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1126851

	registered interest
	date	15/05/2019
	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	Village Halls: Repairs and Maintenance
	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 ensure that grants from the village hall improvement grant fund are able to be allocated to (a) Collingham Memorial Hall and (b) other halls where refurbishment is already underway and due for completion in time to commemorate the centenary of their opening in 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	254800
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/05/2019 answer text <p>The Government announced the establishment of the £3 million Village Hall Improvement Grant Fund on 5 April this year. It will be administered by Action with Communities in Rural England (ACRE) on behalf of Defra and work is currently in hand to finalise arrangements. Halls can already make an expression of interest in the scheme through ACRE’s website and we understand that the trustees of Collingham Memorial Hall have already done so. It is not possible to guarantee funds for any particular hall. We hope that the first grants will be awarded in late summer.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 23/05/2019 11:47:18 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1362638

	registered interest
	date	22/10/2021
	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	Veterinary Medicine: Vacancies
	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 officials in his Department are having with representatives of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons on (a) extending the waiver on level 7 English language requirements for Official Veterinarians introduced in June 2021 and (b) relaxing the technical supervisory conditions imposed as a condition of that waiver.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	61143
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/11/2021 answer text <p>There are no current plans to discuss extending the waiver on level 7 language requirements for official veterinarians supporting the delivery of official controls in abattoirs. Nor are there any plans to discuss relaxing the technical supervisory conditions imposed because of that waiver. Defra has therefore not raised these proposals in discussion with the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 01/11/2021 15:53:52 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1538157

	registered interest
	date	01/11/2022
	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	Dogs: Smuggling
	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 help end illegal puppy smuggling.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	75873
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/11/2022 answer text <p>HM Government published its Action Plan for Animal Welfare in May 2021, which is a wide-reaching plan that sets out our current and future work to build on our already high standards of animal welfare.</p><p> </p><p>Now that we have left the EU, we are making some significant changes to domestic law through the Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill, bringing in legislation to meet our manifesto commitment to crack down on puppy smuggling. The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill was re-introduced to the House of Commons in May and will progress to Report stage as soon as Parliamentary time allows.</p><p> </p><p>The Animal Welfare (Kept Animals) Bill allows us to protect the welfare of pets by introducing restrictions to crack down on the low welfare movements of pets into Great Britain and includes powers to introduce new restrictions on pet travel and the commercial import of pets on welfare grounds, via secondary legislation. In August 2021, HM Government launched a consultation on how these powers should be used. We are currently analysing the responses to the consultation and will publish a response in due course.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 11/11/2022 10:24:38 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1599589

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2023
	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	Poultry: Farms
	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 the Government is taking to support poultry farmers with increased energy costs.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	153731
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>The UK poultry sector operates in an open market and the value of poultry commodities is established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. We have already seen supply chains adjusting to address the challenges related to rising input costs, including feed, fuel, fertiliser and energy costs.</p><p> </p><p>Since November 2022, the poultry industry has been able to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). In January 2023 the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) that will replace EBRS when it comes to an end on 31st March 2023. This new scheme will run until 31st March 2024.</p><p> </p><p>Following the review of EBRS, beyond the broad baseline support provided for all sectors under EBDS from 1<sup>st</sup> April 2023, the government will target higher levels of support at the most energy and trade intensive sectors (ETIIs) – which are primarily manufacturing businesses. Poultry meat processing falls within the remit of the Government’s Energy Intensive Industries exemption scheme and will therefore also qualify for the enhanced level of ETII support.</p><p> </p><p>Within the context of the wider economy, we do not consider there is a case for further financial support to the poultry sector at this time. We continue to keep the sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments.The UK poultry sector operates in an open market and the value of poultry commodities is established by those in the supply chain including farmers, processors, wholesalers, retailers, and consumers. We have already seen supply chains adjusting to address the challenges related to rising input costs, including feed, fuel, fertiliser and energy costs.</p><p>Since November 2022, the poultry industry has been able to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). In January 2023 the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) that will replace EBRS when it comes to an end on 31st March 2023. This new scheme will run until 31st March 2024.</p><p>Following the review of EBRS, beyond the broad baseline support provided for all sectors under EBDS from 1st April 2023, the government will target higher levels of support at the most energy and trade intensive sectors (ETIIs) – which are primarily manufacturing businesses. Poultry meat processing falls within the remit of the Government’s Energy Intensive Industries exemption scheme and will therefore also qualify for the enhanced level of ETII support.</p><p>Within the context of the wider economy, we do not consider there is a case for further financial support to the poultry sector at this time. We continue to keep the sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 06/03/2023 14:53:06 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1599590

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2023
	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	Eggs: Production
	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 providing financial support to egg producers under Section 1 of the Agriculture Act 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	153732
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>The UK egg industry operates in an open market and the value of egg commodities, including the farm gate egg price, is established by those in the supply chain. While the Government may act in exceptional circumstances, we do not set retail food prices nor comment on day-to-day commercial decisions by companies.</p><p> </p><p>Defra does not believe it would be appropriate to intervene in the market by providing specific financial support to egg producers under Section 1 of the Agriculture Act 2020 at this time. Other agricultural sectors have experienced similar challenges related to rising input costs such as energy, feed and fuel. On energy costs, the government has already provided financial support to the agricultural industry via the Energy Bill Relief Scheme. We have also seen supply chains themselves adjusting to address the challenge of rising input costs.</p><p> </p><p>I hosted an egg industry roundtable on 6 December 2022. This involved the participation of representatives from across the UK egg supply chain. The roundtable focused on the various challenges that the sector is facing. The meeting was productive with a clear willingness from all parties to address issues affecting the supply chain.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to keep the egg sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which was set up by Defra and the Devolved Administrations to monitor the UK market across all key agricultural commodities.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 06/03/2023 11:55:05 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1599593

	registered interest
	date	27/02/2023
	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: Solar Power
	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 she plans to change the Renewable and Low Carbon Energy guidance to allow development of solar installations on grade 3b agricultural land.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	153733
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/03/2023 answer text <p>Protecting our environment, backing British farmers and delivering long-term energy security with more renewables is at the heart of HM Government’s manifesto.</p><p> </p><p>Best and Most Versatile (BMV) Land is defined in the National Planning Policy Framework and Natural England’s guide to assessing development proposals on agricultural land as land in grades 1, 2 and 3a of the Agricultural Land Classification.</p><p> </p><p>The National Planning Policy Framework sets out clearly that local planning authorities should consider all the benefits of the best and most versatile agricultural land, when making plans or taking decisions on new development proposals. Where significant development of agricultural land is shown to be necessary, planning authorities should seek to use poorer quality land in preference to that of a higher quality.</p><p> </p><p>Planning Practice Guidance does not mention BMV land but sets out a preference for the use of lower quality agricultural land.</p> answering member constituency Copeland answering member printed Trudy Harrison question first answered 06/03/2023 15:36:39 answering member 4593 label Biography information for Trudy Harrison
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1605195

	registered interest
	date	17/03/2023
	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	Poultry: Industry
	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 she is taking to help protect the domestic poultry industry from unfair competition from other countries which have lower energy costs or lower production standards.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	168035
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 22/03/2023 answer text <p>The Government is proud of the high food safety and animal welfare standards that underpin our high-quality Great British produce. We put British farming at the heart of our trade policy and have no intention of undercutting our own reputation for quality by lowering our standards in pursuit of a trade deal.</p><p> </p><p>In all trade agreements we negotiate, we will stand up for British farming and aim to secure new opportunities for the industry. We will always look to ensure that UK Free Trade Agreements are fair and reciprocal, and that any ‘opening up’ does not cause an unwanted downturn for domestic producers.</p><p> </p><p>We are also working hard to support a thriving and profitable domestic industry. In December 2022 I hosted a roundtable for UK egg producers to discuss the challenges that the industry has been facing due to the increase in input costs. We have relaxed marketing rules on the sale of defrosted seasonal poultry products and allowed concessions to the sale of free-range eggs impacted by Avian Influenza housing restrictions. In addition, since November 2022, the poultry industry has been able to access the Energy Bill Relief Scheme (EBRS). In January 2023 the Government announced the Energy Bills Discount Scheme (EBDS) that will replace EBRS when it comes to an end on 31st March 2023. This new scheme will run until 31st March 2024. Following a review of the EBRS, the Government will target a higher level of support under the EBDS at the most energy and trade intensive sectors – which are primarily manufacturing businesses – in addition to the broader EBDS support. Poultry meat processing falls within the remit of the Government’s Energy Intensive Industries exemption scheme and will therefore also qualify for the enhanced level of support.</p><p> </p><p>We continue to keep the sector under close review, including through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 22/03/2023 16:18:06 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1606307

	registered interest
	date	22/03/2023
	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	Dogs: Brucellosis
	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 cases of Brucella Canis were reported between April 2021 and January 2022; and what data her Department holds on reported cases of Brucella Canis between January 2011 and April 2021.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	171386
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/03/2023 answer text <p>We consider a case to be a single epidemiological event. Each event may involve 1 or more dogs.</p><p> </p><p>For example, many cases are just 1 dog (imported rescue dog) while another case may involve a breeder of a litter of dogs where more than 1 dog is infected.</p><p> </p><p>So between 1<sup>st</sup> April 2021 – 31<sup>st</sup> January 2022: Cases = 35 (37 positive dogs).</p><p> </p><p>Prior to April 2020 we have data identifying 3 cases: 2 in 2017 and 1 in 2018 (all single dogs imported from eastern Europe).</p><p> </p><p>1<sup>st</sup> April 2020 – 31<sup>st</sup> March 2021: Cases = 14 (53 positive dogs)</p><p> </p><p>Total January 2011 – April 2021 is the sum of these 17 cases (56 positive dogs).</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 29/03/2023 14:16:26 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1663139

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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: Exports
	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 she is taking with the Secretary of State for Business and Trade to increase levels of meat and poultry exports.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	200993
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/10/2023 answer text <p>To support delivery of the Government’s Export Strategy the Prime Minister recently announced a food and drink export package to boost export capability and deliver on growing demand for our high-quality UK produce across the world. This included a further expansion of our global agrifood and drink counsellor network who negotiate removal of trade barriers in growing global markets. Within the last year we have successfully secured access for lamb to the USA and apples to India. The export package also included a £2m boost to promotional activity such as trade shows and missions that help drive demand for UK products alongside the GREAT food and drink campaign.</p><p> </p><p>To further support food producers export, we have held a range of National and Regional food summits with dedicated SME workshops to highlight export opportunities and build capability.</p><p> </p><p>Supporting this increased investment in exports we have an ambitious programme of negotiations for free trade agreements which is delivering results. On 31 May the UK’s first new free trade agreements with Australia and New Zealand came into force, opening markets for UK producers across all products. On 31 March, the Government substantially concluded negotiations on the UK’s accession to the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), a free trade agreement (FTA) including 11 members: Australia, Brunei, Canada, Chile, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Peru, Singapore, and Vietnam. This trade deal will see new export opportunities for food producers including exporters of meat and poultry.</p><p> </p><p>We work closely with a wide range of industry representative partners to identify and prioritise barrier removal, and to seize opportunities to streamline the export process for animals and animal products. Alongside opening new market opportunities, we are also increasing resilience and mitigating risks to existing trade. This is particularly the case with poultry where we are working with trade partners to agree regionalisation agreements to allow trade from unaffected regions to continue in the context of Avian Influenza outbreaks.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 23/10/2023 11:01:51 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke

1663140

	registered interest
	date	13/10/2023
	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: Vaccination
	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 she (a) has had and (b) plans to have with international trading partners on the use of avian influenza vaccinations.
	tabling member constituency	Elmet and Rothwell
	tabling member printed	Alec Shelbrooke
	uin	200994
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/10/2023 answer text <p>The vaccination of poultry and captive birds against avian influenza, excluding those in licensed zoos in England, is not currently permitted.</p><p> </p><p>While avian influenza vaccination is unlikely to be a viable option for the 2023/24 high risk season, Defra has established a cross Government and industry task force to explore potential for use of vaccination as a preventive measure for avian influenza. Further information can be found at <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fgovernment%2Fgroups%2Fbird-flu-avian-influenza-vaccination-task-force&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C47fb455e11a44d06ad9508dbcf160c06%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638331465816584295%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=57npVj2TDBspgY7%2F%2F83ptgiLb2W2C4I8pDLuDrBMcX4%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Bird flu (avian influenza) vaccination task force - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State and her officials, including the UK Chief Veterinary Officer, regularly engage with trading partners and international fora like the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) on a range of animal health issues, including vaccination policies.</p><p> </p><p>Any future decisions on avian influenza control measures, including the use of vaccination, will be based upon the latest scientific, ornithological, and veterinary advice. Should UK avian influenza vaccination policy change in future, Defra will work to secure the buy-in of trading partners to ensure UK trade in poultry is not negatively affected.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 20/10/2023 15:07:07 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
	tabling member	3997 label Biography information for Sir Alec Shelbrooke