Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
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 has taken to support the conservation of the barn owl population in (a) general and (b) Romford constituency.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
Environmental land management schemes include financial incentives for actions that are beneficial for barn owls, for example, the provision of nesting boxes. Through the Green Recovery Challenge Fund, the Government granted £123,700 to the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust’s Owl Box Initiative. The project was set up to help support barn owls by providing nest boxes for them on farms and researching barn owls’ farmland habitat use across the southwest of England.
Furthermore, from July this year, restrictions on the open use of second-generation anticoagulant rodenticides will be brought into force to avoid negative impacts on non-target species such as barn owls.
We have no records of any actions for this species specific to the Romford area.
Asked by: Greg Smith (Conservative - Buckingham)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the implications for her policies of the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust's findings in the document entitled A future for curlew that the curlew population declined by 17 per cent. per year without legal predator control and increased by 14 per cent. per year with legal predator control.
Answered by Trudy Harrison
The management of predators, such as foxes and carrion crows, plays an important role in supporting the recovery of some of our most vulnerable species, particularly ground nesting birds including the curlew.
We have recently published an update on environmental land management schemes which confirms that we are exploring how actions to do with managing predatory species - when those species are impacting threatened species recovery - will be made available.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the number of woodcock shot annually in each of the last 10 years; and what discussions they have held, if any, with Natural England in relation to the effect of shooting woodcock on the status of woodcock.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
Data for the number of woodcock shot in each of the last ten years has not been collated. However, there are publicly available game bag returns for the period 1961-2005 through the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust website (https://www.gwct.org.uk/research/long-term-monitoring/national-gamebag-census/bird-bags-summary-trends/woodcock/). Where shooting occurs on protected sites, some bag return reports may be requirements of consent by Natural England.
In response to a request from Defra, Natural England has submitted a briefing to Defra which considered woodcock ecology, population status and possible drivers of woodcock decline (including hunting).
Defra intends to review Schedule 2 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which lists species of birds which may be killed or taken outside a close season. In particular, consideration will be given to the evidence underpinning the listing of species such as woodcock so that we can ensure that recreational shooting is sustainable and does not undermine species recovery. This may include a review of the evidence for the timing and duration of the close season.
Asked by: Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer by Lord Benyon on 26 July (HL1705), what plans they have to review the close season for woodcock; and what representations they have received from (1) conservation organisations, (2) game shooting organisations, in relation to any such review.
Answered by Lord Benyon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
The Secretary of State has received representations from Wild Justice and the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust regarding reviewing the close season for woodcock.
In their representation, dated 21 March 2022, Wild Justice requested that the Secretary of State use their power under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 to vary the close season for woodcock, as they believe this would be beneficial to the recovery of the native woodcock population. In response to the letter from Wild Justice, the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust wrote to the Secretary of State on 4 April 2022, setting out their view that restrictions to the close season could be counterproductive and that more research is needed to understand the reasons for the decline of native woodcock and the effects of shooting on their populations.
Defra intends to review Schedule 2 to the Wildlife and Countryside Act, which lists species of birds which may be killed or taken outside a close season. In particular, consideration will be given to the evidence underpinning the listing of species such as woodcock so that we can ensure that recreational shooting is sustainable and does not undermine species recovery. This may include a review of the evidence for the timing and duration of the close season.
Asked by: Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Labour - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made in support of voluntary efforts to phase out the use of lead shot by game hunters in England; and what plans they have, if any, to introduce a requirement to replace the use of lead shot with other materials which do not harm the countryside.
Answered by Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
Nine high-profile shooting organisations released a joint statement in 2020 calling for an end to lead in ammunition used for taking live quarry with shotguns within five years. We welcomed this move away from lead and are committed to ensuring a sustainable, mutually beneficial relationship between shooting and conservation. By 2020, the use of lead ammunition in England had already been restricted in specific circumstances by existing legislation– including being prohibited in or over sites of special scientific interest including wetlands.
In spring 2021, Defra asked the Health & Safety Executive (HSE) and the Environment Agency (EA) to prepare a UK REACH restriction dossier for lead ammunition. The HSE and the EA are considering the evidence of risk posed by lead in ammunition on human health and the environment and, therefore, the case for introducing a UK REACH restriction on lead in ammunition. This process will take approximately two years (from spring 2021), after which the Secretary of State, with the consent of the Scottish and Welsh Ministers, will make a decision on the basis of this review. Further information can be found at:
Asked by: Anthony Browne (Conservative - South Cambridgeshire)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will increase the fines permissible within Section 30 of the Game Act 1831 for hare coursing offences.
Answered by Rebecca Pow - Parliamentary Under-Secretary (Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs)
There are no current plans to amend the penalties in the Game Act 1831 for hare coursing offences.
The Government takes wildlife crime seriously and is committed to ensuring the protection this legislation offers wildlife is effectively enforced. It recognises the problems and distress which hare coursing causes for rural communities. Poaching (including hare coursing) is one of the UK’s six wildlife crime priorities, which are set by the UK Wildlife Crime Tasking and Co-ordination Group, supported by the Wildlife Crime Conservation Advisory Group, chaired by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The National Wildlife Crime Unit, funded partly by Defra and the Home Office, assists regional police forces in tackling these crimes by gathering and analysing intelligence, sharing this with the police and assisting police investigations.
A hare coursing roundtable meeting was held on 3 September between Defra, Home Office, police, National Farmers Union and other rural organisations to bring parties together to establish a shared understanding of the barriers to tackling hare coursing effectively and identify potential ways forward.
Asked by: Lord Selkirk of Douglas (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to ban the importation of big-game trophies to the UK; and if they have any such plans, when they intend to publish their proposals to implement such a ban.
Answered by Lord Gardiner of Kimble
The Government takes the conservation of endangered species seriously, with imports of hunting trophies into the UK subject to strict controls under the EU Wildlife Trade Regulations.
The UK has adopted stricter national measures for three species, including tigers, than those set out in CITES and in European legislation. The import and export of live wild taken specimens and tiger parts and derivatives, including hunting trophies, is banned.
The UK is also continuing to work hard on the international stage to agree tough, transparent, global standards on trophy hunting to make sure hunting safeguards are of the highest standard and there is no impact on the sustainability of the species concerned. We will continue to discuss this with other countries.
The Government hosted a stakeholder roundtable in May to hear views from all sides of the debate surrounding trophy hunting. Those discussions continue and we are actively reviewing our position on this important issue.
Asked by: Lord Soames of Fletching (Conservative - Life peer)
Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, which stakeholders Natural England consulted ahead of its decision to revoke General Licences 04/05/06.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Natural England informed the following stakeholders that the licences were subject to challenge on 15 March, and again directly on 23 April when the decision to revoke the contested general licences was announced: the RSPB, the Wildlife Trusts, the RSPCA, the National Farmers’ Union, the Countryside Alliance, the Country Land and Business Association, the British Association for Shooting and Conservation, the Moorland Association, the Local Government Association, the Game and Wildlife Conservation Trust, the National Gamekeepers Organisation, the National Pest Technicians Association, the National Wildlife Crime Unit and the Tenant Farmers Association.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
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 tackle the poaching of game birds.
Answered by Thérèse Coffey
Poaching is one of the UK’s six wildlife crime priorities, which are set by the UK Wildlife Crime Tasking and Co-ordination Group, supported by the Wildlife Crime Conservation Advisory Group (WCCAG), chaired by JNCC. The National Wildlife Crime Unit, funded partly by Defra and the Home Office, assists regional police forces in tackling these crimes by gathering and analysing intelligence, sharing this with the police and assisting police investigations.
The main statutes governing poaching are the Game Act 1831, the Poaching Prevention Act 1862 and the Night Poaching Acts 1828 and 1844. The police are the law enforcement authority for poaching offences. The Government is committed to ensuring that the protection this legislation offers wildlife is effectively enforced and there are strong penalties for offenders, including imprisonment.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question to the Ministry of Defence:
To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what discussions he has had with the government of Cyprus on ensuring that wild migratory birds are not netted on the Sovereign Base Areas or any other land used by his Department in Cyprus.
Answered by Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton
My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence, (Michael Fallon) has had no direct discussions with the Government of the Republic of Cyprus on this subject, but the Sovereign Base Areas (SBA) Administration has regular meetings on this issue with the relevant authorities in the Republic of Cyprus and relevant Non-Government Organisations to exchange and share information. The SBAs in Cyprus are covered by the Bern convention on the conservation of European wildlife and natural habitats and adhere to its provisions. The SBA Police have for a number of years put considerable effort into anti-poaching measures, and recently there has been an especially robust campaign through enhanced enforcement and the removal of non-native invasive acacia trees that are deliberately cultivated by trappers to attract birds. The SBA Police also work in close co-operation with the Cyprus Game and Fauna Service and the SBA Administration intends to continue to work with the Republic of Cyprus to bring an end to this unpleasant and outlawed practice.