The Secretary of State was asked—
Cost Increases: Food Producers and Consumers
(Motherwell and Wishaw)
(SNP)
1. What recent assessment he has made of the impact of rising
costs on (a) food producers and (b) the cost of food for
consumers. (901326)
(Glasgow South West)
(SNP)
14. What recent assessment he has made of the impact of rising
costs on (a) food producers and (b) the cost of food for
consumers. (901340)
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs ()
I draw the attention of the House to my declaration in the
Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I also pay tribute to
the previous Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
team, who did fantastic work supporting UK agriculture, the
environment and rural communities.
I can report to the House that Vladimir Putin’s invasion of
Ukraine has caused huge ripples around the world in spiking
energy and food costs. Food costs rose by 12.7% in this year to
July, but the Government have already taken action to support
farmers, pulling forward this year’s basic payment scheme
payments and making sure that consumers are supported with their
energy bills, with a huge package to support people with the cost
of living.
I welcome the Minister to his new place. National Farmers Union
of Scotland president Martin Kennedy has urged the new Prime
Minister to immediately, on behalf of all food producers and
consumers,
“address the brutal ‘here and now’ facing farming and food
production whilst delivering an unequivocable commitment to the
importance of food security across the UK”.
Given that the Prime Minister was formerly a DEFRA Minister, what
funding support is being considered for Scottish and UK food
producers, and what plans are there to ensure that affordable
food is secured for consumers?
I hope the hon. Lady will recognise the contribution of UK
farmers across generations to keeping the UK and Europe well fed
for decades, which will of course continue. The Government are
committed to supporting UK farmers through the use of taxpayers’
money, and I am sure that will also continue, but this is a
challenge that we take very seriously and she will see that
support over the coming months.
I welcome the Minister to his new role. Will he encourage the
large supermarkets to enable community food projects such as
Threehills Community Supermarket in Glasgow South West to
purchase much-needed top-up supplies in bulk from their depots at
as discounted a cost as possible, and can he assure the House
that community food projects will be given top priority in his
Department?
The hon. Gentleman is right to draw attention to the fact that
retailers will play a huge part in solving the challenges we
face, not only in the United Kingdom, but across the whole world,
with the price of food going up. The Government continue to
engage with those food retailers, and we will support them in any
way we can to try to help our consumers. He also highlights
community projects, which have a huge part to play in meeting the
challenge.
(Eastbourne) (Con)
Local food partnerships could play an important role in providing
resilience and healthy, cost-free produce to the local community.
In this time of drought and water restrictions, however, South
East Water has not made an explicit exemption for such
partnerships, and that will really curtail their activity. Will
the Minister join me in calling on the company to revisit its
position—in line, I believe, with other water companies?
Of course those water companies have other responsibilities as
well, but the use of water for agricultural food production will
be fundamental to our success. My hon. Friend may be aware that
there is a debate in Westminster Hall later today on food
infrastructure, and she may want to come and contribute to that
debate.
(Brecon and Radnorshire)
(Con)
I warmly welcome the new Farming Minister to his place. I am
delighted to see that he has been appointed during Love Lamb
Week; he certainly knows his way around a lamb dinner. The sheep
farmers in my Brecon and Radnorshire constituency produce
world-class food that is good for our health, our environment and
the rural economy. Will he take this early opportunity to restate
his commitment to the red meat sector, and may I invite him to
visit one of the seven livestock markets in my constituency?
I contemplated denying liking a lamb dinner, but I do not want to
start by misleading the House. We recognise the huge contribution
that Welsh farmers make not only to lamb production, but to food
supplied to our country, and I would be delighted at some point,
if my diary allows, to visit Brecon and Radnorshire to see one of
those livestock markets.
Mr Speaker
I think there will be a lot of nervous lambs in Wales awaiting
that visit. Let us come to the shadow Secretary of State, .
(Oldham West and Royton)
(Lab/Co-op)
First, may I welcome the new Secretary of State, the hon. Member
for North East Hampshire (Mr Jayawardena), 54and his Ministers to
their place? I look forward to a constructive relationship, but
it will be a testing relationship, as we work through the
catalogue of failures left by his predecessor.
Rocketing food costs have pushed inflation to a 40-year high and,
according to the Bank of England, households and food producers
are set to face harder pressures yet. Last week, I received a
letter from a family bakery who are extremely worried that their
energy bills are increasing by 380%, potentially risking the
viability of some of their stores. An energy crisis, a food
security crisis, a labour crisis and an import cost crisis—how
much worse is it going to get for businesses and the 7 million
people already in food poverty?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question and look forward to
working with the Opposition Front Bench. I would strongly push
back at his comments about the previous Secretary of State. The
work he did to support rural communities and UK agriculture was
fantastic, and we should pay tribute to him for that. Of course,
Vladimir’s invasion of Ukraine has caused massive ripples. It is
a global challenge, but we are in a position where the UK economy
is fit, and that puts us at an advantage compared with some of
our competitors around the world. We will be able to intervene to
try and assist people. We have already committed to £37 billion
of support for consumers, and if the hon. Gentleman waits, he
will be able to listen to the Prime Minister at the Dispatch Box
later today setting out her plans to support those businesses and
people across the country.
Mr Speaker
May I welcome the SNP spokesperson, , to his new position?
(Perth and North Perthshire)
(SNP)
Thank you ever so much, Mr Speaker. It feels like business
questions. I thought I was getting away from the right hon.
Gentleman, but there is seemingly no escape. May I welcome him to
his new role and congratulate the new Secretary of State? I know
they have a huge inbox—they do not have to seek problems. As we
have heard, there are rocketing prices for the rural economy and
astronomical price rises for the consumer, and on top of that
there is a fertiliser crisis, agflation in the sector and a
harvest that remains unpicked because of the lack of seasonal
labour. So is this the right time to pick a fight with the EU
over the Northern Irish protocol, with the real risk of tariffs
being introduced for the sector? Is now not the time to climb
down, negotiate properly and get the best possible solution for
our farmers, our producers and our consumers?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question; I, too, thought I
had escaped him. He will be surprised to know that there is
another method available to us, which the SNP does not
understand. We do not have to pick a fight with everybody; we can
actually talk to people and negotiate, and that is what we are
doing with the EU. We are trying to build relationships rather
than pick a fight with the whole world.
Fertiliser Costs
(Ellesmere Port and Neston)
(Lab)
2. What recent assessment he has made of the impact of the cost
of fertiliser on food producers. (901327)
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs ()
Fertilisers make up around 9% of input costs into food
production. Cost increases may be absorbed at various points
within the supply chain, but of course we should recognise that
there has been a huge spike because global energy prices are
going up. The Government recognise that input costs have
increased and are challenging cash flow. That is why we brought
forward the direct payments to try to help people with their cash
flow, and we will continue to monitor that as we move
forward.
Last month my constituents at CF Fertilisers were made redundant.
Within days of that happening, the company announced that it was
halting CO2 production at its plant in Billingham. I know that
the Minister is new in place, but I warned his predecessors again
and again that we could not afford to be in such a vulnerable
position and that we should have got the company sold to the many
people who are interested in purchasing it. I am so disappointed
that we have got to this point, because it was completely
avoidable. Will he, on behalf of his Department, apologise to my
constituents who have lost their jobs unnecessarily and to
everyone in the country who will be paying more for their food as
a result of this very short-sighted decision?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. Of course, we do not
want the company to be able to exploit the monopoly position it
holds within the marketplace. It has ceased the production of
ammonia at the plant, but it will continue to produce ammonium
nitrate and nitric acid. The Government continue to engage with
the plant to make sure we can secure supplies of fertiliser and
other products.
Mr Speaker
We now come to the Chair of the Select Committee, Sir .
Sir (Scarborough and Whitby)
(Con)
I do not think the situation could be any more serious for
farmers in this country, both grain farmers and grass farmers.
The UK requires around 2.2 million tonnes of nitrogen fertiliser,
and about 1 million tonnes of that came from the Ince plant and
the Billingham plant. The Ince plant is shut and the Billingham
plant is paused while waiting for deliveries of ammonia in order
to switch from North sea gas. In welcoming the Minister to his
place on behalf of the Committee, may I ask him to say when the
first load of ammonia will arrive at Billingham and when
production will commence? There is a real fear that the plant
might not start, and then we will really be in serious
trouble.
I thank my right hon. Friend for his question. That is something
that we take seriously. We recognise the huge challenge to not
only UK agriculture, but other sectors around the country. He
will be aware that AdBlue, which many diesel cars up and down the
country use, is also dependent on products of a similar nature.
We will have to work together as an industry to look at other
alternatives. We may have to look back at our ancestors and how
agriculture operated in the ’30s and ’40s, with nitrogen-fixing
crops and other agriculture methods, to solve some of the
challenges that we face.
Mr Speaker
We now come to shadow Minister .
(Cambridge) (Lab)
I, too, welcome the right hon. Gentleman to his place. I am sure
that we will work constructively together, and I look forward to
swapping Benches at the earliest opportunity. He knows the effect
that high input costs have on farmers, whether that is fuel,
fertiliser or labour. I am sure that one of the first questions
he put to his civil servants was about the CO2 impacts of the
shutdown of those facilities. Rather than just reassuring us,
will he publish the Department’s assessment of the CO2
consequences of any shutdown at those plants?
Of course, we recognise the challenge. I have been in post for 12
hours, so I hope that the hon. Gentleman will forgive me if I
have not been able to make a full assessment of the position.
Hon. Members
Resign!
It is tempting to resign, to be honest, but I will resist at this
moment. We continue to have those conversations. We recognise the
size of the challenge. If the hon. Gentleman gives us a small
window, we will be able to make a full assessment of where we are
at.
Labour Shortages: Agriculture and Fishing
(Ochil and South Perthshire)
(SNP)
3. What recent discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on
tackling labour shortages in the (a) food and drink sector, (b)
agricultural sector, (c) fishing industry and (d) supply chains
for those sectors. (901328)
(Linlithgow and East Falkirk)
(SNP)
11. What recent steps the Government have taken to help ensure an
adequate labour supply for the (a) agricultural and (b) fishing
industries in Scotland. (901337)
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs ()
The Government are working to ensure that UK agriculture and
fishing sectors secure the labour that they need. We know that
there is a shortage of labour and it is difficult for businesses
across the food sector. That is why the Prime Minister committed
during the leadership campaign to looking at expanding seasonal
worker schemes. The Government have already expanded the number
of people in the seasonal worker route to 40,000 for horticulture
and poultry in 2022; we have commissioned an independent review
into labour shortages in the food supply chain in England; and we
launched a £10 million skills and training scheme in August 2022
to support new entrants in the fishing sector.
Ending the freedom of movement has been a catastrophe for
constituencies such as Ochil and South Perthshire, with labour
shortages in every sector, especially food production. The lack
of seasonal workers and the food rotting in the fields are
evidence of yet more Brexit chaos. We all must surely agree that
food waste is a scandal. Given that the new Prime Minister
pledged to expand the seasonal worker scheme if she was elected,
when will that be done?
I think we need to give the Prime Minister longer than 48 hours
to deliver on that commitment. The hon. Gentleman would have kept
us in the common fisheries policy by remaining in the EU. The
country requires an immigration system that benefits the United
Kingdom; we should not just have an open door to anybody who
wants to come. We need to be able to select the people who will
assist the UK economy and make sure that the people who come to
the United Kingdom benefit the United Kingdom.
Key sectors are facing acute labour shortages because of a Brexit
that Scotland did not vote for. Salmon Scotland has reported very
low unemployment and extremely limited labour availability in
rural areas, with processing factories 20% light on staff. What
steps will the Minister take to ensure that fishing communities
and processing sites have the necessary supply of workers?
I thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. As I set out, the
seasonal agricultural worker scheme is a huge opportunity for
people to come to the United Kingdom to support the sector, but
we need to make sure that we get the right people coming to
support our economy. The last thing that we should do is erect a
border between Scotland and the rest of the UK—that would be a
tragedy for Scotland. I hope he will reflect on trying to take
Scotland out of the United Kingdom.
(Faversham and Mid Kent)
(Con)
I welcome the new Secretary of State and the new farming Minister
to their places. The seasonal worker scheme is essential to the
fruit sector in my constituency of Faversham and Mid Kent, so can
my right hon. Friend assure me that it will be not only extended,
but improved—and sooner rather than later—so that British
consumers can continue to enjoy British fruit?
My hon. Friend is a strong advocate for rural businesses in Kent.
I hope she will be aware that in December 2021 the seasonal
worker visa route was extended to 2024. This visa route allows
overseas workers to come to the UK for up to six months each year
to harvest edible and ornamental crops. In June, the Government
announced that the food strategy will see the release of an extra
10,000 visas for the seasonal worker route, and this is something
the Prime Minister committed to in the leadership election. We
recognise the challenge, and we will do all we can to provide
support.
(Montgomeryshire) (Con)
I welcome the new Secretary of State and the Minister to their
positions, and I look forward to working with them. A number of
those at Montgomeryshire agricultural shows raised the issue of
labour shortages, and while it is great to have record levels of
unemployment in Montgomeryshire, we need people in our dairy
farms, our abattoirs and across our food sector. Can I implore
the Minister, if he is indeed enjoying a lamb dinner in Brecon
and Radnorshire, to venture up to the other half of Powys and
come to the biggest Welsh lamb market in the United Kingdom to
talk about these important labour shortages and what we can
do?
I realise what I have started here. Of course, I recognise the
contribution that Welsh farmers are making. I think we should
celebrate the fact that unemployment is so low, but in sectors
such as the one my hon. Friend describes, that does bring its own
challenges. We recognise such challenges, which is why we have
the seasonal agricultural worker scheme, and we will be
continuing to expand that as we negotiate with the Home Office to
make sure the scheme works.
Sewage Discharge
(Hornsey and Wood Green)
(Lab)
4. What steps he is taking to ensure that untreated sewage is not
discharged into rivers, inland waterways and the sea.(901329)
(Richmond Park) (LD)
10. What steps he is taking to help ensure sewage is not
discharged into UK waterways.(901336)
(Jarrow) (Lab)
16. What steps he is taking to ensure that untreated sewage is
not discharged into rivers, inland waterways and the
sea.(901342)
Mr Speaker
I welcome the new Secretary of State.
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
( )
Thank you, Mr Speaker. The volume of sewage spewed out by water
companies is completely unacceptable, and the public have rightly
shown their outrage. Yesterday, in my first day in office, I told
water chief executives that it is not good enough, and I have
instructed them to write to me formally by 21 September with a
plan for how they will make significant improvements. I also met
the Environment Agency and Ofwat, and I told them that they
should use every enforcement power available to them to make sure
that there is compliance. I will not hesitate to take further
action if I do not see the pace of change that this House
expects.
Over the summer, I had the pleasure of meeting those from the
Hampstead and Highgate Angling Society, who fish in all 32 London
boroughs. The River Wandle has had a very bad incident of water
pollution, which included human sewage, and in the past the
Environment Agency itself has said that the fines meted out to
Thames Water were “not sufficient”. What is the Secretary of
State going to do to improve this desperate situation?
Mr Jayawardena
First, it is this Government who introduced the monitoring that
allows us to know what is going on. Secondly, it was this
Government who introduced the Environment Act 2021, which allows
the Environment Agency to levy unlimited fines on water
companies.
We all looked on in horror at the viral images of beaches in
Sussex being destroyed by disgusting sewage overflows. I have
heard that businesses in the area that are very reliant on income
from tourists—from beachside cafés in Seaford to tourist hotspots
in Eastbourne—have lost money because beaches were shut and
people were put off swimming in poisoned water. Will the Minister
demand that Southern Water compensates Sussex seaside
businesses?
Mr Jayawardena
First, I have already set out to the House what I intend to do.
Secondly, I would observe that the Liberal Democrats’ plan is
simply to play politics with this serious issue. When they were
in government they did not take the action that we have done now.
Sadly—and this is the serious point—what they are calling for in
their leaflets is for sewage to flow back into people’s homes,
because that is the consequence of what they are proposing.
Since asking a question on this issue in the House on Tuesday, we
now have a new Secretary of State—I welcome him to his place—but
we also have a new wave of sewage warnings across the country.
Over 100 beaches have pollution warnings for untreated sewage.
Water companies such as Northumbrian Water in my area have paid
billions in dividends for dumping filthy raw sewage on to our
playing fields, our beaches and our waters, and that is having a
huge impact on biodiversity and public health. I went to the
River Don in Boldon in my constituency a few weeks back, and the
stench alone made clear the scale of the issue. The last Minister
refused to do anything about this environmental vandalism. Will
the new Minister take urgent action?
Mr Jayawardena
First, I do not recognise the hon. Lady’s account at the end of
her question. The Government have been working on this issue, and
we passed the landmark Environment Act 2021. My hon. Friend the
Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
() published his plan over the
summer, and we set out in that plan that there will be £56
billion of capital investment to tackle these issues. Indeed, we
have ruled out some of the rises that the Opposition would have
liked, which have added £122 to household bills. As I set out to
the House, we are tackling this.
(South West Wiltshire)
(Con)
Ripping out our existing combined sewerage infrastructure is
simply unaffordable, but will the Secretary of State, who I
welcome to his post, look at sustainable development systems of
the sort that have been implemented to very good effect in cities
as far away as China and North America, particularly as the
Government look at revising their planning laws to build
much-needed housing?
Mr Jayawardena
I thank my right hon. Friend for what he says. He is right that
we should look at innovation from around the world to ensure that
we are transforming our infrastructure, including in the water
system.
(Shrewsbury and Atcham)
(Con)
I welcome the Secretary of State to his position, and I am
pleased with the strength of the DEFRA team. I have spoken to him
this morning about flooding on the River Severn, and I have also
been contacted by residents of Coton Hill about the quality of
the River Severn through Shrewsbury, and some of the discharge
issues that he has heard about. Will he please accept my
invitation to visit the River Severn and meet residents, and hear
their strength of feeling about the need for him to take action
on this essential issue?
Mr Jayawardena
My hon. Friend is a great champion for these issues, and I
welcome what he said earlier. Although I do not know what is in
my diary tomorrow, I would be delighted to visit at the earliest
opportunity, and for other Ministers to do the same.
(Lewes) (Con)
The Liberal Democrats seem obsessed with my constituency, whether
that is the hon. Member for Richmond Park () this morning, or the hon.
Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale () yesterday. Does the Secretary of State agree that
they need to be honest with people in my town of Seaford that
their plan, when heavy rainfall occurs, would result in sewage
backing up into people’s homes, gardens and roads, and that the
Government’s £56 billion investment is the only sustainable
solution?
Mr Jayawardena
My hon. Friend is a great champion for her constituents and
constituency, and she is right to say that although storm
overflows should not be used, they are a safety valve. They stop
the flooding of raw sewage back into people’s homes—that is what
the Liberal Democrats are promising.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Secretary of State, .
(Oldham West and Royton)
(Lab/Co-op)
Over the summer, the Government allowed water bosses to dump
sewage on 90 beaches in our coastal hotspots—the foundation of
those visitor economies—affecting already hard-squeezed
businesses that are barely keeping their heads above water. We
hear that the Secretary of State is satisfied by a telephone call
with water bosses, but does he not realise that they are laughing
at him? They are laughing at Ofwat, laughing at the Environment
Agency, laughing at the country, and laughing all the way to the
bank. Without tougher penalties to ensure that there is a bottom
line, they will not change their behaviour. Does he agree that
there must be tougher sanctions, including prison sentences?
Mr Jayawardena
I thought the hon. Gentleman was going to be constructive, but
now he is playing politics. Clearly he was not listening when I
set out my plan a moment ago. First, the water companies are
reporting back in two weeks, and secondly we have legislated to
issue unlimited fines through a criminal process, and we will not
hesitate to do more.
Fish Stocks and Marine Life
(Stockton North) (Lab)
5. What steps he is taking to ensure that rivers, inland
waterways and the sea can sustain fish stocks and other marine
life. (901330)
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs ()
The UK’s rivers and seas boast some of the greatest biodiversity
and marine life anywhere in the world. The Government have
prioritised protecting species, not least by leaving the common
fisheries policy that did so much to damage fish stocks. We have
also announced plans to reduce the sewage being discharged in our
seas and rivers, and we have recently taken action to protect our
precious chalk streams against drought.
I hope that the Minister is aware of the ecological disaster off
the coast of Teesside and North Yorkshire that has had a
devastating effect on the fishing industry. Catches are now less
than 10% of what they were, and it appears that a large part of
our sea is dead or dying. When will Ministers recognise that they
cannot rely on the conclusion that an algal bloom was probably
the cause of this disaster, order a more comprehensive study into
what is happening and come up with solutions to save our sea?
I pay tribute to the Tees Valley Mayor, , who has done a lot to
highlight the issue. We do have to listen to science and the
scientists who have done investigations, and one of their
conclusions was that the algal bloom was a huge factor. We
continue to talk to bodies in the north, including the Centre for
Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science, which is
continuing to carry out tests on material from the north-east
coast. It is a challenge that we recognise, and we will continue
to work with the authorities in that part of the country.
Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill
Mr (Old Bexley and Sidcup)
(Con)
6. What discussions he has had with Cabinet colleagues on the
progress of the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill. (901332)
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
( )
The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was introduced in June
2021 as part of our animal welfare action plan. The Bill delivers
three important manifesto commitments—strengthening protections
for pets, farmed and kept wild animals—as well as other valued
reforms. It was reintroduced in May following Her Majesty’s most
Gracious Speech and will continue to Report as soon as
parliamentary time allows.
Mr French
I thank the Secretary of State for his answer and welcome him to
his position. I am sure that he will do an excellent job and look
forward to working with him. I also welcome the Government’s
commitment to the kept animals Bill, which will introduce
landmark protections for pets, livestock and kept wild animals.
That will include helping in the fight against puppy and kitten
smuggling and cracking down on pet theft. Those milestone
protections are hugely important to my constituents in Old Bexley
and Sidcup who, like me, are animal lovers—hopefully, they may
even vote for Westminster dog of the year next week. Will he
provide assurances that the Government’s commitment to this
landmark legislation will mean that Ministers will now go further
and explore measures such as increasing the minimum age at which
dogs can be brought to the UK, and prohibiting the importation to
the UK of heavily pregnant dogs and those with cropped ears?
Mr Jayawardena
The kept animals Bill does include the powers to introduce those
restrictions through secondary legislation. Last year, Her
Majesty’s Government launched a consultation that proposed
measures for both commercial and non-commercial movements of dogs
into Great Britain, and I am told that there were more than
20,000 responses, so there was clearly a great deal of interest
from the public. My Department will publish a response in due
course.
Mr Speaker
I call the shadow Minister.
(Newport West) (Lab)
I, too, welcome the new Secretary of State to his place. I pay
tribute to the previous DEFRA team and look forward to continuing
a robust relationship with the new team.
On a recent visit to Battersea here in London and to the Royal
Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Newport, I
saw the consequences of the Tory cost of living crisis. I heard
about Frasier, a four-year-old domestic short-hair cat who was
taken to Battersea in June by his heartbroken owner who was
facing financial hardship and could no longer afford to keep his
beloved pet. That is happening across our country because people
cannot afford to keep their family pets, so we need a plan. Will
the Secretary of State tell us what it is?
Mr Jayawardena
First, the Government will cut people’s taxes. We are going to
let people keep more of their own money. We are going to ensure
that people continue to have great jobs in the economy by
incentivising investment in our businesses. If the hon. Lady and
Opposition Members are willing to stay in the House a bit longer,
they will hear from the Prime Minister herself.
Topical Questions
(Newport East) (Lab)
T1. If he will make a statement on his departmental
responsibilities.(901344)
The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
( )
It is a privilege to be asked to serve as Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. In doing so, I pay tribute
to my right hon. Friend the Member for Camborne and Redruth
() for his nine years of
service as a Minister in the Department, and to all those who
served with him. Earlier this week, the Prime Minister set out
her commitment to get Britain growing. That means backing our
thriving British food industry, working for a cleaner environment
and maximising the benefits of Brexit. From food security and
supporting our farmers to water quality and economic growth for
our rural communities, there is much to do, and the Government
are determined to deliver.
Valiant food banks serving Newport East tell me that they will
really struggle to stay open this winter with rising energy, fuel
and insurance costs and people finding it more difficult to
donate to them. They provide a vital service that, sadly, we will
need more than ever before, so what immediate steps will the
Government take to help them stay open this winter?
Mr Jayawardena
I encourage the hon. Lady to wait to hear the Prime Minister
later today.
(York Outer) (Con)
T2. From farm to fork, long-term decisions on rising energy
prices are being made that could have a devastating impact on
food security. Will my right hon. Friend please work with
colleagues in the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial
Strategy to ensure that food production businesses and the wider
supply chain receive the support they need to tackle rising
energy prices?(901346)
Mr Jayawardena
My hon. Friend is, of course, right. I also encourage him to wait
to hear what the Prime Minister says later today. It is very,
very important to ensure we continue to be able to produce some
of the best food in the world and the Government are committed to
doing that.
(Ealing Central and Acton)
(Lab)
T3. It is not just beaches. In 2021, Ealing and Acton saw 34 raw
sewage dumps—216 hours’ worth—including in the dear old River
Brent. Did taking back control mean returning to being the dirty
man of Europe? Is it any wonder that “Brexit opportunities” has
vanished from the new ministerial responsibilities?(901347)
The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food
and Rural Affairs ()
Listening to those on the Labour Benches, one would think that
between 1997 and 2010 there was no sewage discharge from our
system. The fact is that there was, but it is only because of the
measures that this Government have taken to put monitoring in
place that we are aware of the problem, and we are now the first
Government ever to take action to solve this problem.
(Lichfield) (Con)
T6. Rob and Sally Mercer, in their farm near Lichfield, each week
provide fresh meat, eggs, fruit and vegetables to around 250
families. They run an education project, too, and they have an
established charity. I have nominated them for a National Farmers
Union community farming hero award, so my challenging question to
the Minister is this: does he agree with me that they should get
it?(901351)
The Minister of State, Department for Environment, Food and Rural
Affairs ()
I pay tribute to Rob and Sally. Staffordshire farmers are second
only to Nottinghamshire farmers in their delivery for UK food
production.
Mr Speaker
And the great county of Lancashire.
(Richmond Park) (LD)
T4. The Government have said that they aspire to be a global
leader in animal welfare, yet only one of the three animal
welfare Bills proposed in the 2021 Queen’s Speech has since been
enshrined into law. Earlier this year the Government scrapped the
Animals Abroad Bill entirely, which would have ensured that cruel
animal practices abroad were not supported by the UK consumer
market. Does the Minister agree that a country that cares for
animals as much as we do should play no part in the import of
fur, foie gras and hunting trophies?(901348)
Mr Jayawardena
We have long set out that we have no plans to change our animal
welfare, food safety or environmental standards, and that remains
the case.
(Eastbourne) (Con)
In my tourist town of Eastbourne, the sea is our greatest asset.
Meeting with the Environment Agency just a week or two ago, water
quality was deemed to be good, yet social media discharges by
local Liberal Democrats would have people believe that it is
dangerous to swim. Does my hon. Friend agree that the raft of
measures we are bringing in through the Environment Act 2021 will
not only improve the quality of the water, but that responsible,
balanced and honest accounting is important, too?
My hon. Friend is a strong champion for her constituency of
Eastbourne and the businesses there. She is absolutely right.
This is the first Government ever to take the action we are
taking to address this long-standing issue that has been going on
for many, many generations. She is absolutely right that the
misinformation put out by some Opposition parties is shameless
scaremongering.
(Bristol East) (Lab)
T5. During her leadership campaign, the now Prime Minister chose
to make a big thing of solar panels being on agricultural land.
She did not talk about biomass, which actually takes up far more
arable land. Does the Secretary of State agree with her attacks
on solar, or does he think that it has a role to play in helping
to sort out our energy crisis?(901350)
Mr Jayawardena
I want to see top-quality agricultural land being used to grow
food.
(Totnes) (Con)
The Agriculture Act 2020 states that the Secretary of State has
to come before Parliament every three years to report on the UK’s
food security. Will he do so this autumn?
Mr Jayawardena
Having been in the role just over 24 hours, I will review all my
duties in due course.
(Blaydon) (Lab)
The Environment Agency is a key player in tackling sewage
discharges, yet it has seen its funding halved over the past 10
years. What is the Minister doing to reinstate the essential
funding for the Environment Agency?
I do not recognise the figures that the hon. Lady quotes. In this
spending review, the DEFRA budget increased by more than £4
billion, and the Environment Agency is being more active than
ever before in enforcing the regulations on our water
quality.
(Cheadle) (Con)
I want to see clean water in the Ladybrook, the Micker brook and
all the streams that feed into the great River Mersey. United
Utilities is responsible for our waste water and sewage
discharges. It is consulting on its plan to spend up to £18
billion on the water quality and discharges in our area. I am
asking my Cheadle constituency to join that consultation. Will
the Minister join me in encouraging everybody to play their part
and make their voices heard?
My hon. Friend is absolutely right that addressing that
long-standing issue will be a combined effort with everyone
working together. It is really important that everyone engages in
ensuring that we get the right solutions in every situation to
address the problem and reduce the amount of sewage being
discharged as quickly as possible.
(Pontypridd) (Lab)
Diolch, Mr Speaker. The demand for pet food banks is more than
doubling in parts of the UK as owners have to make heartbreaking
decisions thanks to the cost of living crisis. As the shadow
Minister, my hon. Friend the Member for Newport West (), said, charities are bracing
themselves for an increase in the number of abandoned animals,
but it does not have to be this way. What assurances can the
Minister give us about targeted financial support for those
charities through a really difficult winter?
I am sure that we would all agree that owning a pet brings
additional responsibilities. Everyone should consider those,
including the costs, before deciding whether to take on that
responsibility. The Government have already introduced £37
billion-worth of support to help households, targeting that at
those most in need. The Prime Minister will announce further
measures later today.
(Newcastle-under-Lyme)
(Con)
I welcome the new Secretary of State to his place, as well as the
news from the Environment Agency on Wednesday that there will now
be a regulatory investigation into Walleys Quarry in my
constituency. I thank the Under-Secretary of State for
Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, my hon. Friend the Member
for St Austell and Newquay (), for his help over the
summer. Will the new Secretary of State visit
Newcastle-under-Lyme, and does he agree that now that we have two
investigations—regulatory and criminal—into Walleys Quarry Ltd,
it is imperative that those are concluded as soon as possible so
that my constituents get justice and everyone gets to see some
accountability?
I am very aware of the issue that my hon. Friend is raising, and
I am pleased that we are making progress with the Environment
Agency on enforcement action. I am very happy to meet him to
ensure that we continue to do all we can, and if appropriate, to
visit the site with him.
