to Question 153431 on Schools: Air Pollution, when his Department last met officials of the (a) Department for Education and (b) Department for Transport to discuss air quality around schools; and if he will place the minutes of those meetings in the Library.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Ministers and officials across Government departments regularly discuss air pollution and how to reduce it.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 24 January 2018 to Question 123107 on Public Footpaths, what funding he plans to allocate to national trails for 2018-19; and how much funding his Department has allocated for 2018-19 to maintain the Pennine Way.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Under the national trails 'New Deal' funding formula, Natural England provides funds for the maintenance of national trails, including new England coast path stretches as they commence. In 2018/19 this amounts to £1.81 million.
For 2018/19, the Pennine Way will receive a total allocation of £199,253 which will be matched locally at a minimum ratio of 3:1 (national:local), so the total amount available will be a minimum of £265,671.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 21 June 2018 to Question 153431 on Schools: Air Pollution, when his Department last met officials of the (a) Department for Education and (b) Department for Transport to discuss air quality around schools; and if he will place the minutes of those meetings in the Library.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Ministers and officials across Government departments regularly discuss air pollution and how to reduce it.
Asked by: Thelma Walker (Labour - Colne Valley)
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 make an assessment of the implications for his Department's policies of the recommendations contained in the Honest Crust campaign published by the Real Bread Campaign and the charity Sustain published November 2017.
Answered by George Eustice
We are satisfied that compliance with EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 on the provision of food information to consumers and General Food Law Regulation (EC) 178/2002 together ensure that the labelling and advertising of food must not mislead the consumer. EU Regulation (EU) No 1169/2011 ensures that pre-packaged loaves display a full ingredient list, while the exemption of loaves sold at the point of production is made in the interests of small businesses and bakeries, reducing unnecessary regulatory burden while retaining essential, relevant information for the consumer.
EC Regulation 1333/2008 adequately defines the approved additives and their conditions of use in bread. These requirements, together with guidance on terms such as ‘hand-made’, ‘Farmhouse’ and ‘home-made’ used by food businesses and trading standards officers, already provide robust protection to consumers against misleading practices. However if a consumer does think that they are being misled by bread labelling, they should seek advice from their local trading standards office.
A restricted number of additives are permitted in sourdough bread under EC Regulation 1333/2008 – there are no plans at present to change these. There are many products on the market that do not have definitions set out in legislation, however there are general rules in place to protect consumers. The Bread & Flour Regulations 1998 contain a few, limited definitions but the focus of the legislation is on the fortification of white and brown flour with certain nutrients, mostly for restorative purposes.
There are no current plans to include a legal definition for sourdough within the Bread and Flour Regulations 1998 but the baking industry itself may consider agreeing a code of practice about what should be described as a UK sourdough bread.