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1714675

	registered interest
	date	29/04/2024
	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	Non-native Species
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether they are monitoring the spread of non-native flatworms in the UK, particularly the New Zealand flatworm; what assessment they have made of any recent increases in the numbers of non-native flatworms in the UK; and what steps they are taking (1) to combat the spread of non-native flatworms, and (2) to advise the public.
	tabling member printed	The Marquess of Lothian
	uin	HL4160
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>No recent assessment has been made of the numbers of non-native flatworms in the UK. While some data on New Zealand flatworms (<em>Arthurdendyus triangulates</em>) is collected this is not sufficiently systematic to support a full assessment.</p><p> </p><p>We encourage the public to submit sightings with photographs to iRecord (which can be found at irecord.org.uk) such that the species can be accurately identified. The record is then uploaded to the biological records centre and will improve our understanding of the distribution of the species.</p><p> </p><p>We have developed a <a href="https://www.nonnativespecies.org/biosecurity/pathway-action-plans/horticulture-pap-for-great-britain/" target="_blank">Horticulture Pathway Action Plan</a> (PAP) (copy attached) which aims to prevent and manage the risk posed by species such as the New Zealand flatworm using measures such as raising public awareness, minimizing the contamination of goods, commodities, vehicles and equipment by invasive non-native species, and ensuring appropriate border checks. An action within this document specific to flatworms is to establish a task-and-finish group to review existing guidance and develop new guidance on flatworms. We are due to consult on the PAPs later this year, and following the conclusion of that exercise, the actions such as this one in the PAPs will commence.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Invasive Species Week is coming up and will take place from the 20th to 26th May 2024. This is an annual week of awareness raising and events to help prevent the spread, and reduce the harmful impacts, of invasive non-native plants and animals.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 02/05/2024 13:33:21 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon attachment 1 file name HL4160 attachment.pdf title Horticulture Pathway Action Plan
	tabling member	259 label Biography information for The Marquess of Lothian

1713990

	registered interest
	date	25/04/2024
	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	Hares: Animal Welfare
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have for introducing legislation to introduce a closed season for hares in England, following the publication of DEFRA’s Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021; and what consultations they have had with stakeholders in that regard.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Helic
	uin	HL4097
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government has no current plans to legislate to introduce a close season for hares in England. The Action Plan for Animal Welfare in 2021 made a commitment to consider such legislation and it remains an option. An industry-led, non-statutory code of practice to protect hares in England is already in place which states that lethal control to prevent damage to crops should only be carried out in the winter months of January and February when vegetation is low and hares are easily visible. These months avoid the main breeding season and thereby reduce risks to dependent young.</p><p>The Government has had no formal consultations with stakeholders on this issue since the publication of the Action Plan for Animal Welfare but we have heard representations from interested parties, both in support of and opposed to a close season for hares.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 02/05/2024 13:58:18 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4331 label Biography information for Baroness Helic

1713280

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2024
	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	Avian Influenza: Disease Control
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the risk of H5N1 bird flu, following an outbreak in cattle in multiple US states with reports that many cattle are asymptomatic; what monitoring they carry out on (1) cattle, (2) other farm animals, (3) wild mammals, and (4) humans in contact with cattle; and what, if any, additional biosecurity measures are planned or being developed.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL4021
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>The Government is in close contact with counterparts in the United States on the incidents of influenza of avian origin in cattle in the USA. We know that the strain of virus involved has not been detected in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>Defra is working closely with the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC), the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the Food Standards Agency, the Cabinet Office and with international partners on risk assessments to consider the routes of incursion, animal to animal spread and animal to human spill-over and to review our well-tested surveillance mechanisms and preparedness activities in light of this emerging situation.</p><p> </p><p>In response to the unprecedented global outbreaks of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 in wild and kept birds, the UK's avian influenza national reference laboratory at the Animal and Plant Health Agency Weybridge laboratory has increased its surveillance in both wild birds and wild mammals and genome analysis of the virus itself while keeping a close eye on its spread in global populations of wildlife. In addition, we have published an ‘Influenza A (H5N1) infection in mammals: suspect case definition and diagnostic testing criteria’ on gov.uk to support veterinary professionals and others in knowing when to report suspicion. This case definition will be updated in due course as further information on the emerging situation in cattle in the USA becomes available.</p><p> </p><p>We are monitoring the situation closely but at this time have no reason to suspect the virus is circulating in our cattle, nor is this strain of the virus circulating in Europe. We have had no recent cases of avian influenza in kept birds, or findings of influenza of avian origin in kept or wild mammals, and the risk level from wild birds is low. We have discussed the need for surveillance in wildlife, domestic animals and humans with DHSC and UKHSA and are considering the case for additional surveillance for influenza of avian origin in cattle and how best such animal health surveillance could be undertaken.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 01/05/2024 14:24:52 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1713281

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2024
	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	Soil: Environment Protection
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect soil monitoring data will become available from the Natural Capital and Ecosystem Assessment Programme.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL4022
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>The Natural Capital Ecosystem Assessment is a new environmental monitoring programme, assessing the state and condition of ecosystems in England and their natural capital. The field data, including soils data, is being collected on a 5-year cycle that runs from 2023/24 to 2027/28. Final statistics and data will be published after 2027/28 when 100% of the data has been collected and there are outline plans to publish interim statistics, mid cycle, once 50% of the field data has been collected.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 01/05/2024 11:08:06 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1713283

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2024
	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: Land Use
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what percentage of Grade 1 and 2 lowland peat is let on annual farm business tenancies; and what steps they are taking to ensure this land is not being farmed in a manner that is accelerating its degradation and threatening future food security.
	tabling member printed	The Earl of Caithness
	uin	HL4024
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/05/2024 answer text <p>Peat policy is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p> </p><p>Defra does not have any data on the percentage of Grade 1 and 2 lowland peat let on annual farm business tenancies.</p><p> </p><p>In the Environmental Improvement Plan, we said that we are committed to halting the degradation of our lowland peat soils which causes such significant harm to the environment.</p><p> </p><p>We have also agreed to take forward action on all recommendations of the Lowland Agricultural Peat Task Force Chair's report, recognising the vital role that lowland peat soils play in producing food for our nation and supporting our rural economies.</p><p> </p><p>We are currently funding approximately £12.5million on projects on paludiculture, local collaboration, and water management, as first steps towards a more sustainable future for lowland agricultural peat.</p><p> </p><p>We are also developing a new England Peat Map that will help us identify areas for future intervention.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 01/05/2024 11:07:30 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	3310 label Biography information for The Earl of Caithness

1713284

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2024
	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	Seeds
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure there are no delays by the Animal and Plant Health Agency in processing applications for new seed varieties; and when they will determine the causes of the current backlog of applications so that in future new varieties are made available to UK growers in a timely manner.
	tabling member printed	The Earl of Caithness
	uin	HL4025
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>The backlog of applications for variety listing following EU exit has now largely been resolved.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal and Plant Health Agency and Defra are working closely with stakeholders to monitor the processes involved in variety listing and are currently instigating improvements and resilience in the system.</p><p> </p><p>The UK authorities are working together to develop the first UK Plant Variety and Seeds strategy. Following a Call for Ideas and further industry engagement, additional improvements in the plant variety listing process are anticipated.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 29/04/2024 14:40:41 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
	tabling member	3310 label Biography information for The Earl of Caithness

1713296

	registered interest
	date	23/04/2024
	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	Wildlife: Conservation
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of animal population decline in other countries on the UK, following the WWF’s Living Planet Report 2022 which showed that worldwide animal populations have declined by 69 per cent since 1970.
	tabling member printed	Lord Mendelsohn
	uin	HL4037
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>The UK is susceptible to impacts from animal population decline worldwide through global impacts on food supply and the increasing emergence and transmission of diseases. For example, the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) Pollinators Assessment showed that 35% of global crop production volume depends on animal pollination, while the IPBES Workshop report on Biodiversity and Pandemics showed that over 30% of emerging disease events are caused by land-use change and its impacts on wildlife. Healthy ecosystems are also vital for mitigating and adapting to climate change, thus animal population declines may also exacerbate the climate impacts felt by the UK, as set out in the UK’s Climate Change Risk Assessment. The UK Government with others continues to support the work of the IPBES and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change to further understand these global impacts.</p><p> </p><p>A recently published report from the Green Finance Institute, entitled ‘Assessing the Materiality of Nature-Related Financial Risks for the UK’, with direction from Defra and others, showed that about half of all UK nature-related risk comes from overseas, through supply chains and financial exposures. It showed that the combination of biodiversity loss and environmental degradation could lead to major economic shocks leading to UK Gross Domestic Product being up to 12% lower that it may otherwise have been by the 2030s (even lower when combined with climate impacts).</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 26/04/2024 13:43:36 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4286 label Biography information for Lord Mendelsohn

1702319

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	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	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of high levels of pollutants in food produced near waste incinerators in Europe; and whether they have any plans to conduct similar assessments in the UK.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL3930
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/04/2024 answer text <p>The Environment Agency (EA) has not made any assessment of reports on this subject and does not plan to conduct any such assessments in England.</p><p> </p><p>The impact on food produced in proximity to waste incinerators is considered as part of environmental permitting regulations. The EA is responsible for deciding whether new incinerators in England should get a permit to operate. For each permit application it receives, the EA uses the results of air quality modelling and a human health risk assessment (HHRA) to determine the impact of the proposed incinerator.</p><p> </p><p>The HHRA assesses impacts on the food chain. Impact assessments are very conservative and permit decisions are based on worst-case scenario impacts.</p><p> </p><p>The EA also consults the UK Health Security Agency and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) on every permit application it receives and will not issue a permit if the proposed plant could cause significant pollution or harm to human health, including via the food chain.</p><p> </p><p>The FSA is responsible for the management of public health risks in relation to food. In general, the FSA considers that if incinerator facilities are correctly operated and monitored, with the appropriate level of emissions abatement, there should be no impact on the local area in terms of elevated levels of contaminants in soil and locally produced food. Measures are in place to manage the risk from chemical contaminants and keep levels as low as reasonably achievable through good practices and regulatory controls.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 26/04/2024 11:06:48 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1702336

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	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	Import Controls: Fees and Charges
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the adequacy of border control posts ahead of the introduction of the common user charge on 30 April; and what assessment they have made of the likely impact of the common user charge on the UK’s environmental horticulture industry.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Hayman of Ullock
	uin	HL3947
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>Defra is confident that existing and new BCP infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model (BTOM), with robust, dynamic, and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed.</p><p> </p><p>Defra will continue to work with existing BCP operators to ensure they are prepared, and the Government has built new infrastructure at critical locations.</p><p> </p><p>Operators have not expressed concerns regarding under-capacity, we are therefore not anticipating queues but will continue working closely with operators to address any concerns they may have.</p><p> </p><p>The common user charge for BCP operating costs applies only to UK government-run BCPs. Commercial operators will independently set BCP charges for their own facilities.</p><p> </p><p>The impact of the Common User Charge (CUC) on businesses of all sizes will be kept under monthly and quarterly reviews, with rates reviewed and updated annually.</p><p> </p><p>Full details of the CUC can be found on GOV.UK.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 29/04/2024 13:12:24 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
	tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

1702337

	registered interest
	date	18/04/2024
	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	Plants and Trees: Import Controls
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to extending the place of destination (PoD) scheme to allow inspection of horticulture imports at a registered PoD until border control posts are fully functional for the purpose of plant and tree imports.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Hayman of Ullock
	uin	HL3948
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2024 answer text <p>Defra is confident that existing and new Border Control Posts infrastructure will have sufficient capacity and capability to handle the volume of expected checks outlined in the Border Target Operating Model, with robust, dynamic, and effective operational measures ready to call upon if needed.</p><p> </p><p>Looking ahead, we are piloting an ambitious programme of trusted trader assurance schemes for sanitary and phytosanitary goods. The pilots will explore how businesses can provide assurance through data, technology and trusted relationships and take increased responsibility for controls.</p> answering member printed Lord Douglas-Miller question first answered 29/04/2024 13:10:28 answering member 5006 label Biography information for Lord Douglas-Miller
	tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock