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1483471

registered interest
date	27/06/2022
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	Zoonoses: 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 his Department is taking to ensure that the UK is effectively prepared to tackle zoonotic diseases.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	25834
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/07/2022 answer text <p>Zoonotic infections threaten both human and animal health. For zoonotic diseases, we have systems in place to detect and manage outbreaks, for both endemic (those that are already found in the UK) and exotic infections, collaborating closely with the public health agencies.</p><p> </p><p>For Salmonella for example, we have well established National Control Programmes in the poultry sector to protect public health. These mandate regular testing for Salmonella followed by appropriate measures to help control the risk where flocks are found to be positive.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency’s (APHA) scanning surveillance programme is set up to detect a wide range of animal-related disease threats through diagnostic service and the networks of expertise in its Species Expert Groups.</p><p> </p><p>We also carry out horizon scanning for infections not yet in the UK. This helps us prepare for possible future incursions, through the APHA’s International Disease Monitoring programme and through collaborative work with UK public health bodies in the Human and Animal Infection and Risk Surveillance group. This group assesses new and emerging infections and advises on suitable mitigations and controls that may be necessary to protect public health.</p><p> </p><p>Defra has an England Disease Contingency Plan for exotic notifiable diseases and our disease control plans are exercised regularly. The contingency plan outlines how we would work with other government agencies and departments to control zoonotic diseases as well as those which only affect livestock. This is being put to use at the moment, through our response to avian influenza outbreaks.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 11/07/2022 07:03:59 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1472061

registered interest
date	21/06/2022
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	Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when he will next review nitrate vulnerable zones.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	22402
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2022 answer text <p>The review for Nitrate Vulnerable Zones occurs every four years to account for changes in nitrate concentrations. The next review will take place in 2024.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/07/2022 13:25:55 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1472185

registered interest
date	21/06/2022
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	Nitrate Vulnerable Zones
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 contraventions of illegal storage of waste have been identified in nitrate vulnerable zones in each of the last four years.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	22405
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>Both the Environment Agency (Nitrate Regulations) and Rural Payments Agency (Cross Compliance) regulate within Nitrate Vulnerable Zones (NVZ).</p><p>The Environment Agency (EA) has found 309 instances of non-compliance with NVZ regulations since November 2019 of which 93 were related to organic manure storage record keeping offences and 205 related to storage capacity or infrastructure standards. The current database started in late 2019 and it is not possible to extract older data within a reasonable timeframe for this response.</p><p>The Rural Payments Agency have identified 92 contraventions of storage requirements in NVZs over the last four years. Examples of breaches include poultry manure and/or other types of solid manure not being stored in either a vessel, impermeable surface, in a wooded building or in a temporary field heap; and a temporary field heap was not solid enough to be stacked in a freestanding heap and/or was producing free drainage from within the stacked material.</p><p>Our focus is to work with and support farmers to meet their obligations. That is why Defra has made additional budget available from 2021 for the EA to recruit an additional 50 inspection officers, increasing their capacity to deliver advice-led enforcement.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/07/2022 13:49:30 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1472190

registered interest
date	21/06/2022
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	Nitrate Vulnerable Zones: Manure
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 prosecutions there have been for the illegal storage of manure waste in nitrate vulnerable zones in each of the last four years.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	22406
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/07/2022 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) issued 24 warning letters under the Nitrate Vulnerable Zone (NVZ) regulations between November 2019 and June 2022. During this period, the EA issued 1755 improvement actions relating to storage of organic manures. Since November 2019, the EA has separately prosecuted 25 farmers for causing pollution under agricultural regulations. Two of these prosecutions included offences under the NVZ regulations.</p><p> </p><p>The EA takes a proactive advice-led approach to enforcement, working with farmers to bring them into compliance before taking formal enforcement action. The EA has found that most farmers take the opportunity to benefit from inspector advice, meaning formal action is often not required to deliver the desired outcomes. For example, the River Axe Regulatory Project, which aims to drive change on dairy farms, has resulted in an estimated £6-8 million investment in farm infrastructure improvements and an enhancement of 30km of watercourses that discharge to the local Special Area of Conservation.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/07/2022 13:06:17 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1468542

registered interest
date	08/06/2022
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 Supply: Proteins
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 to fund research into development of the sustainable protein sector.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	14466
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>Alternative proteins are often credited with having higher sustainability credentials compared to traditional proteins of animal origin. The alternative proteins category of foods includes plant-based meat and dairy substitutes, fermented and cultivated meat and seafood and novel food sources (insects, algae and jellyfish) not routinely consumed in the Western diet.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made no formal assessment of the size of the alternative protein market but recognises that developing this sector could support UK growth. Though no assessment has been made of the potential merits of developing a national alternative protein strategy, the recently published Government Food Strategy sets out the Government’s ambition and priorities for the food system, including for alternative proteins.</p><p> </p><p>On research we are making significant investment to unlock innovation and translate our world leading research into practical, farmer-led solutions that improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, and which move towards net zero emission farming systems.</p><p> </p><p>We have several funding programmes open to industry as well as our own farming and food science research. These funding streams address key areas such as soil systems and land management, regenerative agriculture, sustainable feed and pest management, automation, alternative proteins, and precision farming.</p><p> </p><p>As stated in the Government’s Food Strategy, through funding we will support progress on a wide range of issues, including alternative proteins and progress on gene editing. We will also work with the FSA to develop dedicated guidance materials for approval of new alternative protein products while reviewing our novel food regulations. This will ensure they are transparent for innovators and investors, whilst maintaining world-leading consumer safety standards.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 14467 14468 question first answered 17/06/2022 13:40:52 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1468549

registered interest
date	08/06/2022
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 Supply: Proteins
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 (a) current size and (b) size within the next five years of the sustainable proteins market.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	14467
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>Alternative proteins are often credited with having higher sustainability credentials compared to traditional proteins of animal origin. The alternative proteins category of foods includes plant-based meat and dairy substitutes, fermented and cultivated meat and seafood and novel food sources (insects, algae and jellyfish) not routinely consumed in the Western diet.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made no formal assessment of the size of the alternative protein market but recognises that developing this sector could support UK growth. Though no assessment has been made of the potential merits of developing a national alternative protein strategy, the recently published Government Food Strategy sets out the Government’s ambition and priorities for the food system, including for alternative proteins.</p><p> </p><p>On research we are making significant investment to unlock innovation and translate our world leading research into practical, farmer-led solutions that improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, and which move towards net zero emission farming systems.</p><p> </p><p>We have several funding programmes open to industry as well as our own farming and food science research. These funding streams address key areas such as soil systems and land management, regenerative agriculture, sustainable feed and pest management, automation, alternative proteins, and precision farming.</p><p> </p><p>As stated in the Government’s Food Strategy, through funding we will support progress on a wide range of issues, including alternative proteins and progress on gene editing. We will also work with the FSA to develop dedicated guidance materials for approval of new alternative protein products while reviewing our novel food regulations. This will ensure they are transparent for innovators and investors, whilst maintaining world-leading consumer safety standards.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 14466 14468 question first answered 17/06/2022 13:40:52 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1468551

registered interest
date	08/06/2022
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 Supply: Proteins
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 she will make an assessment of the potential merits of developing a national sustainable protein strategy for the UK.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	14468
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/06/2022 answer text <p>Alternative proteins are often credited with having higher sustainability credentials compared to traditional proteins of animal origin. The alternative proteins category of foods includes plant-based meat and dairy substitutes, fermented and cultivated meat and seafood and novel food sources (insects, algae and jellyfish) not routinely consumed in the Western diet.</p><p> </p><p>The Government has made no formal assessment of the size of the alternative protein market but recognises that developing this sector could support UK growth. Though no assessment has been made of the potential merits of developing a national alternative protein strategy, the recently published Government Food Strategy sets out the Government’s ambition and priorities for the food system, including for alternative proteins.</p><p> </p><p>On research we are making significant investment to unlock innovation and translate our world leading research into practical, farmer-led solutions that improve productivity, environmental sustainability and resilience, and which move towards net zero emission farming systems.</p><p> </p><p>We have several funding programmes open to industry as well as our own farming and food science research. These funding streams address key areas such as soil systems and land management, regenerative agriculture, sustainable feed and pest management, automation, alternative proteins, and precision farming.</p><p> </p><p>As stated in the Government’s Food Strategy, through funding we will support progress on a wide range of issues, including alternative proteins and progress on gene editing. We will also work with the FSA to develop dedicated guidance materials for approval of new alternative protein products while reviewing our novel food regulations. This will ensure they are transparent for innovators and investors, whilst maintaining world-leading consumer safety standards.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 14466 14467 question first answered 17/06/2022 13:40:52 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1467264

registered interest
date	01/06/2022
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	Fishing Gear: Standards
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 to standardise the marking of creels across the UK and up to 12 nautical miles by following the guidelines published by Marine Scotland.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	11654
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>Fisheries management in the UK is devolved. Defra has no plans to bring forward legislation on locating fishing equipment near navigational marks.</p><p> </p><p>In England, passive gear, such as creels, used out to 12 nautical miles must be marked with labels, or if used between 12 and 200 nautical miles they should have a marker buoy. However, existing guidance available online also recommends that passive gear is marked with buoys from 0-12 nautical miles in English waters. There may also be specific rules regarding the marking of passive gear within 0-6 nautical miles managed at a local level by the relevant Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 13/06/2022 15:23:16 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1467265

registered interest
date	01/06/2022
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	Fishing Gear: Seabed
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 to bring forward legislative proposals to prevent the siting of seabed fishing equipment in any location within 300 metres of a navigational mark.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	11655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>Fisheries management in the UK is devolved. Defra has no plans to bring forward legislation on locating fishing equipment near navigational marks.</p><p> </p><p>In England, passive gear, such as creels, used out to 12 nautical miles must be marked with labels, or if used between 12 and 200 nautical miles they should have a marker buoy. However, existing guidance available online also recommends that passive gear is marked with buoys from 0-12 nautical miles in English waters. There may also be specific rules regarding the marking of passive gear within 0-6 nautical miles managed at a local level by the relevant Inshore Fisheries and Conservation Authority.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 13/06/2022 15:23:53 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord

1467354

registered interest
date	01/06/2022
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	Disposable Wipes: Waste Disposal
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 implications for its policies of the findings of the research by the University of Stirling on the impact of wet wipes disposed through the sewage system on Scottish beaches.
tabling member constituency	Hendon
tabling member printed	Dr Matthew Offord
uin	11659
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>We are committed to tackling the issues caused by wet wipes. The Government recently conducted a call for evidence on commonly littered and problematic plastic items in England and this included potential regulatory options around wet wipes, including a ban on those containing plastic. We continue to analyse the responses and all other UK research carried out on this important issue. We will publish an update in due course.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 13/06/2022 14:42:24 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4006 label Biography information for Dr Matthew Offord