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1108685

	registered interest
	date	01/04/2019
	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	Sheep
	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 help support the profitability of sheep farming.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	239211
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/04/2019 answer text <p>The Government remains committed to a successful and resilient sheep sector and is confident of the sector’s ability to thrive outside of the EU.</p><p> </p><p>We are confident that the measures contained within the Agriculture Bill will enable the sheep industry and other farming sectors to improve their productivity and competitiveness, while also improving our environment.</p><p> </p><p>As any responsible Government would, we are preparing for the possibility of no deal, which is why we have contingency plans in place to minimise disruption for the sheep sector as much as possible in that eventuality.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 08/04/2019 15:07:08 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1108686

	registered interest
	date	01/04/2019
	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	Meat: Export Duties
	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 on tariffs for UK meat exports.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	239212
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/04/2019 answer text <p>Under the deal negotiated between the UK and the EU, there would be no tariffs or quotas on UK exports of meat to the EU, either during the implementation period or in the context of the future economic partnership to be negotiated.</p><p> </p><p>By contrast, we expect that the EU’s most favoured nation (MFN) tariff regime would apply to UK exports in the event of the UK leaving the EU without a deal, and there is no indication that the EU would modify its tariff regime as a result of our departure.</p><p> </p><p>As the Secretary of State said at the NFU conference in January, nobody can be blithe or blasé about the real impact on food producers of leaving without a deal.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 09/04/2019 14:02:51 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

349770

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2015
	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	Seals
	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 her Department is taking to prevent the illegal culling of seals in UK coastal waters.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	1946
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2015 answer text <p>Seal conservation is a devolved issue so I can only respond with respect to England. Approximately 85% of the UK seal population is in Scotland and the Scottish Government has its own legislation concerning the protection of seals.</p><p /> <p>Seals in England are primarily protected by the Conservation of Seals Act 1970. Under this Act, it is an offence to take or kill common and grey seals out of season or to use certain methods to kill or take, unless permitted to do so by a licence issued under the Act.</p><p /> <p>No licences have been issued for the culling of seals in England in the last five years.</p><p /> <p>The Act also allows the Secretary of State to provide year round protection in any specified area. Such a ‘Conservation Order’ currently protects grey and common seals on the east coast of England. Given the distribution of seal populations in England, this Order has the net effect of providing year round protection for almost all common seals and the majority of grey seals in England.</p><p /> <p>Fishermen are only permitted to kill or take, without the need for a licence, to protect their fishing equipment or fish therein if the seal is in the vicinity of the equipment at that time.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart grouped question UIN 1883 question first answered 15/06/2015 11:38:57 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

349771

	registered interest
	date	10/06/2015
	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	Farms: 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 steps her Department has taken to prevent slurry being illegally dumped into rivers.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	1947
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/06/2015 answer text <p>Water quality is a devolved issue and I can only respond with respect to England.</p><p>Slurry is a highly polluting organic effluent generated by livestock and is strictly controlled through regulations. Illegal dumping of slurry in a river could kill fish and aquatic life and cause bacterial contamination of drinking water supplies.</p><p>Under the Environmental Permitting (England and Wales) Regulations 2010, it is an offence to discharge polluting material to a watercourse without a permit. The use of properly constructed and maintained stores greatly reduces the risk of significant pollution events. The Water Resources (Control of Pollution) (Silage, Slurry and Agricultural Fuel Oil) (England) Regulations 2010 as amended in 2013 set minimum requirements for the construction of these facilities. The Nitrate Pollution Prevention Regulations 2015 prohibit the spreading of slurry where there is a significant risk that it may get into surface water. The Code of Good Agricultural Practice sets out guidance for the management of slurries.</p><p>Details of how to comply with all these regulations are published on GOV.UK.</p><p>The Environment Agency uses data it gathers from its monitoring networks and the evidence it gathers from its catchment walkovers to identify potential risks. It advises operators on managing their effluents safely. Where required, the Environment Agency can also take enforcement action ranging from warning letters through to formal notices and prosecution to bring people back into compliance with the law.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 15/06/2015 14:38:45 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

385839

	registered interest
	date	25/06/2015
	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: Waste
	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 her Department plans to reduce the disposal level of edible food in the UK.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	4336
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/07/2015 answer text <p>In accordance with the waste hierarchy, voluntary agreements with business and the Waste and Resources Action Programme’s (WRAP’s) Love Food Hate Waste campaign encourage action by households, food manufacturers, retailers and the hospitality and food service sectors to prevent food waste in the first place.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>If surplus food cannot be prevented, the next best option is to ensure it is redistributed for human consumption. The Courtauld Commitment 3 supply chain target includes action on both prevention and redistribution. This dual target approach encourages redistribution as the most desirable route for any surplus food suitable for human consumption.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Defra convened a Ministerial round table in July 2012 and requested WRAP to lead an industry working group to follow up on recommendations. As a key output of the group, WRAP published research, guiding principles and good practice case studies to help industry take action. <a href="http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/foodredistribution" target="_blank">http://www.wrap.org.uk/content/foodredistribution</a>.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Building further on this work, Defra convened a round table meeting in January this year with representatives from food retailers, manufacturers, trade associations and the food redistribution sector to discuss how more surplus food can be put to good use. Progress has been good, with an increase of 80% in the food redistributed under Courtauld between 2012 and 2013. To continue this momentum a Courtauld working group has been set up and tasked with looking at further ways to increase the redistribution of surplus food. Further research will look at where and why waste and surpluses occur in the supply chain, which should provide further opportunities to identify and redistribute surplus food.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Since there will always be some unavoidable food waste, the Government’s Anaerobic Digestion Strategy is in place to reduce the amount of organic material going to landfill and drive the waste that is produced into energy recovery or recycling.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Penrith and The Border answering member printed Rory Stewart question first answered 02/07/2015 09:15:39 answering member 4137 label Biography information for Rory Stewart
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1010267

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2018
	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	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Staff
	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 people were employed by his Department on 19 November 2018.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	192873
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/11/2018 answer text <p>The number of staff employed by the department as at 31 October 2018 was 4146. This will be consistent with data due to be published by 7 December 2018 at <a href="https://data.gov.uk/dataset/workforce-management-information-defra" target="_blank">Data.Gov.UK - Dataset Workforce Management Information Defra</a>, in line with Cabinet Office arrangements.</p><p> </p><p>We are unable to provide this data as at 19 November 2018 without incurring disproportionate cost.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 26/11/2018 19:00:02 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1010283

	registered interest
	date	19/11/2018
	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	Fisheries: 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, what recent discussions he has had with fishermen in Northern Ireland on the UK's withdrawal from the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	192885
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 27/11/2018 answer text <p>There have been extensive, positive and productive discussions between Defra and representatives of the fishing industry in Northern Ireland, most recently following the launch of Defra’s White Paper, Sustainable fisheries for future generations, and following the introduction of the Fisheries Bill.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 27/11/2018 17:23:52 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1045645

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2019
	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	Milk: 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, what discussions he has had with dairy farmers in Northern Ireland on the (a) cost of production and (b) the sale price of milk.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	210530
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>The Secretary of State and I have frequent discussions with representatives of the UK farming sector on a wide range of matters which have included recent discussions involving the Ulster Farmers Union on agricultural policy.</p><p> </p><p>Defra actively monitors the UK farm-gate price of milk, and information collected in our Farm Business Survey for England allows an assessment of the cost of milk production. The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs collects similar data on farm incomes in Northern Ireland. This information is available at the following links:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-milk-prices-and-composition-of-milk" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/statistics/uk-milk-prices-and-composition-of-milk</a></p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/farm-business-survey" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/farm-business-survey</a></p><p><a href="https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/farm-incomes-northern-ireland-2004-2014" target="_blank">https://www.daera-ni.gov.uk/publications/farm-incomes-northern-ireland-2004-2014</a></p><p> </p><p>We want to support farmers to get a fair price for their products. Our Agriculture Bill will provide ministers, and the devolved administrations where appropriate, with a suite of powers to improve supply chain fairness supporting farmers to get a fair price for their produce.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 29/01/2019 12:32:55 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1045648

	registered interest
	date	21/01/2019
	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	Farmers: Government Assistance
	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 plans his Department has to support farmers after the UK leaves the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	210532
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2019 answer text <p>We have pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>In England we are planning an ambitious new system based on “public money for public goods”. A seven year transition period will make sure there is gradual and smooth implementation of the new system.</p><p> </p><p>It will be for a future Northern Ireland Executive to determine its own policy. However, in the absence of an Assembly, DAERA’s approach to the Bill is to maintain the status quo and preserve flexibility for a future Executive to modify legacy Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) schemes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 29/01/2019 12:25:34 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson

1047660

	registered interest
	date	24/01/2019
	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	Farmers: Government Assistance
	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 plans he has to support farmers after the UK leaves the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Upper Bann
	tabling member printed	David Simpson
	uin	212345
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/01/2019 answer text <p>We have pledged to continue to commit the same cash total in funds for farm support until the end of this Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>In England we are planning an ambitious new system based on “public money for public goods”. A seven year transition period will make sure there is a gradual transition from the current system to the new.</p><p> </p><p>It will be for a future Northern Ireland Executive to determine its own policy. However, in the absence of an Assembly, DAERA’s approach to the Bill is to maintain the status quo and preserve flexibility for a future Executive to modify legacy CAP schemes.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 31/01/2019 12:38:34 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
	tabling member	1597 label Biography information for David Simpson