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1130984

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
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	Livestock Industry: Ammonia
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 is taking to manage ammonia emissions from dairy and beef farming.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	262269
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>The Clean Air Strategy was published in January 2019 and sets out the actions the Government will take to reduce ammonia emissions from farming in line with our clean air targets. Those that are relevant to dairy and beef farming include:</p><p>- Regulating to reduce emissions from urea based fertilisers.</p><p>- Introducing legislation requiring use of low emissions spreading techniques by 2025.</p><p>- Extending environmental permitting to the dairy and intensive beef sectors by 2025.</p><p>- Regulation to require slurry and digestate stores to be covered by 2027.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to these regulatory measures, the Government is providing technical and financial support for farmers to change management practices and invest in equipment to reduce ammonia emissions. For example:</p><p>- The Government is delivering a £3 million programme of support to farmers over three years showcasing low emission spreading equipment and providing advice on practical ammonia mitigation methods.</p><p> </p><p>- Last year we published a code of good agricultural practice which provides guidance to farmers on how to reduce ammonia emissions.</p><p> </p><p>- We have supported farmers to invest in low emissions slurry spreading equipment and slurry store covers through grant schemes such as the Farming Ammonia Reduction Grant, the Countryside Stewardship scheme and the Countryside Productivity scheme. A second round of the Rural Development Programme for England’s Countryside Productivity small grant scheme is expected to be launched very shortly.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 13/06/2019 13:06:06 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1131034

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
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	UK Wild Camp: Finance
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 much Government funding was provided to UK Wild Camp.
tabling member constituency	Wakefield
tabling member printed	Mary Creagh
uin	262319
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>Defra provided £4,999 to the Lake District National Park Authority. Defra has not paid any money to UK Wild Camp.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 13/06/2019 10:58:24 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1579 label Biography information for Mary Creagh

1131035

registered interest
date	10/06/2019
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	Tree Planting: Urban Areas
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 body is responsible for monitoring progress against the 2017 Conservative manifesto commitment to plant 1 million trees in towns and cities; and (a) what progress his Department has made towards and (b) what his timescale is for achieving that commitment.
tabling member constituency	Wakefield
tabling member printed	Mary Creagh
uin	262320
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 13/06/2019 answer text <p>DEFRA will track progress towards its 1 Million urban tree commitment, including by drawing on the Forestry Commission’s wider monitoring of trees planted with central government support. An initial assessment of progress will be made in the spring of 2020, when the first Urban Tree Challenge Fund projects are up and running. The timescale for meeting the commitment is the end of the current Parliament in 2022.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 13/06/2019 12:14:03 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	1579 label Biography information for Mary Creagh

1130713

registered interest
date	07/06/2019
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	Pets: Sales
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 will bring forward legislative proposals on animal re-homing before the ban on the third party selling of puppies and kittens comes into effect in April 2020.
tabling member constituency	Leigh
tabling member printed	Jo Platt
uin	261545
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>Legitimate rescue homes do incredible work rescuing and rehoming thousands of sick, abandoned and stray animals each year. I recognise that with the ban on commercial third party sales coming into force, stakeholders are concerned that disreputable dealers could reinvent themselves as rescues. We are actively exploring these issues with the rescue and rehoming sector.</p><p> </p><p>We need to be confident of the benefits and the impacts of any regulations placed on rescue and rehoming centres, particularly on some of the smaller rescues. We will consider proposals once we have fully consulted with the sector and understood the impact of any proposals.</p><p> </p><p>In the meantime, in order to prevent third-party sellers from presenting themselves as rehoming centres, we will work with the Canine and Feline Sector Group and local authorities to develop specific guidance to help distinguish between non-commercial rescue and rehoming centres, which are charities, and pet sellers which are businesses.</p> answering member constituency Macclesfield answering member printed David Rutley question first answered 12/06/2019 09:47:46 answering member 4033 label Biography information for David Rutley
tabling member	4673 label Biography information for Jo Platt

1130431

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Bees
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 recent trends in the UK bee population.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	261132
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>Each year the Government publishes an indicator of trends in populations of wild bees and other pollinators in the UK. The indicator measures changes in the distribution of almost 400 species of bees and other insects since 1980 and shows that, for all pollinating insects, the indicator has declined by 22% since 1980 although it has stabilised in recent years. For bees, the indicator has declined by 17% since 1980 although it shows evidence of a recovery since 2013.</p><p> </p><p>Trends are also available for managed honey bees. The number of beekeepers registered on BeeBase, the National Bee Unit’s biosecurity system which underpins the Government inspectorate’s actions for bee health, has increased significantly over the last 10 years from 12,000 to over 40,000 today.</p><p> </p><p>Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. Since 2014 we have been working with a range of partners to implement a National Pollinator Strategy to address declines in wild pollinators and concerns about bee health, including establishing a pollinator monitoring and research partnership to gather further data and strengthen the evidence base.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 09:47:25 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1130433

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Biodiversity: South East
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 increase biodiversity in (a) London and (b) the South East.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	261133
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 14/06/2019 answer text <p>The Government has implemented a range of measures to both protect and increase biodiversity across the country. In London 6,000 hectares have been designated as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), with some 141,000 hectares designated as SSSI across the south east. These protected sites host habitats and species of international importance for wildlife conservation. Examples include Walthamstow Reservoirs SSSI which is Europe’s largest urban wetland, and the New Forest, the largest area of semi-natural habitat in England covering 29,000 hectares of heathland, grassland and ancient woodland.</p><p> </p><p>We provide substantial public funding for increasing biodiversity, spending £2.9 billion on agri-environment schemes in England through our seven year Rural Development Programme. Schemes are tailored to the specific biodiversity interests in London and the south east through our local targeting statements. In London priorities include wood pasture and parkland as well as wetland habitats such as reedbeds. In the south east there are a number of statements reflecting the diverse landscapes of the region including the heathlands of the Thames Basin, chalk grasslands of the North Downs and South Downs and wetlands of the Kent coast.</p><p> </p><p>The Government also supports a range of partnership activities. For example in London, at Walthamstow, Natural England has worked closely with a range of partners over ten years on a partnership project to expand wetlands and open them to the public. In the south east, Natural England is working with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, the RSPB and over 100 farmers and landowners to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee to Dungeness. The success of the project in creating extensive, wildflower-rich habitat has led to the recording of rare bee species in areas where they have not been seen for 40 years.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 14/06/2019 09:31:04 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1130434

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Bees: 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 steps his Department is taking to protect (a) solitary bees, (b) honey bees and (c) bumblebees.
tabling member constituency	Romford
tabling member printed	Andrew Rosindell
uin	261134
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>Protecting pollinators is a priority for this Government. They are an essential part of our environment and play a crucial role in food production. The National Pollinator Strategy is a 10 year plan setting out how Government, conservation groups, farmers, beekeepers and researchers can work together to improve the status of the 1,500 or so pollinating insect species in England.</p><p> </p><p>Alongside these partners, the Government is taking action to create and manage wildlife-rich habitat, raise awareness, improve bee health and strengthen the evidence base. Each of these actions will benefit solitary bees, honey bees and bumblebees.</p><p> </p><p>More specifically, for solitary bees, we have set out advice on how to manage and provide appropriate habitat to everyone with a garden, window box or access to shared land on the ‘Bees’ Needs’ website at <a href="http://www.bees-needs.org.uk/" target="_blank">www.bees-needs.org.uk</a>.</p><p> </p><p>For honey bees, Defra maintains an extensive programme of advisory visits and events for beekeepers on pest and disease management and good husbandry. Around 6,000 inspections are carried out each year in England and Wales, through which advice on good husbandry is provided to thousands of beekeepers to help them manage important pests like varroa. We are also tackling threats from invasive non-native species such as the Asian hornet.</p><p> </p><p>For bumblebees, Natural England works in partnership to support the recovery of threatened species. For example, on the Bumblebee Conservation Trust’s project to reintroduce the short-haired bumblebee in Dungeness, alongside the RSPB and over 100 farmers and land owners, which has been so successful in creating extensive, quality habitat that other rare species have started to spread to areas where they have not been recorded for up to 40 years.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, both bumblebees and honey bees imported from another country must be accompanied by a health certificate which provides guarantees about the health status of the country and the consignment of bees.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 12/06/2019 10:50:57 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1447 label Biography information for Andrew Rosindell

1130451

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Agriculture: Biotechnology
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 made an assessment of the potential effect of cellular agriculture on reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
tabling member constituency	Windsor
tabling member printed	Adam Afriyie
uin	261181
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 12/06/2019 answer text <p>Cellular agriculture has the potential to transform how we produce some foods. Advances in science may allow us to create traditional animal products away from traditional farm settings, from gelatine and egg whites to milk and even meat. Such methods of production also have the potential to reduce climate emissions, especially when harnessing renewable energy supplies. Whilst Defra has not yet assessed the potential of this technology on reducing greenhouse gas emissions, through the £90 million Industrial Strategy Challenge Fund Transforming Food Production challenge we will focus on innovation and research around agriculture, productivity and sustainability.</p><p>The environmental impacts of food are complex and span the whole supply chain. Defra undertakes and coordinates research across the whole food system to enhance productivity, enhance food quality, increase efficiency, and reduce waste, from primary production through to manufacturing, retail, distribution and the consumer.</p><p>The Government is committed to publishing a National Food Strategy when we leave the European Union. This will help ensure that our food system delivers healthy and affordable food for all people, and is built upon a resilient and sustainable agriculture sector which considers its climate impact.</p> answering member constituency Scarborough and Whitby answering member printed Mr Robert Goodwill question first answered 12/06/2019 15:42:30 answering member 1562 label Biography information for Sir Robert Goodwill
tabling member	1586 label Biography information for Adam Afriyie

1130495

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Water: Pollution Control
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 progress the Government is making on achieving EU environmental quality standards for surface water by 2027.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	261124
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>Since 2015, over 3,100 miles of surface water have been enhanced to achieve good status, and the Environment Agency has set a target in the Government’s River Basin Management Plans to enhance 5,000 miles by 2021. The 2015 River Basin Management Plans confirmed £3 billion worth of investment over six years.</p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 11/06/2019 16:31:33 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly

1130497

registered interest
date	06/06/2019
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	Rivers: Pollution Control
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 is taking to upgrade drainage systems to treat pollutants before they reach rivers.
tabling member constituency	Newcastle-under-Lyme
tabling member printed	Paul Farrelly
uin	261125
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 11/06/2019 answer text <p>Since water industry privatisation in 1989, around £25 billion has been invested to reduce pollution from sewage, covering improvements in sewage treatment and in sewer overflows. In England, between 2015 and 2020, water companies are investing over £3 billion to improve their sewerage infrastructure. This has helped to achieve a 61% reduction in the amount of phosphorus load and a 72% reduction in the amount of ammonia discharged from sewage treatment works since 1995. In addition, 7,000 sewer overflows have been improved since 1995, reducing the impact of pollution from sewage discharges.</p><p> </p><p>The Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan contains a number of actions to achieve our aim of clean and plentiful water, including increasing the uptake of sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). SuDS features such as permeable surfaces, storage tanks and ponds, can help improve water quality as well as reduce the risk of surface water flooding. A revised National Planning Policy Framework, which further encourages SuDS in new developments was published on 24 July 2018.</p><p> </p><p>In addition, Government <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/consultations/improving-our-management-of-water-in-the-environment" target="_blank">recently consulted</a> on proposals to improve long-term planning for drainage and wastewater management.</p><p> </p> answering member constituency Suffolk Coastal answering member printed Dr Thérèse Coffey question first answered 11/06/2019 16:27:07 answering member 4098 label Biography information for Dr Thérèse Coffey
tabling member	1436 label Biography information for Paul Farrelly