Ministers from DEFRA were answering questions in the Commons.
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Organised Waste Crime
(North Warwickshire) (Con)
1. What steps her Department is taking to tackle organised waste
crime. [900648]
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
Waste crime blights local communities and our environment and
this Government are determined to tackle it. Over the past six
years, we have invested £60 million in measures to achieve that.
Last month, we launched a joint unit for waste crime, led by the
Environment Agency, and including the National Crime Agency, HMRC
and the police. This new unit will help us crack down on serious
and organised crime in the waste sector.
Fly-tipping in particular is an issue that costs our local
councils and landowners hundreds of thousands pounds annually to
clear up, with rural communities particularly affected. Just last
week, the village of Austrey in my constituency was targeted yet
again. What additional resources and powers can we give our local
authorities and police to eradicate this scourge once and for
all?
I fully appreciate how strongly my hon. Friend’s constituents
feel about that issue, as do mine in Barnet. We are giving local
authorities additional powers through our Environment Bill to
tackle fly-tipping. We have also already enhanced their powers to
search and seize vehicles, which may be involved in this menace,
and we have granted them power to issue fixed penalty notices,
and I encourage them to use those powers.
(North Durham) (Lab)
I welcome the Minister’s answer, but I must tell her that
landfill tax fraud is a multi-million pound business. From my
experience in the north-east of England, where there is some good
co-operation going on between various agencies, the problem is
with HMRC, which will not investigate unless a certain threshold
is hit. I asked for feedback on prosecutions in one high-profile
case that was activated four years ago and found that, to date,
nothing has happened.
That is one reason we are bringing together the relevant agencies
in this new joint unit. They include HMRC, which is absolutely
determined to crack down on tax fraud and evasion of all sorts.
The right hon. Gentleman has his point on the record, and I am
sure that the issue will be raised in the new joint unit.
(Tiverton and Honiton)
(Con)
Fly-tipping ranges massively from lorry loads of hospital waste
to a sofa. Farmers are then expected to dispose of that waste at
their own cost. We quite rightly welcome what the Secretary of
State says about taking lorries, vans and cars away from people,
because we really must stop this crime.
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. We are determined that our
new joint unit to tackle this issue will ensure that those who
are responsible for waste crime of all sorts, including
fly-tipping, pay the price for what they are doing and are held
to account.
(Airdrie and Shotts) (SNP)
Fly-tipping is a major issue in my area, not least because of
changes in policy from North Lanarkshire Council. One way of
stopping such crimes is by increasing the recycling rate and
targeting particular sectors, such as the construction sector,
which has a particularly bad problem with waste pollution. Will
the Secretary of State outline potential areas such as training
staff in those sectors to ensure that they are aware of how to
recycle properly?
Of course, training in this area is very important. The hon.
Gentleman will be aware that, as far as England is concerned, our
new Environment Bill contains an extensive list of measures to
improve rates of recycling, and yes, we hope that that will be
part of a wider strategy to cut down on waste crime and ensure
that more of our waste is recycled, and that all of it is treated
appropriately.
Air Quality in London
(Kensington)
(Con)
2. What recent discussions she has had with the Mayor of London
on improving air quality in London. [900649]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
The Mayor of London is responsible for air quality in the capital
and has reserved powers under part IV of the Environment Act 1995
to reflect that. Although the Secretary of State for Environment,
Food and Rural Affairs has not had any recent discussions with
the Mayor of London on air quality, our doughty DEFRA officials
are in regular contact with the Greater London Assembly.
I also wish to welcome my hon. Friend to her place. I know that
she is already a strong voice in her area, and is obviously
indicating that she will continue to be so.
My constituency has some of the worst air quality in London. Does
my hon. Friend agree that the Mayor of London needs to do more to
improve air quality, given that currently only 2% of London buses
have been converted to electric and only 10% of the 2 million
trees that he promised have actually been planted?
My hon. Friend’s question demonstrates how strong a voice she
will be in this place. I must reiterate that the Mayor of London
is responsible for air quality in the capital and has reserved
powers under the 1995 Act to do this work. A great deal of money
has been committed to help with that work, especially the
retrofitting of buses, but I would not underestimate the
challenge posed by air quality in our cities, especially London.
Small and Medium-sized Food Producers
(Rutland and Melton)
(Con)
3. What recent discussions she has had with the Secretary of
State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on supporting
small and medium-sized food producer businesses. [900650]
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs ()
The Secretary of State holds regular discussions with Cabinet
colleagues on the Government’s work to help small and
medium-sized enterprises. Food and drink is the UK’s largest
manufacturing industry—bigger than automotive and aerospace
combined. It is worth more than £100 billion per year and is
geographically dispersed, which means it brings wealth to every
corner of our nation.
What discussions has the Minister had with the Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to ensure that local
British foods, which are some of the finest in the world,
continue to benefit from a fair, competitive and transparent food
supply chain post-Brexit?
My hon. Friend makes an important point. Every Member will have
examples of successful local food manufacturers. In her
constituency, we have of course Samworth Brothers, a highly
successful large business, and many other smaller enterprises. I
congratulate her on having secured for her area the status of
designated manufacturing zone. Government procurement rules
encourage the local sourcing of food, and the requirements of
some protected food name designations will also require food to
be sourced locally.
(Argyll and Bute) (SNP)
What is the Department doing, and what discussions has it had,
about giving support to those small independent shellfish
producers on the west coast of Scotland who, because of Brexit,
are about to be put at a huge competitive disadvantage to their
Northern Irish neighbours?
I hold regular meetings with the shellfish industry. As the hon.
Gentleman will know, my constituency is in Cornwall, where we
have a large crab and scallop industry. The political declaration
on our future relationship with the EU envisages zero-zero
tariffs on all goods.
(Cleethorpes) (Con)
Last week, the Secretary of State followed in the Minister’s
footsteps, visiting Cleethorpes and the neighbouring constituency
of Grimsby, where she saw some of the fine seafood processors
there. Can I urge her and the Minister to continue the support
for that industry and to give it an absolute assurance that fish
supplies will continue without any hitch?
I very much enjoyed my visit to the seafood village in my hon.
Friend’s constituency, and I look forward to visiting that area
and Grimsby more generally again in the future. Our fishing
industry will have many opportunities as we leave the European
Union and depart from relative stability, but for our fish
processors in constituencies such as his it is also important
that we continue the flow of trade from countries such as Iceland
and Norway.
Imported Agricultural Goods
(Newcastle upon Tyne Central)
(Lab)
4. What her policy is on the compliance of imported agricultural
goods with UK (a) animal welfare, (b) environmental and (c) food
safety standards after the transition period. [900651]
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
As we set out in our manifesto, we are committed to upholding our
high standards of environmental protection, food safety and
animal welfare. Now we have left the EU, our high standards,
including import requirements, continue to apply. We will not
dilute our standards, or put the UK’s biosecurity at risk, in our
future trade negotiations.
My constituents benefit from the glorious countryside of
Northumberland and County Durham—landscapes shaped by small-scale
farmers. Those farmers would be devastated by unfair competition
from the American agro-industrial machine, with its lower animal
welfare, food and environmental standards. The Secretary of State
talks a good talk and reads a good brief, but she will not put
anything into law, so will she now unequivocally condemn any
Government who trade away our high food, environmental and animal
welfare standards?
I can assure the hon. Member that we will not trade away our high
standards of environmental protection, animal welfare or food
safety. We will make sure that our trade negotiations work for
our whole country, including the farmers she mentioned. I met
farmers in Northumberland only a few days ago and had those very
conversations.
(Plymouth, Sutton and
Devonport) (Lab/Co-op)
On Monday, the Secretary of State heard from both Opposition MPs
and MPs on her own Benches that she had to put our high
environmental standards into law to prevent US agriculture from
undercutting them in any trade negotiations. Now that a few days
have passed since that debate, has she reflected on the fact that
there is cross-party support for putting those promises into law
and will she do the right thing and put them in the Agriculture
Bill?
I reiterate what we said in a debate last week: our high
environmental, animal welfare and food safety standards are
already in law, including legislating to prevent the importation
of chlorinated chicken or hormone-treated beef, and our manifesto
commits us to continuing to defend robustly those standards in
future trade negotiations.
I am afraid that is not a good enough answer from the Environment
Secretary, because unless there is a specific clause in the
Agriculture Bill that guarantees that there will be no
undercutting of British farmers by imported US agriculture in
particular—produce grown to lower animal welfare and
environmental standards—no one will believe a word that the
Environment Secretary has to say. The Trade Secretary is today
publishing a document that will apparently lock those standards
into law, so if it is good enough for the Trade Secretary, why is
it not good enough for the Environment Secretary to put the same
commitment into law?
As I have said, those commitments are already in law, and the
Government will defend them in our trade negotiations. There is a
cross-party consensus in this House that we value our high
standards. We will continue with those high standards; we will
not compromise them in trade negotiations.
(Edinburgh North and Leith)
(SNP)
How will the Secretary of State ensure that ractopamine-treated
pork and turkey meat from the United States stays out of our food
chains?
As I have said, we will ensure that all food coming into this
country meets our high sanitary and phytosanitary standards and
our high standards of food safety. We will not under any
circumstances compromise biosecurity or human health in our trade
negotiations.
(Banff and Buchan) (Con)
I welcome my right hon. Friend’s and the Government’s commitment
to maintaining high food, welfare and health standards, but can
she update the House on what plans there are for a food standards
commission, as requested by the National Farmers Union of
Scotland?
I have discussed that with the National Farmers Union, and there
is real merit in its proposal. We continue to consider it, but I
can assure my hon. Friend and the House that, whatever the
mechanism, we will engage very closely with farmers and other
stakeholders as we take forward our trade negotiations.
(North West Leicestershire)
(Con)
Can my right hon Friend put the House at ease and confirm that
any trade agreement will have to be ratified under the
Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010 and that this House
will therefore have a full opportunity to scrutinise any effect
of trade deals on our food standards?
I can; this House will be involved in scrutiny of our trade
negotiations, and I look forward to having those debates with
hon. Members.
(Westmorland and Lonsdale)
(LD)
13. It is absolutely right that we focus on high-quality
standards in our trade deals with the rest of the world, but the
reality is that 90% of Cumbrian farm exports are to the European
single market. Can the Secretary of State guarantee that my
farmers next January will not be facing crippling taxes and
tariffs on their exports? [900663]
As the hon. Gentleman will be aware, the Government are clear
that we are seeking a free trade agreement with the European
Union without tariffs. That is something that the Prime Minister
and his team will be working on in the months ahead.
Tree Planting
(Gloucester) (Con)
5. What steps her Department is taking to increase tree-planting
rates. [900652]
(Colne Valley) (Con)
9. What steps her Department is taking to increase tree-planting
rates. [900658]
(Coventry North
East) (Lab)
14. What plans she has to increase the number of trees planted
each year. [900664]
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
Our manifesto commits us to increase tree planting to a rate of
30,000 hectares a year by 2025 across the UK. Our £640 million
nature for climate fund will help us to deliver a massive uplift
in tree planting, as part of wider efforts to become a net zero
carbon economy.
The Secretary of State will know that many of us are leading on
planting plans in our constituencies, working closely with local
councils, local wildlife trusts and so on. A good example is the
new arboretum at lower Westgate Street in Gloucester, which was
planted at the beginning of January. However, does she agree that
there is a risk that, however many thousands of trees we plant in
our constituencies, somebody will always say that we should have
done much more? Is there an opportunity for some independent body
to make an objective assessment of how many trees can
realistically be planted in urban constituencies such as mine?
My hon. Friend makes a good point about setting appropriate
targets. We plan to work closely with local authorities as we
drive forward with our commitment to plant more trees. The
Environment Bill contains important changes to the planning
system—for example, an environmental net gain—that will encourage
investment in nature, biodiversity and tree planting.
Does the Secretary of State agree with me and the Woodland Trust
that we need to get local councils writing emergency tree plans
that identify land for tree planting, and that we need to ensure
that developments that come forward from housing developers
include a minimum of 30% tree canopy cover?
I welcome my hon. Friend’s ambition for tree planting in his
local area. As I have said, changes to the planning system should
incentivise investment in tree planting and nature. Programmes
such as the urban tree challenge fund could provide a great
opportunity for local authorities to play their part in
delivering this tree-planting effort.
Will the Secretary of State join me in congratulating the pupils
of Good Shepherd Catholic Primary School in my constituency, who
recently planted 130 saplings in a new eco-area at the school?
Does she agree that the new eco-area at the school will be a
great educational resource for the students, helping them to
learn more about the natural world while also helping to improve
the local environment in Coventry North East?
I do congratulate them; it sounds like a wonderful effort. Our
Environment Bill provides for local nature recovery strategies
that are led by the local authority, but which I very much hope
will involve engagement with schools and enthusiastic groups such
as the one mentioned by the hon. Member.
(Southampton, Test)
(Lab)
Does the Secretary of State accept that the prime purpose of
planting trees in the present climate crisis is to provide an
effective carbon sink to produce the negative carbon emissions
that offset other carbon emissions in a net-zero world? The
Committee on Climate Change suggests that that means planting
perhaps up to 50,000 hectares of trees per annum up to
2050—perhaps 2.4 billion trees. Does she agree that the present
target in the clean growth plan of 11 million trees is
tiny—especially as it is currently being missed by 71%—and almost
amounts to “greenwash”? When is she going to get real on tree
planting and management, and adopt measures that will secure the
billions of trees we need and not the millions she is projecting?
Where I would agree with the shadow Minister is that we do need
massively to step up our tree planting in this country, and that
is what we are determined to do, particularly by working with the
devolved authorities as well. I encourage everyone to take the
message out to their constituents that they can get involved with
these programmes through the countryside stewardship woodland
creation grant, the woodland creation planning grant, the
woodland carbon fund, the woodland carbon guarantee and the urban
tree challenge fund. We will soon be consulting on a tree
strategy for England to drive forward further the crucial task of
planting more trees in this country.
(Cheltenham) (Con)
Councils are required to deliver a five-year supply of sites for
housing. Has not the time come for us to require councils to
provide a five-year supply of sites for tree planting?
That is a very interesting idea. I hope that the process of local
nature recovery strategies that we are establishing under the
Environment Bill will embrace the kind of idea that my hon.
Friend has just floated.
Glass and Plastic Deposit Return Scheme
(Easington) (Lab)
6. When she plans to introduce a deposit return scheme for (a)
glass and (b) plastic. [900653]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
In our manifesto, the Government committed to introducing a
deposit return scheme to incentivise people to recycle plastic
and glass. We are aiming to introduce that scheme from 2023. The
Environment Bill that was published recently includes an
important section on waste and recycling, and will introduce
powers to establish deposit return schemes. A deposit return
scheme would include aluminium and steel cans, alongside plastic
and glass bottles. The final details of the scheme, including
types of drinks containers to be included, are being developed
and will be presented in a second consultation.
I thank the Minister for her response. I think the whole House
welcomes the introduction of the deposit return scheme in the
Environment Bill, but the concern is that it is overly
prescriptive, specifying two categories of plastic, rather than
creating a framework that could be amended and widened in scope
to incorporate more materials that could be recycled in future.
I thank the hon. Member for his comments. I am delighted that he
is so interested in the scheme. The first consultation had very
wide support and we will have a further consultation. The
industries wanting to use the collected recycled materials,
particularly plastics, want very pure and well-sorted materials
so that they can then turn them into the next products. We are
thinking about this very seriously. More will be heard in the
second consultation and that will come through in the Environment
Bill.
Air Pollution
(Carshalton and Wallington)
(Con)
7. What steps her Department is taking to reduce air pollution.
[900656]
(West Bromwich East)
(Con)
10. What steps her Department is taking to improve air quality.
[900659]
(Thirsk and Malton)
(Con)
12. What steps her Department is taking to improve air quality.
[900661]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
Our clean air strategy sets out an ambitious programme of action
to reduce air pollution from a wide range of sources. We have
also put in place a £3.5 billion plan to tackle roadside nitrogen
dioxide concentrations. Our Environment Bill delivers key parts
of our world-leading clean air strategy and makes a clear
commitment to set a legally binding target to reduce fine
particulate matter, as well as enabling local authorities to take
more effective action to tackle air pollution in their areas.
I thank the Minister for her response. She will know that
incineration is considered to only be slightly better than
landfill when it comes to disposing of waste, but Lib Dem-run
Sutton Council seems to think that its Beddington incinerator has
no harmful effects at all on my Carshalton and Wallington
constituents. Does she agree that the council should improve air
quality monitoring near the site, tackle congestion and be much
more ambitious as regards tackling air pollution?
I am aware that Sutton Council approved the development of the
Beddington incinerator as an alternative to landfill, which would
have a higher pollution impact. The incinerator is required to
operate in compliance with the permit conditions set by the
Environment Agency, as I am sure my hon. Friend knows; he has
mentioned the incinerator before. We encourage all local
authorities, including obviously his Lib Dem-run council, to take
action to improve air quality. I urge him to keep pressing it to
keep within its commitments.
Birmingham City Council’s planned demolition of the Perry Barr
flyover, which feeds traffic from Birmingham into West Bromwich
East, will do nothing to tackle the already poor air quality in
the area and cause huge traffic problems for my constituents.
Does the Minister agree that local authorities have an obligation
to ensure that major roadwork projects, especially on busy
highways, improve air quality and ease congestion?
Local authorities are required by law to consider the impacts of
development on air quality. Local authorities are best placed to
take local planning decisions and should take into account a
range of factors, including impacts on air quality, the local
economy and traffic flow—so my hon. Friend raises a good
point—when carrying out roadwork projects. In terms of the wider
picture, we are providing financial and expert advice to local
authorities to tackle air quality.
Air quality is seen very much as an urban issue, but even in the
bucolic rural constituency of Thirsk and Malton we have our
problems, including in Malton town centre due to high levels of
standing traffic. What support can my hon. Friend offer to the
local authority to resolve this issue?
The Environment Bill includes measures to improve air quality
that will ensure that local authorities, including in Malton, for
which my hon. Friend always speaks up so determinedly, have a
clear framework and simple powers to tackle air pollution. The
DEFRA and Department for Transport joint air quality unit works
with local authorities, underpinned by £572 million in funding,
to tackle nitrogen dioxide exceedances, and DEFRA provides grant
funding and technical support via a dedicated helpdesk.
(Exeter) (Lab)
If the Secretary of State has read the unprecedented four reports
in the last Parliament by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
Committee—chaired by the hon. Member for Tiverton and Honiton
(), who is sitting behind her—she
will know that a lack of power and resources in local government
is a real problem, particularly in two-tier areas, as is the
chronic lack of joined-up thinking by central Government. When
will those two critical issues be addressed?
This Government take air pollution extremely seriously. We are
investing £3.5 billion in air quality and clean transport. We are
helping local authorities to tackle air quality through the
implementation fund and the clean air fund, with a £572 million
budget and a lot of expert advice. I am overseeing many
programmes being rolled out, and the right hon. Gentleman will
see a great deal happening this year.
(Strangford) (DUP)
Two hours of exposure to diesel fumes leads to 24 hours of
negative impact upon a person’s health. What is being done to
reduce diesel fumes for ordinary people in our communities?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. Roadside pollution
is a key area. Nitrogen dioxide is one of the serious issues
tackled under our nitrogen dioxide plan. Local authorities have a
legal duty to tackle high levels of pollution on roadsides, which
is why we have introduced a comprehensive system to help local
authorities to tackle it. We are also bringing down the rate of
diesel cars on the market.
Topical Questions
(Preseli Pembrokeshire) (Con)
T1. If she will make a statement on her departmental
responsibilities. [900665]
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
()
In recent weeks, DEFRA has been driving forward the biggest
programme of legislation in Whitehall. That includes publication
of our landmark Environment Bill, to introduce a new legal
framework and demanding targets on matters such as nature,
recycling and air quality. We have published our Fisheries Bill,
to enable this country to take back control of its fishing waters
and end the common fisheries policy. The Agriculture Bill has had
its Second Reading, to ensure a brighter, greener future for our
farmers. And of course, my team and I have played our part in
securing the biggest election victory for the Conservatives in 30
years.
Data published in the recent climate change agreements biennial
report showed the dairy industry delivering a 21% improvement on
its energy efficiency over the last 10 years—the latest in a long
line of sustainability wins for the industry. Does my right hon.
Friend agree that, far from being a villain in the climate change
story, the dairy industry is proving itself a force for good?
I very much agree. I pay tribute to the huge efforts made in the
dairy sector to become more efficient and more sustainable. I
know that those in the sector have further plans through the
pioneering dairy road map, and I wish them well with that. We
need to support UK agriculture in the tremendous efforts it is
making to be part of the solution on climate change.
(Newport West) (Lab)
This Government have made much of the fact that we are leaving
the EU and all its bureaucratic processes, but only to replace it
with the catch app, a far more complex system for smaller fishing
boats. Will the Secretary of State instruct the Marine Management
Organisation to change the new catch app and remove the risk of
criminality, which is causing so much anxiety for fishers in our
coastal communities?
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs ()
I have met officials on that matter. The reason we introduced the
catch app is that, if we want to improve our management of the
inshore fleet and offer fishermen, say, three months’ catch
opportunities at a time, or even move to an effort-based regime,
we need better, more accurate catch data. Those rules already
apply to the over-12 metres and will in future apply to the
under-12s as well.
(East Surrey)
(Con)
T3. I am proud to represent many farmers in East Surrey who are
the guardians of our beautiful countryside. Does the Minister
agree that the best way to support those farmers and protect the
environment is to buy seasonal and to buy British? [900667]
Yes, I do.
(Blaydon) (Lab)
T2. If the biodiversity gain requirement is to make a real
difference, local authorities will need additional strategic
planners, ecologist and enforcement officers. What assessment has
been made of the human and financial resources required, and will
the Secretary of State confirm that those resources will be set
out and funded in the forthcoming Budget? [900666]
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
Burdens put on local authorities through the Environment Bill
will be fully funded. They will play a key role in helping with
biodiversity net gain. They will also play a key role—as will
other local organisations—in setting up our local nature
strategies, which will inform what we do, and I very much look
forward to that.
(Beaconsfield)
(Con)
T4. In Beaconsfield, we have many hard-working farmers, as well
as local environmental groups such as Transition Town Marlow and
Wild Marlow, which are leading the way locally in animal welfare
and environmental protection. Will the Minister join me in
welcoming the new standards that we are going to put in place for
environmental protection and animal welfare as we leave the EU,
and for the protection of our British farmers? [900668]
I will, indeed. Our departure from the European Union gives us
the opportunity to introduce a new farming policy—a new system of
farm support—that has sustainability and the environment at its
heart. We can use that to support our farmers in the brilliant
work they already do as stewards of our environment and
countryside.
(Putney) (Lab)
T6. Putney High Street is one of the most polluted streets in
London and the country, although electric buses have helped a
lot. Ammonia emissions, predominantly from farming, are rising
and are above World Health Organisation safe limits. In London,
particulates derived from that ammonia are the largest
contribution to imported background or particulate pollution.
Will the Secretary of State commit to tackling this issue of
ammonia pollution in the Environment Bill? [900671]
We have a strong focus on these matters. The measures we will be
bringing forward in the Environment Bill will help us to set
challenging and demanding targets on those issues. Our new system
of farm support will also provide support to farmers in reducing
ammonia emissions. I know they are determined to do it. I
understand completely the importance of delivering on this.
(Kettering) (Con)
T5. Will the super-talented Minister for litter consider
requiring drive-through fast-food restaurants to print the
purchaser’s vehicle registration number on the receipt, so that
the origin of roadside litter might be more readily identified?
[900670]
I thank my hon. Friend, who is such a campaigner on this issue.
It is a great idea. I believe that one fast-food chain is already
considering doing this. It is something I have thought about
myself when I am out on my bike and I see all the litter on the
verges. Trust me, this Government are doing a great deal on
litter, but we need to do more.
(North East Fife)
(LD)
One way to reduce food waste is to rebalance the relationships
between suppliers and supermarkets. Will the Government therefore
commit to expanding the power of the Groceries Code Adjudicator
and amending the groceries supply code of practice to better
protect our farmers’ interests and reduce the amount of
unnecessary food waste that can occur due to supermarkets’
excessively strict requirements?
Our Agriculture Bill has an entire section on fairness in the
supply chain, enabling us to introduce regulations that build on
what we have started with the Groceries Code Adjudicator to
ensure that there is fairness and transparency in that supply
chain.
(Hemel Hempstead)
(Con)
I am sure the Secretary of State is aware that for many years
animal rights activists and welfare activists for animal rights
have been calling on Government to stop exporting animals on the
hoof, and to let them be slaughtered in our slaughterhouses and
go on the hook. Now we have left the EU, can the Secretary of
State confirm that that sort of practice will cease?
We do want to see an end to live exports, and we will soon be
consulting on measures to improve the welfare of live animals in
transport. We hope that ultimately the effect of this will be an
end to live exports overseas.
(South Shields) (Lab)
My constituent, Mr Latimer, after exhausting every avenue to halt
the flow of sewage on to the beach behind his very popular
restaurant, ended up filing a complaint with the European
Commission. The ruling from the Court of Justice of the European
Union stated that the Government needed to rectify the problem
within five years. That was eight years ago. Can he expect any
action from this Government?
I am certainly happy to look into that case and come back to the
hon. Member.
(Romford) (Con)
Will the Minister tell us what the Government intend to do in
their upcoming legislation on dog smuggling to prevent the import
of drugged dogs by busker gangs?
There are already laws and regulations in place to protect
animals used by buskers. Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, it is
a criminal offence to cause unnecessary suffering to an animal,
or to administer an injurious or poisonous drug to an animal. If
my hon. Friend has specific concerns, if he reported them to the
police or the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to
Animals, action could be taken.
(Ceredigion) (PC)
Does the Government’s policy in relation to the standards of
agricultural imports align with the views of the relevant expert
trade advisory group?
As I have said, in our trade negotiations we will ensure that the
outcome works for farmers and for the nation as a whole. We will
defend our standards in future trade negotiations.
(Rugby) (Con)
As part of her proposals for a deposit return scheme, has the
Secretary of State sought to persuade her counterpart in the
Scottish Government that the interests of consumers, producers
and administrators will be best served by a system that covers
the country—the UK—as a whole?
My hon. Friend raises a good point. Scotland introduced its
scheme first. We are consulting to ensure our scheme is
absolutely fit for purpose. We want ours to completely align and
we are very much lining up with manufacturers and processors to
get the right system that suits them.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
During the debate before the election on restoring nature and
climate change, the Minister, who is now in the Lords, told the
House that a legislative response to the problem of burning
peatlands was being developed. When can we expect to see
legislation being published?
We are looking carefully at the issue of rotational burning on
blanket bog. We are working closely with land managers to ensure
that we see this practice come to an end. We have scrutinised the
voluntary mechanisms and in due course we will have to consider
whether to legislate in this area.
