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969137

registered interest
date	06/09/2018
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	Agriculture: 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, if he will make an estimate of the level of labour shortages in the farming sector.
tabling member constituency	Manchester, Gorton
tabling member printed	Afzal Khan
uin	171414
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/09/2018 answer text <p>Defra continue to monitor the latest data and work closely with industry to understand trends in labour demand and supply.</p><p> </p><p>The Office for National Statistics estimates that around 29,000 people make up the permanent agricultural workforce, with Defra estimating a further 67,000 seasonal workers. Industry sets this figure at 80,000 - the majority of which are EU migrant workers.</p><p> </p><p>Defra’s best estimate of seasonal labour shortages, using both Defra’s June agricultural survey and the National Farming Union’s survey of labour providers, is that in June 2016 there was a shortfall of 3,231 seasonal workers, and in June 2017; a shortfall of 7,676.</p><p> </p><p>A new pilot scheme in 2019 will enable non-EEA migrant workers to come to the UK to undertake seasonal employment in the horticultural sector.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 11/09/2018 12:00:38 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4671 label Biography information for Afzal Khan

968017

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Animal Feed: Republic of 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 assessment he has made of the effect of the Irish Government’s fodder transport scheme on the (a) price and (b) supply of fodder in the UK.
tabling member constituency	Canterbury
tabling member printed	Rosie Duffield
uin	170556
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2018 answer text <p>Farmers in the UK, Ireland and across northern Europe, have experienced a difficult time this year with the hot, dry weather. The impacts are likely to be most severely felt by grazing livestock due to the shortage of grass, but the full effect may not be realised until later in the year. We have prioritised practical solutions to help farmers increase access to fodder and bedding both now and in the coming months. These actions will help farmers to limit the impact of extra feed costs by allocating land to forage growth and grazing, but we will keep the situation under review.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Particular measures the Government has taken to help farmers are:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>We have clarified that English farmers, unlike farmers in other EU countries where derogations have been sought, have been able to use fallow land for grazing since 1 July. That is because our legislation reflects what we consider to be the minimum EU requirement.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>We were the first Member State to raise a concern with the Commission to establish Ecological Focus Area (EFA) catch crops by 20 August: Other Member States agreed with us and the Commission agreed that “force majeure” would apply in these circumstances, so we could waive penalties for farmers in this situation.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>We are seeking a derogation from the requirement to sow only certain seed types which are unpalatable to livestock in EFA areas as catch crop. The derogation we expect to secure shortly will allow for grass and herbaceous forage to be grown in those areas, and for those areas to be grazed.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>On Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship and forestry legacy agreements farmers are able to ask Natural England to agree a temporary variation to the agreement conditions, either as an Environmental Stewardship Derogation (to date, over 130 have been granted) or a Countryside Stewardship Minor and Temporary Adjustment (over 30 have so far been granted). We will allow farmers to derogate temporarily from specific prescriptions to provide bedding, fodder and grazing for livestock without materially affecting the environmental benefits of their agreement.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I will monitor whether the fodder import scheme that has been introduced in Ireland has an appreciable effect on supplies of fodder and bedding within the UK. We have also made the point to the European Commission that whilst the UK is committed to working to identify appropriate responses to this year’s weather impacts, these should not interfere with the normal functioning of the market or obscure the focus of farmers in mitigating weather impacts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Opportunities such as the ones described above were discussed with a wide range of stakeholders at the National Farmers’ Union “Dry Weather Summit” on 1 August 2018 and we have received some further representations in writing from farming industry organisations. Further discussions took place at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) Industry Partnership Group meeting in Reading on 20 August 2018. Additionally, a small number of individual farmers have made representations through the RPA’s Helpline. All representations received have been considered in the round and informed the approach we are taking to offering all available support to alleviate the impacts of the recent extreme weather conditions for farmers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice grouped question UIN 170410 170411 170417 170418 170864 question first answered 10/09/2018 12:18:32 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4616 label Biography information for Rosie Duffield

968156

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Food and Plants: Imports
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 16 July 2018 to Question 163122, what steps he is taking to ensure the continuation of food and plant import data recorded and shared using the EU TRACES system in the event of (a) a UK-EU trade deal and (b) the UK leaving the EU without a deal.
tabling member constituency	Workington
tabling member printed	Sue Hayman
uin	170808
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2018 answer text <p>The future relationship between the UK and EU is subject to negotiation. This includes UK access to EU systems and databases as part of the Future Economic Partnership. The UK is seeking a close relationship with the EU. This includes facilitating the continued free flow of data to support business activity. We remain confident we will agree a mutually advantageous deal with the EU. It is however the duty of a responsible Government to continue to prepare for a range of potential outcomes. This would include delivering a UK control system for the management of agri-food imports and exports in the event of a no deal scenario.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 10/09/2018 11:57:11 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

968160

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Agriculture: Trade
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 for regulations concerning the EU TRACES data recording and sharing system to form part of the common rule book envisaged in the White Paper, The future relationship between the United Kingdom and the European Union, published in July 2018, Cm 9593.
tabling member constituency	Workington
tabling member printed	Sue Hayman
uin	170809
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2018 answer text <p>The future relationship between the UK and EU is subject to negotiation. This includes the scope of the Common Rulebook and UK access to EU systems and databases as part of the Future Economic Partnership. The UK’s proposal for a Common Rulebook on agri-food encompasses rules on goods that must be checked at the border. This would remove the need to undertake additional regulatory checks at the border. In order to support future trade, the UK will need a control system for the management of agri-food imports and exports.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 10/09/2018 12:38:52 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

968162

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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: Brexit
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answers of 24 July 2018 to Questions 166203 and 166207, when he plans to publish the terms of reference, chair, membership and timetable for the comprehensive review of the services provided by the Defra group.
tabling member constituency	Workington
tabling member printed	Sue Hayman
uin	170810
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2018 answer text <p>The comprehensive review to which my answers of Questions 166203 and 166207 on 24 July refer, relates to ongoing work underway across Defra to ensure robust plans are in place for the delivery of our preparations for leaving the EU. This is supported by internal work to review the role of Defra and the resources and mechanisms required to deliver on our objectives, following our withdrawal from the EU.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 10/09/2018 12:36:07 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4395 label Biography information for Baroness Hayman of Ullock

968232

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Livestock: Balloons and Sky Lanterns
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 his Department has made of the potential effect on the welfare of livestock of balloons and Chinese lanterns.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	170856
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2018 answer text <p>An independent study commissioned by the UK and Welsh Governments published in 2013 concluded that the impacts of sky lanterns and balloons on the health and welfare of livestock were relatively minor.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Initiatives to minimise risks include a voluntary code of practice for sky lanterns to ensure they are manufactured to be safe and are sold responsibly. The National Association of Balloon Artists and Suppliers, the trade association for the balloon industry, has also published a code of conduct on balloon releases. The Government considers the current voluntary regime, supported by existing information and guidance, is effective and proportionate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice grouped question UIN 170857 170858 question first answered 12/09/2018 14:34:23 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

968233

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Livestock: Balloons and Sky Lanterns
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 his Department has made of the potential merits of introducing restrictions on the use of (a) balloons and (b) Chinese lanterns on animal welfare grounds.
tabling member constituency	York Outer
tabling member printed	Julian Sturdy
uin	170857
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/09/2018 answer text <p>An independent study commissioned by the UK and Welsh Governments published in 2013 concluded that the impacts of sky lanterns and balloons on the health and welfare of livestock were relatively minor.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Initiatives to minimise risks include a voluntary code of practice for sky lanterns to ensure they are manufactured to be safe and are sold responsibly. The National Association of Balloon Artists and Suppliers, the trade association for the balloon industry, has also published a code of conduct on balloon releases. The Government considers the current voluntary regime, supported by existing information and guidance, is effective and proportionate.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice grouped question UIN 170856 170858 question first answered 12/09/2018 14:34:23 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4079 label Biography information for Julian Sturdy

968237

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Agriculture: Subsidies
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 ensure that support payments are paid by the Rural Payments Agency in a timely manner, in light of the dry weather in summer 2018.
tabling member constituency	Hove
tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
uin	170859
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2018 answer text <p>The Rural Payments Agency (RPA) is fully focused on getting Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) 2018 payments issued promptly. Given the prescriptive EU requirements in making advance payments, the RPA will concentrate on making payments from the opening of the payment window in December. In addition we are reviewing options, such as bringing forward bridging payments, for those BPS claimants who will not have received their BPS 2018 payments in December.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 10/09/2018 12:23:55 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

968245

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Agriculture: Subsidies
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 representations he has received from industry organisations and farmers requesting flexibility in the application of CAP schemes or agri-environment schemes, in light of the dry weather in summer 2018.
tabling member constituency	Hove
tabling member printed	Peter Kyle
uin	170864
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2018 answer text <p>Farmers in the UK, Ireland and across northern Europe, have experienced a difficult time this year with the hot, dry weather. The impacts are likely to be most severely felt by grazing livestock due to the shortage of grass, but the full effect may not be realised until later in the year. We have prioritised practical solutions to help farmers increase access to fodder and bedding both now and in the coming months. These actions will help farmers to limit the impact of extra feed costs by allocating land to forage growth and grazing, but we will keep the situation under review.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Particular measures the Government has taken to help farmers are:</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>We have clarified that English farmers, unlike farmers in other EU countries where derogations have been sought, have been able to use fallow land for grazing since 1 July. That is because our legislation reflects what we consider to be the minimum EU requirement.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>We were the first Member State to raise a concern with the Commission to establish Ecological Focus Area (EFA) catch crops by 20 August: Other Member States agreed with us and the Commission agreed that “force majeure” would apply in these circumstances, so we could waive penalties for farmers in this situation.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>We are seeking a derogation from the requirement to sow only certain seed types which are unpalatable to livestock in EFA areas as catch crop. The derogation we expect to secure shortly will allow for grass and herbaceous forage to be grown in those areas, and for those areas to be grazed.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><ul><li>On Countryside Stewardship, Environmental Stewardship and forestry legacy agreements farmers are able to ask Natural England to agree a temporary variation to the agreement conditions, either as an Environmental Stewardship Derogation (to date, over 130 have been granted) or a Countryside Stewardship Minor and Temporary Adjustment (over 30 have so far been granted). We will allow farmers to derogate temporarily from specific prescriptions to provide bedding, fodder and grazing for livestock without materially affecting the environmental benefits of their agreement.</li></ul><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>I will monitor whether the fodder import scheme that has been introduced in Ireland has an appreciable effect on supplies of fodder and bedding within the UK. We have also made the point to the European Commission that whilst the UK is committed to working to identify appropriate responses to this year’s weather impacts, these should not interfere with the normal functioning of the market or obscure the focus of farmers in mitigating weather impacts.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>Opportunities such as the ones described above were discussed with a wide range of stakeholders at the National Farmers’ Union “Dry Weather Summit” on 1 August 2018 and we have received some further representations in writing from farming industry organisations. Further discussions took place at the Rural Payments Agency (RPA) Industry Partnership Group meeting in Reading on 20 August 2018. Additionally, a small number of individual farmers have made representations through the RPA’s Helpline. All representations received have been considered in the round and informed the approach we are taking to offering all available support to alleviate the impacts of the recent extreme weather conditions for farmers.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice grouped question UIN 170410 170411 170417 170418 170556 question first answered 10/09/2018 12:18:32 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4505 label Biography information for Peter Kyle

968348

registered interest
date	05/09/2018
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	Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome
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 reduce the incidence of porcine reproductive respiratory syndrome; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	East Yorkshire
tabling member printed	Sir Greg Knight
uin	170713
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/09/2018 answer text <p>Endemic diseases like porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome affect animal health and welfare, as well as productivity. As set out in our 25 Year Environment Plan and the consultation <em>Health and Harmony, the future for food, farming and the environment in a Green Brexit, </em>Defra is working with the livestock industry to reduce significantly the impact of these endemic diseases. We are analysing consultation responses and developing proposals.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice question first answered 10/09/2018 12:38:39 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	1200 label Biography information for Sir Greg Knight