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1364188

registered interest
date	28/10/2021
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: Exports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to support food and drink exporters.
tabling member constituency	Buckingham
tabling member printed	Greg Smith
uin	903877
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>We want people at home and abroad to be lining up to Buy British. We have announced an export package to support food and drink producers, and will be establishing an Export Council. This will bring together industry and Government to drive export growth. We are also expanding our agri-food counsellor network to make sure that our sectors can take advantage of export opportunities.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 28/10/2021 10:48:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4778 label Biography information for Greg Smith

1364189

registered interest
date	28/10/2021
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	Agriculture: Vacancies
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What assessment his Department has made of the effect of labour shortages on the harvesting of crops in autumn 2021.
tabling member constituency	North Thanet
tabling member printed	Sir Roger Gale
uin	903878
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>Defra is working closely with farmers and growers to address labour shortages and help them secure the labour needed for harvesting. This year, the Seasonal Workers Pilot has been expanded for 2021 to 30,000 visas. Growers can also recruit workers with status under the EU Settlement Scheme. We are working with the Department for Work and Pensions to support the horticulture sector in recruiting more UK workers, and undertaking a review to examine the potential for automation to meet future need.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 28/10/2021 10:51:11 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	87 label Biography information for Sir Roger Gale

1362976

registered interest
date	25/10/2021
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	Pollinators
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 measures are in place to assess the long term effects of pesticides on wild bees and other pollinators.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	62880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>Linking pesticide usage directly to changes in wild bees and other pollinators remains challenging because of the range of pressures which affect pollinators, in addition to the complexities of assessing and attributing pesticide usage and risk to impacts. In 2019, alongside leading academics, we published evidence statements on what is known, and not known, about the status and responses to pressures and management of pollinators, including in relation to pesticide use.</p><p> </p><p>We have funded research into the exposure of honeybees to pesticides through analysing pesticide residues in honey samples from across the country and using metabarcoding to understand how honeybees are exposed to these pesticides. We expect the results of this work to be published soon. We are also currently funding research looking at how we could develop our monitoring to better understand the effects of pesticides on pollinators, as well as routes of exposure.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, Defra is developing a Pesticide Load Indicator which takes account of both the chemical properties of pesticides used and the weight applied. This uses pesticide usage data, ecotoxicity and environmental data to better understand how the pressure from pesticides on the environment, including bees, has changed over time. Much of this research will be published in 2022.</p><p> </p><p>We also publish an indicator of the status of pollinating insects, which measures how widespread each of almost 400 species is in each year since 1980. It shows long-term decline, but minor change over the short term. Although not yet definitive, there are encouraging signs of improvement, for example the average distribution of wild bees has shown some stability over recent years. We are keeping these trends under review and continue to discuss all these issues with stakeholders, including with our advisory group under the National Pollinator Strategy.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 62881 62882 question first answered 28/10/2021 13:16:20 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1362977

registered interest
date	25/10/2021
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	Pollinators
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 he is taking to improve assessments on the long term effects of pesticides on wild bees and other pollinators.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	62881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>Linking pesticide usage directly to changes in wild bees and other pollinators remains challenging because of the range of pressures which affect pollinators, in addition to the complexities of assessing and attributing pesticide usage and risk to impacts. In 2019, alongside leading academics, we published evidence statements on what is known, and not known, about the status and responses to pressures and management of pollinators, including in relation to pesticide use.</p><p> </p><p>We have funded research into the exposure of honeybees to pesticides through analysing pesticide residues in honey samples from across the country and using metabarcoding to understand how honeybees are exposed to these pesticides. We expect the results of this work to be published soon. We are also currently funding research looking at how we could develop our monitoring to better understand the effects of pesticides on pollinators, as well as routes of exposure.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, Defra is developing a Pesticide Load Indicator which takes account of both the chemical properties of pesticides used and the weight applied. This uses pesticide usage data, ecotoxicity and environmental data to better understand how the pressure from pesticides on the environment, including bees, has changed over time. Much of this research will be published in 2022.</p><p> </p><p>We also publish an indicator of the status of pollinating insects, which measures how widespread each of almost 400 species is in each year since 1980. It shows long-term decline, but minor change over the short term. Although not yet definitive, there are encouraging signs of improvement, for example the average distribution of wild bees has shown some stability over recent years. We are keeping these trends under review and continue to discuss all these issues with stakeholders, including with our advisory group under the National Pollinator Strategy.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 62880 62882 question first answered 28/10/2021 13:16:20 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1362978

registered interest
date	25/10/2021
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	Pollinators
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether his Department has had recent discussions with stakeholders on the long term effects of pesticides on wild bees and other pollinators.
tabling member constituency	Putney
tabling member printed	Fleur Anderson
uin	62882
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>Linking pesticide usage directly to changes in wild bees and other pollinators remains challenging because of the range of pressures which affect pollinators, in addition to the complexities of assessing and attributing pesticide usage and risk to impacts. In 2019, alongside leading academics, we published evidence statements on what is known, and not known, about the status and responses to pressures and management of pollinators, including in relation to pesticide use.</p><p> </p><p>We have funded research into the exposure of honeybees to pesticides through analysing pesticide residues in honey samples from across the country and using metabarcoding to understand how honeybees are exposed to these pesticides. We expect the results of this work to be published soon. We are also currently funding research looking at how we could develop our monitoring to better understand the effects of pesticides on pollinators, as well as routes of exposure.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, Defra is developing a Pesticide Load Indicator which takes account of both the chemical properties of pesticides used and the weight applied. This uses pesticide usage data, ecotoxicity and environmental data to better understand how the pressure from pesticides on the environment, including bees, has changed over time. Much of this research will be published in 2022.</p><p> </p><p>We also publish an indicator of the status of pollinating insects, which measures how widespread each of almost 400 species is in each year since 1980. It shows long-term decline, but minor change over the short term. Although not yet definitive, there are encouraging signs of improvement, for example the average distribution of wild bees has shown some stability over recent years. We are keeping these trends under review and continue to discuss all these issues with stakeholders, including with our advisory group under the National Pollinator Strategy.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 62880 62881 question first answered 28/10/2021 13:16:20 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4788 label Biography information for Fleur Anderson

1363054

registered interest
date	25/10/2021
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	Bovine Tuberculosis: 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 steps he is taking to speed up the transition from culling badgers to vaccinating cattle to reduce the spread of bovine tuberculosis in England.
tabling member constituency	Ealing Central and Acton
tabling member printed	Dr Rupa Huq
uin	62790
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>As set out in the Government response to Professor Sir Charles Godfray’s review of the Government’s strategy for achieving Officially Bovine Tuberculosis Free status for England, the next phase of the strategy focuses on developing a deployable cattle vaccine, wider rollout of badger vaccination and improvements to TB testing.</p><p> </p><p>Badger culling will not be halted immediately – as set out in the Government’s response to the January 2021 consultation[1], no new intensive cull licences will be issued after 2022 and new supplementary badger culling licences have been limited to a maximum of two years. Culling would remain an option where epidemiological assessment indicates that it is needed.</p><p> </p><p>We have awarded funding for a five-year badger vaccination programme in East Sussex. The scheme, which will see vaccination deployed by the farming community, will help refine future delivery models for deploying large-scale farmer-led vaccination schemes. We are also undertaking Government-funded badger vaccination in an area where four-year intensive badger culling has ended. We are continuing to bolster our capability to deploy even more badger vaccination in post-cull areas from 2022.</p><p> </p><p>Developing a deployable cattle TB vaccine, with the objective of introduction within the next five years, is one of the Government’s top priorities. In 2021, world-leading bTB cattle vaccination trials began in England and Wales.</p><p>[1] <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/bovine-tuberculosis-proposals-to-help-eradicate-disease-in-england" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/bovine-tuberculosis-proposals-to-help-eradicate-disease-in-england</a></p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 28/10/2021 15:05:34 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4511 label Biography information for Dr Rupa Huq

1363182

registered interest
date	25/10/2021
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	Fertilisers: Shortages
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 recent assessment he has made of potential shortages of fertiliser products over winter 2021-22, and what discussions he has had with suppliers and the agricultural sector on those potential shortages.
tabling member constituency	Islington South and Finsbury
tabling member printed	Emily Thornberry
uin	62654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>We are aware that due to the increase in cost of natural gas across the globe, which is a key input for the production of ammonium nitrate-based fertiliser products, the cost of production of these fertiliser types has increased significantly. This has also increased the cost of other alternative fertiliser types. This is an issue affecting Europe and the global market with fertiliser companies halting production due to high input costs. However, the recent deal announced with industry and CF Fertilisers will help to alleviate the pressure on the domestic market.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has been in regular contact with industry including the NFU and fertiliser producers and importers, and we have frequent contact with the key sector representative body for fertilisers, the Agricultural Industries Confederation (AIC). The situation and impact on farmers in particular and industry more widely is being monitored closely.</p><p> </p><p>Alternatives to ammonium nitrate do exist and farmers will be looking closely at these options and how best they can be utilised. Support from producers of these products on how best to use them and to get the best nutrient uptake for crop has been offered.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 28/10/2021 14:10:27 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	1536 label Biography information for Emily Thornberry

1362217

registered interest
date	21/10/2021
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	UK Trade with EU: Northern Ireland
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 (a) place in the Library and (b) publish a copy of the recent audit report by the EU Commission on the functioning of Border Control Posts in Northern Ireland.
tabling member constituency	North Dorset
tabling member printed	Simon Hoare
uin	60466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/10/2021 answer text <p>The EU carried out a routine audit of various Border Control Posts in Northern Ireland from 21 to 30 June 2021. The purpose of the audit was to examine the system of official controls on the entry of animals and products of animal origin into Northern Ireland and verification of the compliance of border control posts in Northern Ireland with European Union requirements.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 26/10/2021 16:16:52 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4494 label Biography information for Simon Hoare

1361877

registered interest
date	20/10/2021
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	Horticulture
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 an assessment of the implications for his policies of the Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group report, Growing a Green Economy: The importance of ornamental horticulture and landscaping to the UK, and accompanying action plan, Unlocking Green Growth: A plan for the ornamental horticulture and landscaping industry.
tabling member constituency	East Worthing and Shoreham
tabling member printed	Tim Loughton
uin	59703
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>Defra recognises the crucial role that the domestic ornamental horticulture industry plays in both promoting people’s well-being and to the economy. The Ornamental Horticulture Roundtable Group (OHRG) report identifies how barriers to the sector’s growth can be unlocked through a collaborative approach between Government and industry. This collaboration reflects our shared ambition for a truly vibrant and sustainable ornamental sector. We are working with the OHRG and the sector to build on current good work already happening within the industry, and will ensure that where the Government can help, it will support the opportunities outlined in the report and its associated action plan.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 25/10/2021 10:21:15 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	114 label Biography information for Tim Loughton

1361884

registered interest
date	20/10/2021
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: 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, how many healthy pigs have been culled on farms in each week during the last three months.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	59810
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 25/10/2021 answer text <p>Defra does not collect data on the number of pigs culled on farms. Producers, who are responsible for the welfare of animals on farm, are also not required to submit such data to us. However, from our engagement with the pig sector, we understand that around 6000 pigs have been culled on farms in the last three months. This is largely due to the backlog of pigs on farm caused by a unique combination of factors including shortages of labour in the processing sector, disruption to the export market and the Covid-19 pandemic.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has been working closely with pig producers and the processing sector in recent months. We are very conscious of the impact that the culling of animals on farm has on individual pig farmers. We announced a series of measures on 14 October that will support the pig sector and help address the current challenges it is facing. These include allowing up to 800 pork butchers to apply for a 6-month working visa to the UK, a pork levy holiday for pig farmers and producers during November 2021, and a private storage aid scheme which will enable meat processors to store slaughtered pigs for 3-6 months so that they can be preserved safely and processed at a later date.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 25/10/2021 10:09:52 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner