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1462657

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	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	Food: 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, whether his Department has taken steps to (a) provide financial assistance to farmers to enable higher quantities of food to be produced in the UK and (b) support increased food production in the UK by other means.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	1322
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/06/2022 answer text <p>Food is the primary purpose of farming, and always will be. Farming in England is now going through the biggest change in a generation. As Government, our approach to working with the farming sector is changing too. The Common Agricultural Policy paid farmers based on land ownership. Our schemes are incentivising farmers to take care of natural assets, like soil, which in turn is good for food production and the bottom line. They are about supporting the choices that individual farmers take for their farms, and we are ensuring that all farmers, including tenants, can access funding.</p><p> </p><p>In England, we are providing farmers with two ways of receiving payments: one-off grants and ongoing schemes. Farmers can pick and choose from the offer to find a package that works for them. Everything we are offering contributes to our three goals: supporting viable businesses, maintaining food production at its current level, and achieving animal health, welfare and climate outcomes.</p><p> </p><p>In terms of grants, we have made available and increased the budgets of our farming innovation and farming investment programmes. For ongoing payments, we have over 900 farmers in the pilot for our sustainable farming incentive and will shortly start the roll out of that scheme paying farmers to improve their soil health.</p><p> </p><p>On 13 June, we published the Government Food Strategy, setting out that we will maintain domestic production and increase it in sectors where there is the most opportunity – including horticulture. The strategy sets out further details of how farmers will be able to use grant funding to boost profitability and maintain food production, and also sets out measures to boost local food consumption.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 16/06/2022 13:07:47 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1467277

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2022
	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	Zoos: Animal Welfare
	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 he has plans for a further consultation on proposed updates to the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, having had regard for the feedback received from stakeholders during the consultation which is underway as of 1 June 2022.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	11853
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>Once the current consultation on the proposed updated Standards of Modern Zoo Practice has closed on 21 June 2022, Defra and the UK Zoos Expert Committee will consider the responses received. Further targeted stakeholder engagement will be considered once the responses have been analysed.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 13/06/2022 15:46:10 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1467278

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2022
	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	Zoos: Animal Welfare
	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 take steps to ensure that changes being proposed to the Standards of Modern Zoo Practice are (a) proportionate and (b) justified, in order to ensure that appropriate standards of animal welfare and conservation are met.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	11854
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>Defra is currently consulting on updated Standards of Modern Zoo Practice for Great Britain. The Standards have been reviewed by Defra and the UK Zoos Expert Committee to reflect updates in best practice for keeping wild animals in captivity. They have also been redrafted to make them clearer to aid compliance and enforcement. Further changes to the proposed Standards will be considered after the consultation has closed, to ensure they are both proportionate but also represent current best industry practice. The consultation, which has been extended by four weeks, is due to close on 21 June 2022.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 13/06/2022 15:43:33 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1467276

	registered interest
	date	01/06/2022
	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	Zoos Expert Committee: Aquariums
	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 make an assessment of the potential merits of (a) re-naming the UK Zoos Expert Committee as the UK Zoos and Aquariums Expert Committee and (b) ensuring that aquariums are represented on that Committee.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	11852
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2022 answer text <p>One of the primary functions of the Zoos Expert Committee (ZEC) is to provide advice to Ministers of the operation and implementation of the Zoo Licensing Act 1981. Aquariums are included in the definition of zoos in the 1981 Act. The Committee is constituted to ensure it contains a wide range of expertise from across the zoo licensing industry, and aquaculture experts have previously sat on ZEC and its predecessor committee, the Zoos Forum. Members of the Committee are appointed via on open recruitment process based on merit and Defra would encourage experts in operating aquariums to apply for any appropriate vacancies on the Committee as and when they are advertised.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 13/06/2022 15:40:38 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1462656

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	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	Food Supply
	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 the impact of the war in Ukraine on the UK's food supply chain.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	1321
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 20/05/2022 answer text <p>Our food import dependency on the Eastern Europe region is very low. We do not expect any significant direct impact on overall UK food supply as a result of the conflict in Ukraine.</p><p>We are, however, working closely with the food and feed industry to understand the impacts of the situation in Ukraine on sunflower seed, oil or sunseed meal supplies, while the Food Standards Agency has informed consumers that refined rapeseed oil, palm oil, coconut oil and soyabean oil may start to replace sunflower oil in some products.</p><p>We speak regularly with food industry figures, who remain confident in the food supply chain. We continue to keep the market situation under review through the UK Agriculture Market Monitoring Group, which monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, inputs, trade and recent developments. We have also increased our engagement with industry to supplement our analysis with real time intelligence.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 20/05/2022 11:11:41 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1438468

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2022
	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	Slaughterhouses
	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 help increase the number of butchers.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	135630
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 18/03/2022 answer text <p>Defra continues to work closely with industry and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce.</p><p> </p><p>Since January 2021, the Skilled Worker visa route has been open to all nationals who wish to come to the UK for the purpose of working in a skilled role – including those in butchery.</p><p> </p><p>In 2022 and beyond, food and farming businesses will continue to be able to rely on EU nationals living in the UK with settled or pre-settled status. Over 5.6 million EU citizens and their families have been granted status under the EU Settlement Scheme. EU nationals who have settled status can continue to travel to the UK for work in 2022 and beyond.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also encourages the meat processing sector to pursue improvements to training offers, career options and wages to ensure that the sector draws on the large domestic labour pool in the UK, as well as investing in new technology across the industry.</p><p> </p><p>Defra are aware of the specific challenges faced by the pig industry with regards to a shortage of skilled butchers. In recognition of the unique circumstances facing the sector, the Government announced in November 2021 that temporary visas would be available for pork butchers to work in the UK for up to six months. These visas were an exceptional and temporary concession in addition to the existing Skilled Worker route. While applications for these visas are now closed, pork butchers can remain in the UK six months from the date their visa was granted.</p><p> </p><p>In February, the Home Office announced a series of visa concessions for temporary workers of Ukrainian nationality. Butchers under the Skilled Worker route and Seasonal Worker Visa Route can remain in the UK until 31 December 2022, and temporary workers may apply for a skilled route visa while in the UK.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 18/03/2022 16:06:01 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1438465

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2022
	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	Pigs
	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 merits of introducing a compensation scheme for pig farmers who are unable to sell their animals to slaughter due to a lack of butchers.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	135629
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 17/03/2022 answer text <p>We believe that targeting our financial support on incentivising processors to slaughter more pigs thereby reducing the backlog and the animal welfare impacts of pigs backed upon farm is the most effective way of supporting farmers at this time. While a hardship fund or compensation scheme would provide farmers with a financial payment, there would be challenges in ensuring any scheme would reduce the animal welfare impact of those pigs currently backed up on farm, provide value for money and was able to target those in most need.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 17/03/2022 10:49:39 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1438462

	registered interest
	date	07/03/2022
	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	Pigs
	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 has taken to clear the backlog of pigs on UK farms due to the shortage of butchers to avoid more animals being killed and disposed of.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	135628
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/03/2022 answer text <p>We continue to work closely with the pig industry to help them respond to challenges caused by a combination of factors, including the pandemic and the loss of the Chinese export market for certain processing plants, disruption to CO2 supplies and a temporary shortage of labour in the processing sector, which together have led to a growing backlog of pigs on farms.</p><p> </p><p>We are very much aware of the impact that the need to cull pigs has on those individual farmers affected. We have therefore provided a package of measures to help address these unique circumstances, which includes temporary work visas for pork butchers, and Private Storage Aid and Slaughter Incentive Payment (SIP) schemes to facilitate an increase in the throughput of pigs through abattoirs. Together with the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board and other Government Departments, we are working to both expand existing overseas markets and to identify new export markets for pork, particularly lightly processed pork. We are also working with industry to support their efforts on the recruitment and retention of domestic workers.</p><p> </p><p>I have chaired two Roundtables – on 10 February and 3 March - with representatives of the pig sector from across the UK. Following discussions with the sector, Defra removed all end destination requirements for pigs processed through the SIP scheme, a change which has encouraged further take up of this measure. I also met with representatives of the agricultural banking sector to discuss the current situation in the pig sector. The banks confirmed that they are working closely with impacted pig farmers during this exceptionally challenging period and remain keen to be supportive.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 16/03/2022 09:17:59 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1399295

	registered interest
	date	04/01/2022
	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	Countryside: Access
	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 introduce payments to landowners for the purposes of increasing access to the countryside; and what plans he has to introduce those payments as part of the Environmental Land Management schemes set out in the Agriculture Act 2020.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	97049
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/02/2022 answer text <p>Support for increasing access into the countryside will be made through existing schemes and support mechanisms already in place. We are still considering our approach of how support for increasing and maintaining access to the countryside in our future schemes including our environmental land management schemes.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 02/02/2022 17:25:43 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel

1360144

	registered interest
	date	15/10/2021
	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	Fishing Vessels: Marine Environment
	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 financial impact on the UK fishing industry by the use of EU Fly-Shooting vessels in UK waters since the end of the transition arrangements following the UK's departure from the EU.
	tabling member constituency	Leeds North West
	tabling member printed	Alex Sobel
	uin	57307
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 23/11/2021 answer text <p>The Government has not made an assessment of the financial impact on the UK fishing industry of EU fly-seining vessels operating in UK waters but we are currently examining our wider policy on fly-seining vessels to ensure our approach is evidence-based, and in line with the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 23/11/2021 13:54:02 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
	tabling member	4658 label Biography information for Alex Sobel