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1124409

	registered interest
	date	01/05/2019
	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	Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many cattle have been tested positive for bovine tuberculosis and then following slaughter have been negative on post-mortem testing; and what progress has been made in producing an accurate test before cattle are slaughtered.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Golding
	uin	HL15458
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/05/2019 answer text <p>The early detection and removal of tuberculosis (TB)-infected cattle before they develop advanced pathology and/or clinical signs of the disease (and thus become highly infectious) is a key element of bovine TB eradication programmes, including England’s 25 Year Bovine TB Strategy. To that effect, we use ante-mortem tests that measure the animals’ immune response to infection with the bovine TB bacterium (<em>Mycobacterium bovis – M. bovis</em>), rather than rely on direct detection methods.</p><p> </p><p>The single intradermal comparative cervical tuberculin (SICCT) test, commonly known as the ‘skin test’, together with the interferon-gamma release assay (IGRA), is the legal standard approved in the EU legislation for the diagnosis of TB in live cattle in the UK. As with cases of TB in humans, only a proportion of those animals infected with <em>M. bovis</em> and reacting to a tuberculin skin test or IGRA display gross lesions of TB when subjected to post-mortem meat inspection in the slaughterhouse.</p><p> </p><p>In 2017 (the last year for which an analysis of post-mortem findings is available), approximately 60% of the 32,000 cattle compulsorily removed for bovine TB control reasons in England as skin test reactors or IGRA positives did not have visible lesions of TB on post-mortem and were also negative for <em>M. bovis</em> on bacteriological culture (where performed).</p><p> </p><p>Defra and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) are constantly striving for new ways to maximise the effectiveness of TB testing of cattle to achieve the objectives of the Strategy. APHA may exceptionally authorise the private use of non-validated diagnostic tests for bovine TB in herds where the disease is persistent, in order to help detect additional infected animals that may have been missed by the approved official tests (rather than to negate a positive result to such tests). A policy position paper on non-validated diagnostics for TB in cattle is now available on the APHA Vet Gateway (<a href="http://apha.defra.gov.uk/vet-gateway/index.htm" target="_blank">http://apha.defra.gov.uk/vet-gateway/index.htm</a>).</p><p> </p><p>Over £4 million was allocated to TB research and development in 2018/19, with the anticipation of a similar spend this financial year. The majority of these finds are being invested in improving diagnostic tests alongside vaccine development. However, validation for a new test to World Organisation for Animal Health standards would only lead to official adoption if it demonstrated proven advantages in the detection of disease alongside the current test portfolio.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 16/05/2019 16:25:10 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	281 label Biography information for Baroness Golding

1129570

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	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	Air Pollution: Monitoring
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many of the Automatic Urban and Rural Network continuous monitoring stations that record air pollution have been closed down in each of the last three years.
	tabling member printed	Lord Storey
	uin	HL16055
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>The Automatic Urban and Rural Network has expanded over the last three years from 152 open stations at the end of 2016 to 164 open stations today.</p><p> </p><p>In 2019 one station closed and its relocation is in progress. In 2017, three stations closed, two of which were relocated and one of which was replaced. In 2016, five stations were closed, one of which was replaced, one of which was relocated, and three of which were not replaced or relocated.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/06/2019 11:30:54 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4238 label Biography information for Lord Storey

1130221

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2019
	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	Agriculture: Subsidies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many tenant farmers in England are awaiting their (1) Environmental Stewardship (ES) payments, (2) Countryside Stewardship (CS) payments, for 2018; and whether all ES and CS payments for 2017 have been made.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Byford
	uin	HL16082
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>The Rural Payments Agency has paid all CS 2017 eligible claims bar those held for legal reasons such as probate. On CS 2018, 95% of eligible claimants received an advance payment by early April; 30% of eligible claims have received their final payment and we expect to pay 95% of eligible claims by August 2019.</p><p> </p><p>On ES, around 92% of 2017 eligible claims have now received a payment and we are on track to complete 95% by the end of July 2019. Just over 52% of 2018 eligible claimants have received their advance payment and just under 21% have received their final payment.</p><p> </p><p>Regrettably, we cannot confirm how many of these are tenant farmers as we do not record the agreement holders’ occupant status.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/06/2019 11:34:39 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	3343 label Biography information for Baroness Byford

1129587

	registered interest
	date	04/06/2019
	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	Tree Planting
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many trees they estimate were planted in each of the last six quarters for which figures are available in (1) England, (2) Scotland, (3) Wales, and (4) Northern Ireland; whether this is in line with their commitment to plant 11 million trees in this Parliament; and if not, what steps they will take to meet that target.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Young of Old Scone
	uin	HL16072
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/06/2019 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p> </p><p>The Government remains committed to planting 11 million trees in this Parliament, 2017 to 2022. Woodland creation is a key activity of our 25 Year Environment Plan.</p><p> </p><p>The Forestry Commission routinely publish statistics on planting rates as part of their Corporate Performance Indicators.</p><p> </p><p>The published figures which report on new planting of woodland in England supported by the Countryside Stewardship, part of the Rural Development programme for England, are based on the area of grant claims approved for payment and are reproduced in the table below:</p><p> </p><table><tbody><tr><td><p><strong>Period (Quarter)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Woodland Area (hectares)</strong></p></td><td><p><strong>Tree Numbers</strong></p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan - Mar 2019</p></td><td><p>69</p></td><td><p>113,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct – Dec 2018</p></td><td><p>227</p></td><td><p>366,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>July - Sept 2018</p></td><td><p>477</p></td><td><p>748,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>April – June 2018</p></td><td><p>245</p></td><td><p>380,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Jan – March 2018</p></td><td><p>99</p></td><td><p>159,000</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Oct – Dec 2017</p></td><td><p>105</p></td><td><p>181,000</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p> </p><p>Government’s support for this woodland creation has predominantly been from the Countryside Stewardship scheme. Further Government support has been through the Environment Agency and National Forest Company.</p><p> </p><p>In the Autumn Budget the Government announced an additional £60 million for tree planting initiatives, comprising £10 million to fund urban tree planting and £50 million for a Woodland Carbon Guarantee scheme. This will add to other new planting in the pipeline, supported by the High Speed 2 Woodland Fund, the Woodland Carbon Fund and Government’s kick start investment in the Northern Forest.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 18/06/2019 16:34:37 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1755 label Biography information for Baroness Young of Old Scone

1130259

	registered interest
	date	05/06/2019
	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	Agriculture: Subsidies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of the timescale of their plan for UK farming subsidies after Brexit.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	uin	HL16120
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>The Health and Harmony Consultation closed on 8 May 2018. Over forty thousand responses were received from a wide range of people including farmers, environmental and food/farming related organisations and the general public. All responses have been analysed and are being used to inform our policies on future farm support.</p><p> </p><p>The Government published its policy response on 14 September setting out a future for food, farming and the environment in a green Brexit, together with reports on its analysis of the impacts of removing direct payments and economic rationales for future government intervention.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s assessment was to adopt a gradual transition from the current approach to the new, avoiding a cliff-edge for farm businesses - noting the negative experiences in New Zealand when rapid changes were adopted. Our proposals therefore outline a 7 year transition period.</p><p> </p><p>We are applying reductions to Direct Payments in a fair way, with higher reductions initially applied to amounts in higher payment bands. All farmers will see some reductions from the start of the transition. We plan to begin making these reductions in 2021, with the final year for Direct Payments being 2027. We believe that this approach balances the views of those who feel recipients of the highest payments should initially face higher reductions, with the strong calls for the reductions to be shared amongst all farmers from the start of the transition and in a way that prepares the industry for change. The transition period also needs to be long enough to give farmers sufficient time to adapt and prepare for the new Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme, which starts in 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The ELM National Pilot, starting in late 2021, will assess the end to end operability and deliverability before the scheme is rolled out in 2024. This will allow us to identify and refine any issues or barriers that occur in practice. We are working closely with a range of agricultural and environmental stakeholders to collaboratively design the new scheme, and to test and trial new approaches and investigate innovative mechanisms for the delivery of environmental outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>Defra recognises the challenges around the uncertainty and outcome of the timing of leaving the EU. It is planning for every contingency to ensure a smooth departure from the EU, including detailed ’no deal’ plans.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/06/2019 11:32:45 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1126696

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	Nappies
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) reusable, and (2) disposable, nappies on the (a) environment, and (b) collection and disposal of refuse; and what incentives they are encouraging for the use of reusable nappies.
	tabling member printed	Lord Greaves
	uin	HL15713
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government recognises the need to address the issues associated with the environmental impact of nappies. In line with the Resources and Waste Strategy published in December last year, we are considering the best approach for a range of products.</p><p> </p><p>There are a number of policy measures available to us, including standards and consumer information, and we believe the right approach for each product requires careful consideration taking account of various factors, for example, waste benefits versus energy usage. We are therefore carrying out some new research into the impacts of reusable and disposable nappies. This will help us decide on the best course of action for the future and in terms of Government support.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 20/05/2019 16:26:12 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	2569 label Biography information for Lord Greaves

1124635

	registered interest
	date	02/05/2019
	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	Beavers
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the introduction of beavers in the UK; and of the risk of flooding as a result of their introduction.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
	uin	HL15503
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government is engaged with a number of projects to further our understanding of the impact of beavers on the environment and flooding. We also maintain contact with the Scottish Government to learn from its experience on the River Tay.</p><p> </p><p>The trial reintroduction of beavers on the River Otter in Devon, which started in 2015, will conclude in 2020. The latest annual report from this trial, undertaken by the Devon Wildlife Trust, highlights assessments made on water flows and flood risks. Defra will assess the River Otter trial in 2020 and will seek advice from Natural England.</p><p> </p><p>The Forestry Commission is currently undertaking two enclosed trial releases which will contribute to our understanding of the impacts of beavers on water flow and surrounding ecology.</p><p> </p><p>The Environment Agency is working with a number of projects that are gathering evidence from beaver trial sites to improve our understanding of the opportunities and implications for flood risk management. Natural England and the Environment Agency are working with the University of Exeter to understand how beavers affect water flow in rivers. The results of these trials will inform decisions on future reintroductions of beavers in England</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 17/05/2019 12:26:25 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1128132

	registered interest
	date	23/05/2019
	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	Inland Waterways: Access
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the omission from the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 of provision on open access to inland water.
	tabling member printed	Lord Addington
	uin	HL15946
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government has made no assessment of legislating for open access to inland water.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 04/06/2019 14:26:32 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	3453 label Biography information for Lord Addington

1130849

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2019
	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	Trees: Diseases
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the threats from disease to hornbeam trees (Carpinus betulus) in England and Wales.
	tabling member printed	Lord Patten
	uin	HL16216
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Details of pest and disease threats to hornbeam (<em>Carpinus betulus</em>), along with other plant and tree species, are included on the UK plant health risk register, which can be accessed here: <a href="https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/phiw/riskRegister/" target="_blank">https://secure.fera.defra.gov.uk/phiw/riskRegister/</a>. Of the 1,040 entries on the risk register, ten of these have hornbeam specifically listed as a major host species, although hornbeam may be a minor host in relation to certain other pests and diseases listed (e.g. those which are polyphagous in nature on broadleaved trees). The risk register includes information about current mitigations in place and priorities for future actions.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 14/06/2019 11:55:15 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	1137 label Biography information for Lord Patten

1126707

	registered interest
	date	14/05/2019
	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	High Speed 2 Line: Colne Valley
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether HS2 is compliant with the obligations of the EU Water Frameworks Directive in regards to its activity at Colne Valley; whether a risk assessment of drilling in that area has been undertaken; what assessment they have made of the impact of any such drilling on contamination of the watercourse; and what discussions they have had with HS2 about the possible risks posed by such drilling.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb
	uin	HL15724
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2019 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) continues to discuss the assessment of the potential impacts of the High Speed Two (HS2) scheme on European Water Framework Directive (WFD) status with High Speed Two Ltd (HS2 Ltd) and its contractors for the Colne Valley.</p><p>HS2 Ltd is producing a report about the impacts of the main construction works. Where the EA has issued approvals for enabling and investigation works, it has made sure that HS2 Ltd has assessed the WFD requirements.</p><p>HS2 Ltd has a Code of Construction Practice which requires its contractors to work in accordance with British Standards ‘Investigation of potentially contaminated sites’ (BS 10175:2011) and ‘Code of practice for ground investigations’ (BS 5930:2015). By following the practices set out in this guidance, drilling would not cause contamination or further mobilise any contamination already present in the ground.</p><p>The EA is working with HS2 Ltd to secure the protection of water bodies in the Colne Valley and also advises HS2 Ltd in relation to any potential environmental risks associated with the proposed construction.</p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 24/05/2019 11:38:33 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4297 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb