Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 Action Plan for Animal Welfare, if it remains his policy to build a clear evidence base to inform decisions on banning the import or sale of foie gras.
Answered by Scott Mann
The Action Plan for Animal Welfare noted that HM Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese which have been force fed raises serious welfare concerns and that the production of foie gras by force feeding is already illegal in the UK. The Action Plan also noted that now that the UK has left the EU, we are committed to building a clear evidence base to inform decisions on banning the import or sale of foie gras and other products derived from low-welfare systems.
HM Government is currently continuing to build this evidence base. No specific deadline has been set for this exercise, and further evidence that people may wish to share with HM Government would be gratefully received.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 take steps to ban bottom trawling fishing in offshore Marine Protected Areas.
Answered by Mark Spencer
This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.
We have built a comprehensive network of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and are focused on making sure they are properly protected. Now that we have left the European Union and the Common Fisheries Policy, we can use new powers in the Fisheries Act 2020 to manage damaging fishing activity in our 40 English offshore MPAs. It is only fishing activity that might damage the legally protected habitats and species in MPAs that requires management. We have already introduced byelaws in the first four English offshore sites which ban bottom towed gear over sensitive habitats. We have also published a call for evidence relating to the next thirteen sites. We are aiming to have all MPAs in English offshore waters protected from damaging fishing activity by 2024.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 help improve water quality.
Answered by Mark Spencer
Restoring our nation’s rivers and seas by improving water quality is a government priority. We are tackling sewage overflows with the biggest infrastructure programme in water company history; investing in farm infrastructure, advice and action to help farmers tackle run off; restoring riparian habitats; and reviewing our Bathing Water regulations to support more designations. As the pressures of climate change and population growth are increasing, so too will our response to ensure we leave our water environment in a better state for future generations.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the UK's resilience to drought; and what steps he is taking to help (a) ensure that water companies (i) do not over-abstract from boreholes and (ii) repair infrastructure leaks and (b) encourage reductions in water waste.
Answered by Rebecca Pow
The Environment Agency's National Framework for Water Resources, published in March 2020, sets out the strategic water needs for England up to 2050 and beyond, taking account of climate change and population growth. The Framework sets out how we will reduce demand, halve leakage rates, develop new supply infrastructure, move water to where it is needed, increase drought resilience of water supplies and abstract water sustainably, including from boreholes. Water companies are now preparing their statutory Water Resources Management Plans for consultations, late in 2022. The plans will show how water companies will deliver secure water supplies sustainably, over at least a 25 year period. The statutory plans are reviewed annually, to ensure they are maintained.
The proposed new legally binding target under the Environment Act 2021 aims to support the sustainable use of water further by reducing the public demand for water.
This will be enabled through the policies set out in the Written Ministerial Statement on reducing demand for water, including the introduction of mandatory water efficiency labelling and further work to reduce water use in new developments and retrofits.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 finding of the Livestock Worrying Police Working Group that in 89 per cent of attacks on livestock in North Wales the dog was unaccompanied, if he will take steps to help ensure that dogs are trained to avoid attacking sheep when they escape from (a) their owners and (b) leads.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The Government takes the issue of livestock worrying very seriously, recognising the distress this can cause farmers and animals, as well as the financial implications. Those in charge of dogs are already responsible for ensuring that they are kept under control, and it is an offence under section 3 of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to allow any dog to be dangerously out of control in any place.
New measures to crack down on livestock worrying in England and Wales are to be brought in through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, which was introduced in Parliament on 8 June 2021. The new measures will enhance enforcement mechanisms available to the police and expand the scope of livestock species and locations covered by the law.
Dog owners are legally responsible for their dog’s behaviour even when not accompanied. These reforms should provide dog owners with sharper incentives to ensure their dogs are trained well to behave acceptably in all circumstances. Owners who have concerns about controlling their dog’s behaviour may take advice from their vet or a suitably qualified dog behaviourist or trainer. The Animal Behaviour and Training Council maintains national registers of appropriately qualified trainers and behaviourists. The Code of Practice for the Welfare of Dogs also details best practice methods of training.
In addition to the current legislative measures laid before Parliament, the Countryside Code will continue to be publicised to ensure constant messaging to the public and landowners.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 impact of making publicly-owned land available for allotments on (a) food security, (b) ecosystems and (c) the mental health and wellbeing of people.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
Allotments are a hugely important part of many communities, connecting people with the land, food and each other. We are pleased to see that the interest in allotments remains high, alongside other types of community growing and gardening. There are no plans to review existing arrangements or policies.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 ban the (a) import of shark fins and (b) sale of shark fins; and what steps he plans to take to enforce a ban on shark fin products.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
The UK Government is strongly opposed to shark finning, the practice of removing the fins of a shark at sea and returning the finless body to the water. We are committed to banning the import and export of detached shark fins and shark fin products. This ban will ensure that shark fins obtained through unsustainable and cruel finning practices are not entering the UK.
The UK does not oppose the sustainable fishing of sharks or the sale of shark fins and shark fin products, if obtained through sustainable fishing practices. Therefore, we do not support a total ban on the sale of shark fins and shark fin products if landed or imported into the UK with their fins naturally attached.
Asked by: Virginia Crosbie (Conservative - Ynys Môn)
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 help ensure that imported meat (a) is correctly labelled to show country of origin and (b) has been produced to the standards required of domestic food producers.
Answered by Baroness Prentis of Banbury
(a) Food Information to Consumers Regulations apply to all food sold on the UK market, including imported food, and require many foods to declare the origin on the label. This includes where the consumer would be misled if it were not given, and always for specific foods such as beef, veal, lamb, mutton, pork, goat, and poultry. Additionally, there are rules that help prevent the consumer from being misled about the origin of the primary ingredient of the food, although the majority of meat products sold at retail voluntarily provide the origin of the meat ingredients. The Government is committed to optimising the information that is available to consumers, including country of origin, so that they can make informed choices. We are actively working to improve labelling.
(b) Retained legislation is in place to ensure the safety of meat and meat products from both domestic production and imported products. All imported meat and meat products are required to come from countries that have been approved as ensuring compliance with these food hygiene requirements and, specifically, from establishments that are approved and listed for export to the UK. Part of this approval is that the countries have an agreed plan to limit the use of, and residues from, veterinary medicines.
The Government has committed to consult on what can be done through labelling to promote high standards and high welfare across the UK market. To this end, we recently ran a call for evidence to assess the potential impacts of different types of animal welfare labelling reform, including how this might apply to imported products as well as domestic products. We will publish a summary of responses and our proposed next steps in due course.