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1640668

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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	Food: Production
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to (1) maximise food production in the UK, and (2) enhance food security.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Kennedy of Cradley
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8148
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>The UK has a highly resilient food supply chain, as demonstrated throughout the Covid-19 response. It is well equipped to deal with situations with the potential to cause disruption.</p><p> </p><p>Our high degree of food security is built on supply from diverse sources; strong domestic production as well as imports through stable trade routes. We produce 61% of all the food we need, and 74% of food which we can grow or rear in the UK for all or part of the year, and these figures have changed little over the last 20 years.</p><p> </p><p>The Government committed to broadly maintain current levels of domestic food production in its Food Strategy, which also set out what we will do to create a more prosperous agri-food sector.</p><p> </p><p>We have taken several steps to support the long-term resilience and profitability of the agricultural sector. For example, we are making Direct Payments in England in two instalments each year for the remainder of the agricultural transition period, to help farmers with their cashflow; we are committed to spend around £600 million on grants and other support for farmers to invest in productivity, animal health and welfare, innovation over three years; and we have provided 10,000 farmers with help and advice through the Future Farming Resilience Fund, which provides farmers with free advice to help farmers work out what to do for their business.</p><p> </p><p>Recognising the importance of food security, in the Agriculture Act 2020, the Government made a commitment to produce an assessment of our food security at least once every three years. The first UK Food Security Report was published in December 2021. It recognises the contribution made by British farmers to our resilience and considers the UK's food supply sources overall, noting that domestic production and diversity of supply are both important to our food security. The next Food Security Report will be published in 2024.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 13:06:40 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4303 label Biography information for Baroness Kennedy of Cradley

1640683

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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	Food: Prices
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of food inflation on family budgets in (1) Northern Ireland, (2) England, (3) Scotland, and (4) Wales.
	tabling member printed	Lord Rogan
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8164
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2023 answer text <p>Tackling inflation is this government’s number one priority, with a plan to more than halve inflation this year.</p><p> </p><p>Annual food price inflation, reported by the ONS, was 19.1% in April 2023. This was a decrease of 0.1 percentage points on the March 2023 rate. Overall CPI inflation decreased to 8.7% in April 2023 down from 10.1% in March 2023. The rate of food price inflation in the UK equalled the average rate for the EU in March 2023.</p><p> </p><p>The recent high levels of inflation have primarily been driven by higher energy prices and pressures on global supply chains and there are signs those are beginning to ease. Industry analyst expectations are that we are either at or approaching the food price inflation peak, from which point they expect food price inflation to gradually decrease over the remainder of 2023. We will need several more months of data to be confident that the fall this month is a reflection that the peak has already been reached.</p><p> </p><p>While we do not have individual data on food price inflation rates for the devolved nations, we do have some statistics from the Office of National Statistics on differences in average household spend for the different devolved nations. For the year from April 1st 2020 to March 31st 2021, UK households spent on average £64.90 on food and non-alcoholic beverages, compared to £65.50 for England, £62.20 for Wales, £60.10 for Scotland and £70 for NI. As a proportion of total expenditure, this was 11.7% for UK, 11.5% for England, 12.7% for Wales, 12.4% for Scotland and 14.6% for Northern Ireland.</p><p> </p><p>The average impact of food inflation on household budgets within each of the devolved administrations will depend on both the relevant food inflation rate, and the proportion of total expenditure spend on food per household in that region.</p><p> </p><p>The Government understands the pressures people are facing with the current exceptionally high cost of living. To protect the most vulnerable from the worst of cost-of-living pressures, the Chancellor recently announced a package of targeted support worth £26 billion, which includes continued support for rising energy bills.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 02/06/2023 11:18:37 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	2478 label Biography information for Lord Rogan

1640684

	registered interest
	date	25/05/2023
	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	Nature Conservation: EU Law
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what are their current plans for exercising powers to be granted to them under the Retained EU Law (Revocation and Repeal) Bill in relation to the Habitats Directive.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of St Albans
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8165
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>Defra has been clear in its commitments to uphold and not weaken environmental protections. That is why our approach has always been to keep REUL, unless there is a good reason to either remove it from the statute book or reform it. That approach is now also reflected in the legislation, as the recently tabled Government amendment will mean that REUL is retained unless it is specifically cited in the revocation schedule. The Habitats Regulations are not on the schedule and therefore will not be revoked by the Bill. Defra is carefully considering the use of REUL Bill powers in the context of the Habitats Regulations.</p><p>We remain committed to our ambitious plans of the Net Zero Strategy and the Environment Improvement Plan 2023. We are clear that any REUL reform must be consistent with international obligations, including the various Multilateral Environment Agreements we are signatory to, such as the Bern Convention and the Convention on Biological Diversity.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:53:06 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4308 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of St Albans

1640193

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Ash Dieback Disease
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of spread of ash dieback; and what preventative measures are being put in place to minimise the impact.
	tabling member printed	The Lord Bishop of Exeter
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8081
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>The fungus responsible for ash dieback disease can spread up to 75km via air borne spores. It is not possible to limit the spread of the disease at a national level, and it is now present in all counties, moving across the country at the expected rate from modelling by Cambridge University. There are an estimated 125 million ash trees in UK woodlands and up to 60 million ash trees outside of woodlands. From observations in Europe and the UK, we expect 1-5% of these trees to be naturally resistant to the disease.</p><p>The disease progresses quickly in young trees, trees growing in stressed conditions and ash dominated woodlands with higher levels of leaf litter and spore loads. Removal of leaf litter may be an effective way to limit the spread in certain conditions, for example around high value trees in urban environments.</p><p>The Government has published guidance for landowners on managing diseased ash, including a toolkit for Local Authorities, which has been downloaded nearly 20,000 times. Through the Local Authority Treescapes Fund, Defra funds treescape restoration with alternative species. Since 2021, over £15 million has been awarded through this fund. Countryside Stewardship tree health woodland grants also provide funds for private landowners to restock after felling due to ash dieback, and we are piloting grants that provide financial support for ecological surveys and road closures.</p><p>The Government has invested more than £8 million into ash dieback research, including the world’s largest screening trials for resistant trees. 1000 genotypes drawn from a wide geographic spread and genetic diversity are being tested for resistance to facilitate the possibility of a future breeding programme of resilient ash.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:52:18 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4929 label Biography information for The Lord Bishop of Exeter

1640201

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Highly Protected Marine Areas
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend the number of Highly Protected Marine Areas; and what is their timetable for the associated consultation.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8089
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>In February 2023 the Government announced it would designate three Highly Protected Marine Areas (HPMAs) in English Waters before 6th July 2023. The Government will begin exploring additional HPMAs this year. Any future sites would be subject to consultation as required by the Marine and Coastal Access Act.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:50:53 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1640202

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Environment Protection
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government when the measurable indicators of progress for the Environmental Improvement Plan will be finalised.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8090
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2023 answer text <p>The Environment Act’s statutory cycle of monitoring, planning and reporting ensures that government will take early, regular steps to achieve targets and can be held to account with regular scrutiny from the Office for Environmental Protection and Parliament. A key part of this cycle is the Annual Progress Report (APR) which describes what has been done to implement the Environmental Improvement Plan and considers whether the natural environment, or aspects of it, have improved over the reporting period. The latest APR was published on 20th July 2022.</p><p> </p><p>In addition to other sources, the APR utilises data from the Outcome Indicator Framework for the 25 Year Environment Plan which is a suite of outcome indicators that measure changes to the environment. The 2023 annual update to the Outcome Indicator Framework was published on 22 May 2023 and provides the latest available data on environmental trends. Defra intends to publish data for all indicators by 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The Environmental Improvement Plan 2023 is the first revision of the 25 Year Environment Plan. The full Outcome Indicator Framework will be reviewed in 2024 to evaluate its ongoing suitability and consideration of best available evidence. This review will also consider the framework’s alignment with the planned monitoring of the Environmental Improvement Plan 2023.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 02/06/2023 11:14:51 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1640204

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Plastics: Recycling
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what is their response to the Greenpeace report Forever Toxic: The science on health threats from plastic recycling, published on 24 May; in particular, the finding that "recycled plastics often contain higher levels of chemicals".
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8092
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2023 answer text <p>We welcome the breadth of ongoing work in this area such as the research carried out by Greenpeace. In accordance with the waste hierarchy, in all circumstances, preventing waste in the first place is the preferred option.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 02/06/2023 11:06:22 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1640205

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Plastics: Pollution Control
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what are their negotiating objectives for the Plastic Pollution Treaty.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Jones of Whitchurch
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8093
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 02/06/2023 answer text <p>The UK is proud to have supported the proposal by Rwanda and Peru that led to the ambitious resolution on ending plastic pollution agreed at the continuation of the 5th session of the United Nations Environment Assembly in March 2022.</p><p> </p><p>A series of Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee meetings are now underway to negotiate the content of the treaty, with good progress being made. The second of five planned INC meetings is taking place 29 May – 2 June in Paris, with the aim of concluding negotiations by the end of 2024.</p><p> </p><p>The UK’s objectives are to agree an ambitious and comprehensive treaty that addresses the whole lifecycle of plastics, from the production and design of plastics to their consumption and disposal. Furthermore, the UK supports a treaty that addresses the environmental and health impacts of plastic pollution.</p><p> </p><p>The UK supports a combination of internationally legally binding obligations and national measures across the whole lifecycle of plastic to ensure that the treaty can adequately address the transboundary nature of plastic pollution.</p><p> </p><p>The UK is also a founding member of the High Ambition Coalition to End Plastic Pollution, a group of over 50 countries calling for a headline target under the treaty to stop plastic from flowing into the environment by 2040.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 02/06/2023 11:15:41 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	3792 label Biography information for Baroness Jones of Whitchurch

1640223

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Agriculture
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to strengthen the long-term (1) resilience, and (2) sustainability, of the agricultural sector in the UK.
	tabling member printed	Lord Taylor of Warwick
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8112
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>As agriculture is a devolved matter, the resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector in Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales are matters for their respective devolved administrations.</p><p> </p><p>In England, the Government has taken a number of steps to strengthen the long-term resilience and sustainability of the agricultural sector. We are offering ongoing payments and one-off grants to improve farm productivity, benefit the environment and support sustainable food production. We have already seen the number of agreements in Countryside Stewardship increase by 94 per cent since 2020 and now almost one third of farm holdings are in an agri-environmental scheme. Landscape Recovery was also hugely oversubscribed, with all projects involving farmers including tenants, and we opened applications to the next round of farmers and land managers on 18 May 2023. The Sustainable Farming Incentive will open with a new and improved, expanded offer later in summer 2023. Many farmers have also already applied for £168 million of grant funding available this year to support investments in productivity, animal health and welfare and the environment. Farmers affected by the phasing out of Direct Payments can also receive free business advice and support through the Future Farming Resilience Fund.</p><p> </p><p>Furthermore, at our recent UK Farm to Fork Summit we announced:</p><p> </p><p>A further £12.5 million is being made available in May to support research projects that will support environmental sustainability and resilience on farms</p><p>Additional investment of up to around £30 million to unlock the potential of precision breeding</p><p>A working group to bring plant breeders, food manufacturers and retailers together to agree an approach that enables these products to reach our shelves.</p><p> </p><p>Beyond this, we have invested £8 million in research through our crop Genetic Improvement Networks over the last five years to improve UK food security and environmental outcomes. We will build upon this through substantial additional investment to unlock the potential of precision breeding, following royal assent for the Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) Act.</p><p>We have also launched three farming innovation competitions since January this year, providing a total of £21.5 million of funding. These measures will enable our future food and farming sector to be more productive and resilient thanks to British science and innovation.</p><p> </p><p>We will continue to work closely with the Food and Drink Sector Council, which brings together leaders across the whole of the agri-food chain and across government, on the issues that it plans to focus on for the next year including: the future of food; sustainability; workforce challenges; and supply resilience.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:50:24 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	1796 label Biography information for Lord Taylor of Warwick

1640228

	registered interest
	date	24/05/2023
	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	Ivory Act 2018: Northern Ireland
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether the extension of provisions of protection of five additional species under the Ivory Act 2018 will extend to Northern Ireland.
	tabling member printed	Lord Weir of Ballyholme
	type	WrittenParliamentaryQuestion
	uin	HL8117
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 31/05/2023 answer text <p>The Ivory Act 2018 applies to the United Kingdom. When the Act is extended to cover the five additional ivory-bearing species, it will apply to Northern Ireland.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 31/05/2023 12:31:06 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4970 label Biography information for Lord Weir of Ballyholme