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61041

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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: Antibiotics
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 antibiotics used in the UK are given to farm animals.
tabling member constituency	Richmond Park
tabling member printed	Zac Goldsmith
uin	199824
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Data on antibiotic use in the medical and veterinary sectors are currently collated in different formats, which prevents direct comparison; it is therefore not possible to accurately ascertain what proportion of total antibiotics used in the UK are given to farm animals.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In 2012, sales of antibiotic active ingredient authorised for veterinary use (farm and companion animals) totalled 409 tonnes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 17/06/2014 14:47:49 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park

61115

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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	Birds
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 gives to farmers and landowners in controlling the number of jays which predate smaller song birds.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	200077
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>All wild birds are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. However, licences allow for the control of birds in some circumstances. In England, general licences are issued by Natural England permitting users to kill or take jays for several purposes. These include conserving wild birds and preventing serious damage to crops. They may be relied on by landowners and other authorised persons as long as they are satisfied they have met the conditions of the licence.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 17/06/2014 15:30:53 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

61116

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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	Nature Conservation
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 steps the Government is taking to improve the habitat and increase the number of (a) hedgehogs and (b) owls.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	200082
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Agri-environment schemes, such as Environmental Stewardship, are the principal means of improving habitats and the wider environment on farmland in England. Farmers receive funding to manage the cropped environment and provide additional habitats on their farms for birds and other wildlife. Under work to develop the implementation plan for Biodiversity 2020 (the Government's strategy for England's wildlife and ecosystem services) Natural England has commissioned work to review all Section 41 species. This is to identify priorities for action and to determine what those actions should be. The hedgehog is being considered within this context by the Mammal Taxon Group, which comprises specialist organisations, led by Natural England.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Activities of benefit to owls, currently funded by Environmental Stewardship, include the establishment of grassy margins and buffer strips, and the management of field corners. These can provide additional habitat for prey species such as small mammals. The restoration of traditional farm buildings can also provide both shelter and nesting sites along with the provision of nest boxes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 17/06/2014 15:30:27 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

61117

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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	Hedgehogs
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 estimate his Department has made of the number of hedgehogs in the UK in each of the last three years.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	200083
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>No estimates of hedgehog populations have been made by Defra in the last three years. However, a report ‘The State of Britain's Hedgehogs' was published in 2011 by the British Hedgehog Preservation Society and the People's Trust for Endangered Species. It estimates that hedgehog numbers were approximately 1.5 million in 1995. The report is available online at:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><a href="http://www.ptes.org/files/1428_sobh2011lowres.pdf" target="_blank">www.ptes.org/files/1428_sobh2011lowres.pdf</a></p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 17/06/2014 16:16:58 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

61119

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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	Marginal Land: Fires
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 support his Department gives to landowners to enable regeneration of land through the burning of heather and moorland.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	200070
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Department does not support landowners in England to regenerate land through the burning of heather and moorland. However, various agri-environment schemes provide financial support for the positive environmental management of the uplands, including moorland.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 17/06/2014 15:34:10 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

61120

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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	Pigs: Disease Control
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 he has had with his EU counterparts about the threat to pig health in the UK arising from (a) African swine fever and (b) porcine epidemic diarrhoea virus.
tabling member constituency	Strangford
tabling member printed	Jim Shannon
uin	200085
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>Defra, through the Animal Health Veterinary Laboratories Agency, undertakes routine scanning surveillance for the detection of new or re-emerging animal diseases that may pose a threat to animal health or public health. When an increase in threat is recognised, we publish risk assessments which are shared directly with our European colleagues and the European Commission. These are publicly available at <a href="http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/monitoring/poa/" target="_blank">http://www.defra.gov.uk/animal-diseases/monitoring/poa/</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>On African Swine Fever, we produced a risk assessment following the detection of wild boar cases in the European Union on the border with Belarus in January 2014. The situation and the risks posed to Member States are discussed at meetings of the Standing Committee for the Food Chain and Animal Health. These discussions have led to additional safeguard measures and the increased level of surveillance in Poland and Lithuania .</p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Defra was made aware of porcine epidemic diarrhoea (PED) and the emergence of a new virulent strain in the Americas and Asia in May 2013 when we first published an assessment of the risk of the disease entering the UK. We shared this assessment with the European Commission and our European colleagues. This was to raise awareness in a public forum, despite PED not being a notifiable disease. Since then, we have worked closely with other Member States with significant pig industries and the Commission to share our concerns. This has resulted in improved safeguard measures and a commissioned piece of work by European Food Safety Authority to look at risk pathways.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 13/06/2014 15:59:52 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4131 label Biography information for Jim Shannon

61158

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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, with reference to his Department's Sustainable Consumption Report, published in July 2013, what progress has been made on developing integrated healthy sustainable dietary guidelines to help health professionals, educators, businesses and the public make healthier and more sustainable food choices.
tabling member constituency	Bristol East
tabling member printed	Kerry McCarthy
uin	199831
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Sustainable Consumption Report, published on 29 July 2013, was produced by a group of organisations following discussions facilitated by Defra. The report reflects the views of the stakeholders who were involved in its production; it does not represent Government policy.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I met with the co-chairs of the working groups in March, and work has now started to peer review and publish the principles of a healthy and sustainable diet.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 16/06/2014 14:14:36 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1491 label Biography information for Kerry McCarthy

61162

registered interest
date	10/06/2014
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: Public Opinion
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 he has made of public trust in the authenticity of food purchased at food outlets in each (a) region and (b) local authority area since January 2013.
tabling member constituency	Poplar and Limehouse
tabling member printed	Jim Fitzpatrick
uin	200060
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The Food Standards Agency (FSA) conducts a Biannual Public Attitudes Tracker survey on a nationwide basis. Whilst this does not ask specific questions on the authenticity of food, authenticity related issues are raised by some consumers in spontaneous responses and when prompted (<a href="http://multimedia.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/science-research/biannual-attitudes-tracker-nov-2013.pdf" target="_blank">http://multimedia.food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/science-research/biannual-attitudes-tracker-nov-2013.pdf</a>). In July 2013 consumers reported mislabelling as a concern leading them to have a lack of trust in the supply chain[1]. Similar evidence has been reported by other consumer attitude research by non-Government organisations such as Which?[2], IGD[3], Mintel[4] and the Ipsos Mori survey for The Grocer[5].</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Consumers have a right to expect that the food they buy is what it says it is. Government has taken significant steps to ensure the continued authenticity of our food including increasing support to Local Authorities for delivery of the national coordinated sampling programme from £1.6m to £2.2m in 2013/14. Continued investment in the Government's food authenticity research programme ensures that the UK is at the cutting edge of science in developing novel technologies to detect ever more sophisticated food fraud and protect UK consumers.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>In June 2013 the Secretaries of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and for Health asked Professor Elliot to conduct a review into the Integrity and Assurance of Food Supply Networks. The interim report was published on 12 December 2013 and the Professor's final report will be published shortly.</p><p> </p><br /><p>[1]<a href="http://food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/horsemeat-attitudesb.pdf" target="_blank">http://food.gov.uk/multimedia/pdfs/horsemeat-attitudesb.pdf</a></p><p> </p><p>[2]<a href="http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/03/horsemeat-scandal-dents-trust-in-food-industry-313016/" target="_blank">http://www.which.co.uk/news/2013/03/horsemeat-scandal-dents-trust-in-food-industry-313016/</a></p><p> </p><p>[3]<a href="http://shoppervista.igd.com/Hub.aspx?id=4&amp;tid=4" target="_blank">http://shoppervista.igd.com/Hub.aspx?id=4&amp;tid=4</a></p><p> </p><p>[4]<a href="http://store.mintel.com/consumer-trust-in-food-uk-june-2013?cookie_test=true" target="_blank">http://store.mintel.com/consumer-trust-in-food-uk-june-2013?cookie_test=true#</a></p><p> </p><p>[5]<a href="http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/topics/food-safety/horse-meat/horsegate-scandal-hasnt-changed-shopping-habits-of-majority/353432.article" target="_blank">http://www.thegrocer.co.uk/topics/food-safety/horse-meat/horsegate-scandal-hasnt-changed-shopping-habits-of-majority/353432.article</a></p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 17/06/2014 14:53:42 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	197 label Biography information for Jim Fitzpatrick

60674

registered interest
date	09/06/2014
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: Circuses
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 hold discussions with Ministers in the Welsh Government on the possible implementation in Wales of a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses.
tabling member constituency	The Wrekin
tabling member printed	Mark Pritchard
uin	199555
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>We remain committed to discussing with counterparts in all the Devolved Administrations whether a bill introducing a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses could be a Great Britain or even United Kingdom Bill.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 16/06/2014 16:50:21 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1576 label Biography information for Mark Pritchard

60758

registered interest
date	09/06/2014
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	Dogs: Injuries
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how many dogs were injured as a result of (a) dog fighting, (b) dog baiting and (c) unprovoked attacks by other dogs in each region of the UK in each of the last five years.
tabling member constituency	Pendle
tabling member printed	Andrew Stephenson
uin	199662
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2014 answer text <p> </p><p>The data requested is not collected or held by Defra.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 16/06/2014 16:46:56 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4044 label Biography information for Andrew Stephenson