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Written Question
Neonicotinoids
Thursday 21st March 2024

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he has made an assessment of the potential impact of the further authorisation of the emergency use of neonicotinoids on global pesticide reduction targets.

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

The decision to authorise the short-term emergency use of a pesticide is never taken lightly and is based on robust assessment of the risks and benefits. The emergency authorisation we have issued this year for the use of a neonicotinoid on sugar beet is subject to strict conditions to mitigate risks to the wider environment.

We remain absolutely committed to the targets agreed in the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. UK diplomatic leadership was critical to agreeing the framework and we will continue to champion the framework’s implementation.

We welcome the text in target 7, as Integrated Pest Management (IPM) lies at the heart of the UK's approach to minimise the environmental impact of pesticides.

In addition, the Government recently held a roundtable with members of the British sugar industry and environmental organisations to discuss the industry’s progress on implementing alternative pest control measures to neonicotinoids. I urge British Sugar and others in the sector to drive forward these plans, so that their outputs can be implemented in the field at pace.


Written Question
Environmental Protection
Thursday 25th January 2024

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent progress he has made on meeting his environmental targets.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

Our 13 Environment Act 2021 targets were set in law by January 2023 and are included in our revised Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP23). Interim targets were also set at this point and will help tackle some of the biggest environmental pressures and make tangible progress over the next five years of EIP23.

We have been making progress in delivery of our new environmental targets and are due to report on them, and other EIP commitments, in our EIP Annual Progress Report in the summer.

We will continue to monitor and adjust our delivery to reach the long-term environmental goals outlined in the EIP23, including on our wider statutory targets.


Written Question
Animal Welfare: Labelling
Monday 4th December 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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 improve animal welfare transparency on labelling of food products.

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

Defra ran a Call for Evidence in 2021 to gather data on the impacts of different types of animal welfare labelling reforms. Based on the information gathered, we will continue to work with stakeholders to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information for consumers. We will continue to gather evidence on the impacts of a wide range of market interventions, as well as how they could align with wider labelling proposals such as eco-labelling.


Written Question
Hunting: Animal Products
Wednesday 29th November 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether he plans to bring forward legislative proposals to prohibit the import of hunting trophies.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

We are disappointed that the Hunting Trophies Bill failed to progress in the House of Lords in the previous session, despite overwhelming support from hon. Members for our proposals. We are committed to delivering on our manifesto pledge to ban the import of hunting trophies and will continue to explore ways to bring this forward.


Written Question
Livestock: Animal Housing
Wednesday 15th November 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make an assessment of the potential merits of bringing forward legislative proposals to end the use of cages on farm animals.

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

We are firmly committed to maintaining our strong track record on animal welfare and to delivering continued improvements, in the course of this Parliament and beyond. We do not consider the time is right to consult on cage reforms, being mindful of the challenges the sectors are facing.

The market is already driving the move away from using cages for laying hens with over 60% of eggs coming from free range production. The UK also has a significant outdoor pig sector with 40% of the national sow breeding herd farrowing freely on outdoor units with no option for confinement.

We continue to work with the farming industry to maintain and enhance our high standards. The Animal Health and Welfare Pathway, part of our new domestic agricultural policy, supports farmers to produce healthier, higher welfare animals. The Government’s welfare priorities for the Pathway include supporting producers to transition away from confinement systems.


Written Question
Cats: Theft
Monday 13th November 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans she has to bring forward legislative proposals to make the abduction of cats a criminal offence.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

We would be supportive of legislation on pet abduction when parliamentary time allows. We have listened carefully to views expressed on the pet abduction measures during the passage of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill including adding cats. We will take this feedback into consideration when delivering any measure.


Written Question
Furs
Friday 21st July 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what her planned timeframe is for concluding the evidence gathering process that will inform proposals to ban the import and sale of fur.

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

Defra published a formal call for evidence on the fur trade in Great Britain, which has now closed. A summary of responses, setting out the results and any next steps in this policy space, will be published soon.

We are continuing to build our evidence base on the fur sector, which will be used to inform any future action on the fur trade. This includes commissioning the Animal Welfare Committee to explore current responsible sourcing practices in the fur industry.


Written Question
Pets: Travel
Thursday 29th June 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what progress she has made in negotiations with the European Commission on awarding Great Britain Part 1 listed status to enable pet owners to travel outside the UK with fewer restrictions.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

We are continuing to engage with the European Commission on awarding Great Britain 'Part 1' listed status and recognition of the UK's tapeworm-free status.


Written Question
River Medway: Sewage
Friday 21st April 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department is taking to work with Southern Water and the Environment Agency on addressing sewage discharges into the River Medway.

Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)

In February 2023, the Secretary of State asked water and sewerage companies to set an action plan on every storm overflow in England.

The Environment Agency is working closely with Southern Water to identify improvement schemes required to improve the water quality of the Medway. These schemes will reduce excess nutrients in rivers and the frequency of storm overflow discharges. This work is ongoing and part of the WINEP Price Review 2024.


Written Question
Nature Conservation: Mental Health
Monday 20th February 2023

Asked by: Tracey Crouch (Conservative - Chatham and Aylesford)

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

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the potential benefits of nature on mental health and wellbeing.

Answered by Trudy Harrison

The Government recognises the health and wellbeing benefits of spending time in nature and has committed to ensure that everyone lives within a 15-minute walk of a green and blue space. The Environmental Improvement Plan, published on 31 January this year, states that the “evidence is clear that spending time in nature is beneficial for our physical and mental health” and sets out our plans to incorporate green and blue spaces into the healthcare system.