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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

1364191

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	Litter
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to reduce the amount of litter in the environment.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle upon Tyne Central
tabling member printed	Chi Onwurah
uin	903880
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>Since publishing our 2017 Litter Strategy we have both increased and introduced new penalties for littering, launched an anti-litter campaign with Keep Britain Tidy and provided nearly £1 million to help councils purchase new bins.</p><p> </p><p>More recently, we have brought together chewing gum producers to establish a voluntary producer responsibility scheme through which they will invest up to £10 million over five years to help clean up our streets and facilitate long-term behaviour change.</p> answering member constituency Bury St Edmunds answering member printed Jo Churchill question first answered 28/10/2021 10:53:23 answering member 4380 label Biography information for Jo Churchill
tabling member	4124 label Biography information for Chi Onwurah

1364192

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	Wetlands: Carbon Emissions
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	What steps he is taking to help ensure that coastal wetland habitat creation and other nature-based solutions form part of the Government's plans to reach net zero.
tabling member constituency	Stroud
tabling member printed	Siobhan Baillie
uin	903881
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>As stated in the Net Zero Strategy, nature-based solutions, including protecting, restoring and sustainably managing coastal wetlands, are key to tackling climate change and averting its impacts. We do not currently have the required data to include coastal wetlands habitats in the UK Greenhouse Gas Inventory, but we are working to address these evidence gaps. We are also championing nature-based solutions internationally, and supporting delivery through our Official Development Assistance, including International Climate Finance.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 28/10/2021 10:54:29 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4847 label Biography information for Siobhan Baillie

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

1363285

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	Flood Control: Lincolnshire
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 the potential effectiveness of Lincolnshire County Council’s Homeowner Property Flood Resilience assistance scheme trial; and what plans his Department has to introduce similar schemes across the UK.
tabling member constituency	Sheffield, Hallam
tabling member printed	Olivia Blake
uin	62896
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/10/2021 answer text <p>Property level resilience measures can play a key role in reducing flood risk and helping people get back into their homes quicker following a flood. We welcome the initiative shown by Lincolnshire County Council in developing a local Property Flood Resilience (PFR) scheme and are keen to hear about the lessons learned.</p><p> </p><p>On 1 February 2021, the Government published a call for evidence on local factors in managing flood and coastal erosion risk. Part 2 sought evidence about the key PFR enablers to help inform policy development and the action required to drive the uptake of PFR. It looked at a range of enablers including the role of funding and incentives. The Government will publish a roadmap by the end of 2022 setting out how we can further accelerate take-up of property flood resilience measures. This will ensure all relevant bodies are playing their part and that consumers can have assurance about the quality of products and their installation.</p><p> </p><p>The Government invested £2.9 million from the 2018 budget to support regional PFR pathfinder projects in Yorkshire, the South West and Oxford-Cambridge Arc. These projects developed interventions to promote use and understanding of PFR. This scheme has just concluded and is being evaluated.</p><p> </p><p>Our 2015-21 floods capital investment programme provided grant in aid to reduce flood risk to 3,000 homes through PFR measures. The current six-year FCERM programme looks to double the number of homes better protected by PFR.</p><p> </p><p>We are also making changes to the Flood Re scheme, including changes to promote the uptake of PFR by permitting Flood Re to offer additional money above the cost of a claim so properties can be repaired in a more resilient way. The Government aims for the changes to take effect in April 2022, subject to Parliamentary time and final preparations by the industry.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 28/10/2021 14:40:26 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	4864 label Biography information for Olivia Blake