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1123149

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Slaughterhouses
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of trends in the level of foreign ownership of abattoirs in England.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	247668
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Abattoirs require veterinary control and approval by the FSA under Regulation (EC) 853/2004 - a full list of approved establishments can be found <a href="https://data.food.gov.uk/catalog/datasets/1e61736a-2a1a-4c6a-b8b1-e45912ebc8e3" target="_blank">here</a>. Whilst trends in the level of foreign ownership of abattoirs in England is not something that we are monitoring specifically, we are aware of and welcome foreign investment in our meat processing facilities. In particular, there is significant investment from Irish and Danish businesses in UK processing. Irrespective of ownership all abattoirs must comply with our high animal welfare and food safety standards.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/04/2019 15:57:13 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1123158

registered interest
date	25/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Labelling
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will make it his policy not to adopt the proposal by the EU to classify vegetarian and vegan burgers and sausages as discs and tubes.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	247673
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government is aware of a proposed amendment by the European Parliament Agriculture Committee that terms used to describe meat products should be reserved exclusively for products made from meat. This proposed amendment has a long way to go through the legislative process.</p><p> </p><p>If the amendment is accepted, Defra will seek views from all UK stakeholders and, while we remain a member of the EU, consult with other EU Member States. Our objective will be, as always, to ensure the regulatory framework protects consumers’ interests while avoiding unnecessary regulatory burdens on food businesses.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/04/2019 15:33:30 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1122785

registered interest
date	24/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Beef: Prices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what information his Department holds on the price of beef being achieved by UK producers in the last 12 months.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	247005
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 30/04/2019 answer text <p>Defra holds a range of beef cattle prices for Great Britain only. The monthly average finished price for clean cattle over the past 12 months has varied between a minimum of 185.2 p per kg (March 2019) and a maximum of 199.6 p per kg (May 2018), with an average of 193.2 p per kg across that time. In comparison to March 2018, the price for March 2019 has dropped by 6.4%. Other information is available and is published here:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/commodity-prices" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistical-data-sets/commodity-prices</a></p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 30/04/2019 15:25:34 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1121821

registered interest
date	18/04/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Livestock Worrying
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what additional steps his Department will take to reduce the number of incidents of sheep worrying.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	245756
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government abhors irresponsible ownership which leads to dogs becoming dangerously out of control and causing injuries to people or animals. There are a number of laws and measures which police and local authorities can take to tackle dog attacks on livestock.</p><p> </p><p>The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 includes provisions to prosecute owners whose dogs kill, attack or chase livestock, and to seize the dogs if they are out of control. This can lead to a prison sentence of up to six months, an unlimited fine or a disqualification order which prevents the owner from keeping dogs for a certain period of time. The police can also take action under the Dogs Act 1871. This is a useful measure to help police and local authorities to deal with dogs that are out of control and dangerous, which includes being dangerous to other animals. Section 2 of the 1871 Act allows a complaint to be made by any individual, or the police, local authorities, etc., to a Magistrates’ court that a dog is “…dangerous and not kept under proper control”.</p><p> </p><p>As well as these Acts there are anti-social behaviour measures, in particular the Community Protection Notice (CPN) which can be issued as a preventative measure. This means that the owner or keeper of an out of control dog could be prevented from walking it on a farmer's land. This will restrict access to when livestock is not out and ensure that the dog is kept on a lead when in fields with livestock. To breach a CPN is a criminal offence and attracts a maximum penalty of £2,500, or the option to issue a Fixed Penalty Notice. It is worth noting that there are also seizure powers under the legislation.</p><p> </p><p>Since April 2016, we have required all dogs to be identified by a microchip. This is quick and easy to do and provides a failsafe method of connecting dogs with their owners and has encouraged more responsible dog ownership.</p><p> </p><p>Defra continues to work with the National Police Chiefs’ Council Livestock Working Group which is looking at ways to reduce livestock attacks. The NFU is represented at this group and we are encouraging others in the farming and countryside community. This includes supporting the work of SheepWatch, which has produced leaflets to encourage the reporting and recording of incidents and to follow the guidance that is available on what to do when there is a dog attack.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 25/04/2019 14:54:23 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1055127

registered interest
date	05/02/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Meat: Prices
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment his Department has made of the effect on the price of cattle and sheep products of the UK leaving the EU.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	217051
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2019 answer text <p>It is in everyone’s interests to secure a good deal with the EU and that is exactly what we are committed to do. The Government recognises the concerns of stakeholders and is determined to get the best deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, including for our globally recognised beef and sheep sectors.</p><p> </p><p>As any responsible government would, we are preparing for all outcomes including the possibility of no deal. Extensive work to prepare for a ‘no deal’ scenario is under way to ensure the country continues to operate as smoothly as possible from the day we leave.</p><p> </p><p>We are in close contact with the beef and sheep sectors to understand and anticipate the effects on the sector of the UK leaving the EU without a trade deal. Significant work is already underway to ensure that UK exporters can maintain access to EU markets after March 2019. We are conducting rigorous analysis of the full range of UK-EU trade scenarios on UK agriculture (including the beef and sheep sectors) as part of our planning.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 12/02/2019 13:37:23 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1054774

registered interest
date	04/02/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if he will consider estalishing a national food policy.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	216317
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2019 answer text <p>While the immediate priority for the department is planning for No Deal, the Government is committed to publishing a National Food Strategy once we leave the EU.</p><p>This work is being led by Henry Dimbleby, Defra’s lead Non-Executive Director. He is still in the early scoping stage but we expect it to cover the entire food system, from farm to fork.</p><p>As the Secretary of State outlined in his letter to Neil Parish on 30 October (https://www.parliament.uk/documents/commons-committees/environment-food-rural-affairs/correspondence/181030-Secretary-of-State-toChair-Food-strategy.pdf), it will build on the work already underway in the Agriculture Bill, the Environment Bill and the Fisheries Bill, ensuring that our food system delivers healthy and affordable food for all people and is built upon a resilient and sustainable agriculture sector.</p><p>I expect the role of farming with respect to food security, providing healthy diets, the use of new technology and protecting the environment will be covered.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 12/02/2019 11:41:15 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1054775

registered interest
date	04/02/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Food: Production
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what proportion of food consumed in the UK is produced domestically.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	216318
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/02/2019 answer text <p>In 2017, 50% of UK supply was home produced, 30% came from the EU and 20% from the rest of the world.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 12/02/2019 11:52:38 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1052303

registered interest
date	31/01/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Queen's Commonwealth Canopy
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assistance his Department is providing to the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy initiative.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	215168
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 07/02/2019 answer text <p>I am encouraged by this international project which gives the Commonwealth a real opportunity to save its forests, while celebrating the Queen’s service to the Commonwealth. A number of organisations that Defra support represent the Queen’s Commonwealth Canopy at a national and international level, including the National Forest Company.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>As part of this wider initiative and as part of the five saplings project, Ministers have been planting ‘5 Queens Commonwealth Canopy trees’ to support this initiative.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 07/02/2019 14:31:33 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1045632

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions his Department has had with sector representatives on the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	210616
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>My Department is having a number of ongoing discussions with sector representatives on the possibility of the UK leaving the EU without a deal; over the last 3 months my officials have met with over 250 sector representatives. We are engaging with representatives from all of Defra’s sectors including food and drink, farming, fishing, the chemicals industry and vets to ensure our sectors understand the potential implications of no deal, what actions they would need to take and that they are prepared for these. These discussions are a two-way dialogue, allowing us to work together with sector representatives to make sure any concerns they have are addressed.</p><p> </p><p>Extensive work to prepare for a no deal scenario has been under way for over two years and this is one of the many steps we are taking to ensure the country continues to operate smoothly from the day we leave.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 29/01/2019 17:34:42 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1045634

registered interest
date	21/01/2019
answering body	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept id	13
answering dept short name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
answering dept sort name	Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
hansard heading	Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what plans he has to enhance animal welfare standards as a result of the UK leaving the EU.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	210617
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>Whilst the UK already has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world, we are considering what more can be done in the context of our future agricultural policy. We will maintain our existing standards and look to raise standards sustainably over time as new research and evidence emerges.</p><p> </p><p>In England, we intend to develop publicly-funded schemes for farmers to deliver animal welfare enhancements beyond regulatory requirements that are not sufficiently rewarded by the market and want to provide greater transparency and certainty for consumers and for farmers. We are also looking to control exports of live animals for slaughter.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to this work related to our departure from the EU, we are planning to increase maximum sentences for animal cruelty to five years. We are also introducing a ban on the ivory trade which is the toughest in Europe.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 29/01/2019 17:32:51 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord