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1279011

registered interest
date	21/01/2021
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	Animal Welfare
house id	1
legislature	25259 pref label House of Commons
question text	When he plans to bring forward legislative proposals on animal sentience.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	911180
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/01/2021 answer text <p>We have committed to bringing in new laws on animal sentience. Any necessary changes required to domestic legislation will be made in an effective and credible way and will be brought forward when parliamentary time allows.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 21/01/2021 15:39:19 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1274280

registered interest
date	06/01/2021
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: Territorial Waters
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 ban supertrawlers from UK waters.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	133781
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2021 answer text <p>Now that the transition period has ended, we are reviewing our policy on access for supertrawlers. This review will be driven by evidence. Under the Fisheries Act we have the powers to choose which vessels we license but our measures must comply with the UK/EU Trade and Cooperation Agreement which prohibits discrimination against individual vessels. Supertrawlers are mostly pelagic, operating mid-water, and do not make contact with the seabed.</p><p> </p><p>Vessels permitted to fish in UK waters will have to be licensed and comply with UK rules and regulations including those on sustainability. Licence conditions set by UK Sea Fisheries Authorities will apply to both UK and foreign vessels alike.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 15/01/2021 16:03:48 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1273062

registered interest
date	30/12/2020
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 Products: 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, if he will bring forward legislative proposals to introduce an import ban on lion trophy items to the UK in advance of the Government's plans to bring forward legislative proposals on enhanced animal welfare legislation in 2021.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	132859
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/01/2021 answer text <p>The Government made a manifesto commitment to ban the import of hunting trophies from endangered animals, and held a consultation on the issue between 2 November 2019 and 25 February 2020.</p><p> </p><p>The COVID-19 outbreak set the timetable back, as many of our officials formed part of the response to the pandemic. However, we are continuing to work on this important area and will publish a response as soon as we can on GOV.UK. The outcome of the consultation and the call for evidence will inform our next steps.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 15/01/2021 14:59:03 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1230176

registered interest
date	01/09/2020
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 Industry: Zoonoses
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 potential effect of intensive animal farming on the prevalence of zoonotic diseases.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	83755
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 08/09/2020 answer text <p>We know that potential zoonotic pathogens transfer from the environment, wildlife and livestock to humans. Research so far indicates that global changes in land use are disrupting the balance of wild animal communities and the beneficiaries appear to be species that carry diseases known to infect humans. It is estimated that 60% of all human diseases originate in animals. More intensive farming may expedite the spread of the pathogens.</p><p> </p><p>The Department's Veterinary Risk Group and the Human Animal Infections Risk and Surveillance Group carry out horizon scanning and risk assessment for emerging threats associated with livestock farming and wildlife, internationally and domestically.</p><p> </p><p>The Defra agency Cefas is currently working on a review of risks of zoonotic pathogens arising from aquaculture settings globally.</p><p> </p><p>We routinely carry out surveillance on farms for zoonotic pathogens. We have significant surveillance programmes testing for TB, avian influenza, salmonella, AMR and brucelloses. We work closely with the Food Standards Agency on detecting food borne pathogens and with local health protection teams and environmental health officers to control any outbreaks of zoonotic disease associated with livestock farming, consumption of products of animal origin or exposure to livestock.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 08/09/2020 16:23:12 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1230177

registered interest
date	01/09/2020
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: Transport
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 bring forward legislative proposals to ban the long-distance transportation of live animals; and if he will make a statement.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	83756
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2020 answer text <p>I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to the Rt Hon Member for Chipping Barnet on 11 June 2020, PQ UIN 55899.</p><p> </p><p><a href="https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-06-08/55899" target="_blank">https://questions-statements.parliament.uk/written-questions/detail/2020-06-08/55899</a></p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 09/09/2020 13:13:20 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1230178

registered interest
date	01/09/2020
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 plans his Department has to ban seal shooting in UK waters before the US Marine Mammal Protection Act Import Provision Rule deadline of 1 January 2022.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	83757
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/09/2020 answer text <p>The Government is taking action to prevent the killing of seals in English, Welsh and Northern Irish waters as a result of commercial fishing. The Marine Management Organisation has not issued licences to kill or take seals in the last ten years under the Conservation of Seals Act for the purpose of preventing damage to fisheries. However, the ‘netsman’s defence’ provision in the Act allows the unlicensed shooting of seals to prevent damage to equipment, or fish within it, and where specific firearms and ammunition are used. We have tabled amendments to the Fisheries Bill that will, if passed, make it illegal to kill seals intentionally or recklessly. These amendments aim to ensure that UK fisheries exports are compliant with the US Marine Mammal Protection Act. The Scottish Parliament recently passed similar legislative changes via the Animals and Wildlife (Penalties, Protections and Powers) (Scotland) Act 2020.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 09/09/2020 15:31:32 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1216895

registered interest
date	23/06/2020
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	Elephants: Conservation
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 funding his Department has allocated to programmes to help protect Asian elephants living in the wild.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	63307
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 01/07/2020 answer text <p>Defra has provided over £4.2 million in funding for Asian elephants living in the wild since 2015 through the Darwin Initiative and the Illegal Wildlife Trade (IWT) Challenge Fund. These are competitive Defra grant schemes funded entirely through Official Development Assistance (ODA).</p><p> </p><p>The IWT Challenge Fund and the Darwin Initiative have committed £2.9 million and £1.3 million respectively for Asian elephants since 2015 through 14 separate projects. These include a project seeking to reduce the illegal ivory trade in Cambodia, and a project supporting Nepal’s world-leading community anti-poaching efforts.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 01/07/2020 14:53:31 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1195535

registered interest
date	13/05/2020
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: 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 reports he has received on the increase in (a) the international trade in tigers and tiger body parts and (b) captive breeding of wild animals; and what steps he is taking to ban trophy imports to the UK.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	46605
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 21/05/2020 answer text <p>The UK is a Party to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES), which places strict controls on international trade in tigers. We are aware of concerns raised in relation to the illegal trade in tigers and tiger farms and remain fully committed to working with our international partners, including through CITES, to ensure strong protection is in place and to bring an end to the illegal trade in wildlife.</p><p> </p><p>A consultation on controls on the import and export of hunting trophies to and from the UK was undertaken between 2 November 2019 and 25 February 2020. The outcome of the consultation, and the accompanying call for evidence, will inform our next steps and we are continuing to work on this important area.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 21/05/2020 15:21:47 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1182020

registered interest
date	02/03/2020
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	Foie Gras: 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, what plans his Department has to bring forward legislative proposals to ban the import of foie gras into the UK.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	23530
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 09/03/2020 answer text <p>While allowed under EU law, the Government has made clear that the production of foie gras from ducks or geese using force feeding raises serious welfare concerns. The production of foie gras by force feeding is banned in the UK as it is incompatible with our domestic legislation.</p><p> </p><p>After the transition period, there will be an opportunity to consider whether the UK can adopt a different approach to foie gras imports and sales in the UK.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis question first answered 09/03/2020 11:57:58 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith

1173858

registered interest
date	28/01/2020
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	Waste Disposal: Crime
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 tackle (a) organised waste crime and (b) fly-tipping.
tabling member constituency	Crawley
tabling member printed	Henry Smith
uin	8995
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 04/02/2020 answer text <p>Waste crime damages the environment, is a blight on local communities and the Government is committed to tackling this criminal activity. We have given the Environment Agency (EA) an extra £60 million to tackle waste crime since 2014 and have also made a range of legislative changes. In addition, the Resource and Waste Strategy sets out an ambitious package of further reforms to modernise the way waste is regulated, clamping down on illegal operators and improving performance across the sector. Some of these commitments are being taken forward in the Environment Bill, including measures to further strengthen EA powers when dealing with criminal operators.</p><p> </p><p>The new Joint Unit for Waste Crime (JUWC), a taskforce dedicated to tackling serious and organised criminality in the waste sector was launched last month. The JUWC will tackle criminal activity including the large-scale illegal dumping, or false labelling of waste so it can be exported abroad to unsuspecting countries. It brings together the EA, the National Crime Agency, the police, HMRC, Natural Resources Wales and the Scottish Environment Protection Agency in a concerted UK-wide effort to share intelligence and resources to tackle crime which costs the economy at least £600 million every year.</p><p> </p><p>Fly-tipping is unacceptable whether it occurs on public or private land and tackling this crime is a priority for the Government. In recent years we have bolstered local authorities’ powers to tackle fly-tipping. As well as enhanced powers to search and seize vehicles of suspected fly-tippers, we have given them the power to issue fixed penalty notices (FPNs) of up to £400 for fly-tipping offences, including to those caught fly-tipping and householders who pass their waste to a fly-tipper. FPNs provide local authorities with an efficient mechanism to hold fly-tipping perpetrators to account without having to go to court, which can be a time consuming, resource-intensive and expensive process.</p><p> </p><p>If a prosecution is taken, then a fly-tipper can receive a fine of up to £50,000, or 12 months imprisonment if convicted in a Magistrates' Court. The offence can attract an unlimited fine and up to 5 years imprisonment if convicted in a Crown Court. Defra has worked with the Sentencing Council to amend sentencing guidance for magistrates to ensure that they are aware of local fixed penalty levels for these offences, but will continue this work to help to secure tougher penalties in line with our manifesto commitment.</p><p> </p><p>We have also committed to the development of a fly-tipping toolkit, hosted by the National Fly Tipping Prevention Group (NFTPG). This will be a web-based tool to help local authorities and others work in partnership to tackle fly-tipping. It will cover, for example, the use of new technology to report fly-tipping, sharing of intelligence within and between partnerships, dealing with unauthorised encampments and promoting the duty of care to individuals and businesses. The Government is also consulting at the moment about strengthening police powers to tackle unauthorised encampments. The NFTPG has also published a Fly-tipping Partnership Framework outlining best practice for the prevention, reporting, investigation and clearance of fly-tipping and a series of fly-tipping prevention guides for householders, businesses and landowners.</p> answering member constituency Taunton Deane answering member printed Rebecca Pow question first answered 04/02/2020 17:23:33 answering member 4522 label Biography information for Rebecca Pow
tabling member	3960 label Biography information for Henry Smith