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1674476

registered interest
date	30/11/2023
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	Sugar Beet
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 help support negotiations between sugar beet growers and British Sugar PLC.
tabling member constituency	Central Suffolk and North Ipswich
tabling member printed	Dr Dan Poulter
uin	4724
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/12/2023 answer text <p>The Government is committed to promoting fairness across the food supply chain, with risk and reward being properly shared, therefore we recognise the importance of sugar beet farmers receiving a price agreed for their 2024 sugar beet crop that benefits both growers and processors, in the context of the global market.</p><p> </p><p>Defra had discussion with all parties and were pleased to see NFU Sugar and British Sugar resume negotiations and continuing with the well-established process in place which is designed to be independent between both parties.</p><p> </p><p>It is very important that all parties involved now continue to follow that process and reach a mutually acceptable outcome.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 06/12/2023 17:14:31 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	3932 label Biography information for Dr Dan Poulter

1669286

registered interest
date	10/11/2023
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	Sugar Beet
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 support sugar beet growers.
tabling member constituency	South Holland and The Deepings
tabling member printed	Sir John Hayes
uin	1290
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 15/11/2023 answer text <p>The Government recognises the importance of sugar beet farmers and their vital contribution to UK sugar production. We are committed to promoting fairness across the food supply chain, with risk and reward being properly shared.</p><p> </p><p>We know that control of aphids and yellow virus, along with weather related problems - such as dry springs affecting crop establishment and wet conditions during the campaign harvests – can create issues for beet growers.</p><p> </p><p>Defra’s reach and engagement with the agri-food sector is extensive and well-established. This includes regular contact with producers and processors in the UK sugar industry which ensures a strong two-way dialogue at both a ministerial and official level.</p><p> </p><p>The UK Agricultural Market Monitoring Group, launched in January 2021, also monitors UK agricultural markets including price, supply, and trade enabling it to provide forewarning of any atypical market movements.</p><p> </p><p>These allow Government to collect both data and industry intelligence on the agricultural sectors, including sugar, to understand any challenges being faced. We do not consider there is a case for support at this time but will keep the situation under review.</p> answering member constituency Sherwood answering member printed Mark Spencer question first answered 15/11/2023 16:58:25 answering member 4055 label Biography information for Sir Mark Spencer
tabling member	350 label Biography information for Sir John Hayes

1600112

registered interest
date	28/02/2023
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	Sugar Beet
house id	2
legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the rate of Virus Yellows in sugar beet.
tabling member printed	Baroness Andrews
uin	HL5974
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/03/2023 answer text <p>The rate of incidence of YV may vary year-to-year, influenced by environmental conditions. The rate is not yet known at the time of planting sugar-beet, however. There is a means to predict the scale of threat. That is through the YV incidence prediction model developed and run by Rothamsted Research. This provides, a forecast of the level of YV infection that will be reached in August, in the absence of any plant protection intervention. Making the prediction on 1 March allows the model to take account of preceding winter temperatures, which are important in determining the likely incidence of YV. Forecast for Yellows Virus incidence from Rothamsted Research for 2023 is 67.5%.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 10/03/2023 13:57:04 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
tabling member	2534 label Biography information for Baroness Andrews

1286923

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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	Sugar Beet
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 undertaken forecasting to predict aphid pest pressures for sugar beet in 2021.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	154655
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2021 answer text <p>It is well established that over-winter temperatures are a key determinant of aphid populations in the following year. Low temperatures, and in particular sharp frosts, will reduce aphid numbers and so the recent cold weather is likely to ease aphid pressures in 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Temperature effects are built into the long-established Rothamsted model used to forecast virus pressures. That forecast will be made on 1 March and will be used to determine whether the threshold for using the neonicotinoid seed treatment Cruiser SB has been met. Once the virus forecast has been made, the British Beet Research Organisation will publish an advisory bulletin setting this out.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 155068 155069 question first answered 02/03/2021 09:48:07 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1287034

registered interest
date	19/02/2021
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	Sugar Beet
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 publish the results of forecasting to predict aphid pest pressures for 2021 for sugar beet.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	155069
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/03/2021 answer text <p>It is well established that over-winter temperatures are a key determinant of aphid populations in the following year. Low temperatures, and in particular sharp frosts, will reduce aphid numbers and so the recent cold weather is likely to ease aphid pressures in 2021.</p><p> </p><p>Temperature effects are built into the long-established Rothamsted model used to forecast virus pressures. That forecast will be made on 1 March and will be used to determine whether the threshold for using the neonicotinoid seed treatment Cruiser SB has been met. Once the virus forecast has been made, the British Beet Research Organisation will publish an advisory bulletin setting this out.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 154655 155068 question first answered 02/03/2021 09:48:08 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

1277551

registered interest
date	18/01/2021
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	Sugar Beet
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 economic effect of virus yellows on sugar beet farmers in (a) 2019 and (b) 2020.
tabling member constituency	Cambridge
tabling member printed	Daniel Zeichner
uin	139012
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/01/2021 answer text <p>Husbandry approaches and alternative pesticides were considered in the assessment of the application for emergency authorisation of the neonicotinoid product Cruiser SB. The evidence, including experience in 2020, suggests that these will not be adequate to protect the emerging sugar beet crop this year.</p><p>The incidence of virus yellows in sugar beet was low in 2019 and consequent production losses are estimated to have been low. Virus levels were much higher in 2020 and yields are expected to be down by around 25%, equating to an economic loss of the order of £50 million. Other factors may have contributed to this loss, but the level of virus infection was key.</p><p>At this stage, it is not possible to assess the economic impact virus yellows will have in 2021. If, as is likely, winter temperatures are not sufficiently low, the high virus reservoir legacy numbers from 2020 could mean that the incidence rate remains high in 2021. Without effective aphid control, that is likely to translate to significant economic loss. The authorisation provides that likely pest pressures for 2021 will be modelled using data on temperatures over this winter. Only if this indicates that crop infection rates are expected to exceed a 9% threshold will the seed treatment be permitted for use.</p> answering member constituency Banbury answering member printed Victoria Prentis grouped question UIN 139013 139017 question first answered 26/01/2021 16:09:18 answering member 4401 label Biography information for Victoria Prentis
tabling member	4382 label Biography information for Daniel Zeichner

873753

registered interest
date	28/03/2018
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	Sugar Beet
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 potential changes in trading opportunities for British beet sugar after the UK leaves the EU.
tabling member constituency	Waveney
tabling member printed	Peter Aldous
uin	134867
answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/04/2018 answer text <p>I would refer the honourable member to the Department’s recent submission to the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee’s inquiry into trade in sugar once the UK has left the EU.</p><p>British sugar beet producers are among the most competitive in the world and already compete effectively at world prices.</p><p>The Government also recognises the importance of the sugar cane refining industry in providing competition in the UK market and the importance of sugar cane production for some developing countries, especially those within the Commonwealth.</p><p>Once we leave the EU, the UK Government will be free to decide its own trade policies.</p> answering member constituency Camborne and Redruth answering member printed George Eustice grouped question UIN 134953 question first answered 16/04/2018 10:02:15 answering member 3934 label Biography information for George Eustice
tabling member	4069 label Biography information for Peter Aldous