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1171777

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to introducing a mandatory phase-out of horticultural peat as part of their forthcoming England Peat Strategy; and when they intend to publish that strategy.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL539
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/01/2020 answer text <p>The Government is committed to phasing out the use of peat in horticulture in England by 2030. In 2011, we set a voluntary target to phase out the use of horticultural peat in the amateur sector by 2020, and the professional sector by 2030. While some progress has been made, we stated in the 25 Year Environment Plan that we would consider implementing further measures if there is insufficient movement to peat alternatives by 2020. We will set out plans to speed up progress on ending the use of horticultural peat in the England Peat Strategy, which we will publish this year.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 29/01/2020 15:27:05 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1171779

	registered interest
	date	20/01/2020
	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
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have, if any, to fund the provision of independent advice for farmers in any new agricultural support schemes.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL541
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 28/01/2020 answer text <p>Our Environmental Land Management (ELM) scheme is the cornerstone of our new agricultural policy. Founded on the principle of “public money for public goods”, ELM is intended to provide a powerful vehicle for achieving the goals of the 25 Year Environment Plan and commitment to net zero carbon emissions by 2050, while supporting our rural economy. <br></p><p>ELM is looking into several options for sourcing advisors, considering both private and public sector options. The options we are considering allow flexibility to source experienced advisors in the short-term for the National Pilot, whilst building sufficient and high-quality advisor capacity to support the full roll out of ELM. The National Pilot provides an opportunity to co-design with stakeholders and land managers the most appropriate way to provide this capacity and whether it is provided from the public or private sector.</p> answering member printed Lord Gardiner of Kimble question first answered 28/01/2020 14:50:06 answering member 4161 label Biography information for Lord Gardiner of Kimble
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1462703

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	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: Environmental Impact Assessment
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government how many applications have been made under the Environmental Impact Assessment (Agriculture) in each year since the enactment of the regulation; how many breaches of the regulations have been identified and prosecuted; and what assessment has been made of the area of land where changes have been made to land use without permission.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL188
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 06/06/2022 answer text <p>Screening applications received 2006–2021 = 3227</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Applications Received</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2006</p></td><td><p>133</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2007</p></td><td><p>132</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2008</p></td><td><p>101</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>75</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>87</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>203</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>271</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>301</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>324</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>365</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>347</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>300</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>193</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>168</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2020</p></td><td><p>116</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>111</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Screening applications rejected 2006–2021 = 251</p><p>Screening applications withdrawn 2006–2021 = 77</p><p>Screening application decisions issued 2006-2021 = 2899</p><p> </p><p>Consent applications received 2006–2021 = 13</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p>Year</p></td><td><p>Consent Applications</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2009</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2010</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2011</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2012</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2013</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2014</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2015</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2016</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2017</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2018</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2019</p></td><td><p>1</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>2021</p></td><td><p>2</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>Breaches of the regulations 2006–2021 = 63</p><p>During the period 2006–2021 in total there were 63 enforcement cases, covering over 362 hectares of land. Natural England (NE) has issued 17 restoration notices and accepted 32 voluntary enforcement undertakings to remediate and make good the environmental damage caused to over 270 hectares of land by breach of the Regulations. Warning letters highlighting technical or minor breaches, when serving civil sanctions would be disproportionate, were issued to offenders for breaches to raise awareness of the legislation and achieve future compliance.</p><p>Two prosecutions relating to breaches of the regulations have been successfully brought:</p><ul><li>Devon (June 2021) – relating to damage to Mesolithic and Neolithic historic environment features. The land manager was successfully prosecuted for failing to comply with a Stop Notice requiring the cessation of damaging works and was fined £7,500 and costs of £24,000.</li></ul><ul><li>Cumbria (March 2014) - relating to damage to semi-natural lowland grassland. The landowner was successfully prosecuted for failing to comply with remediation notice to remove artificial drainage pipes and was fined £2,500 and costs of £10,000 plus £250 victim surcharge.</li></ul><p>No assessment has been made, by NE, of the area of land where changes have been made to land use without permission.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 06/06/2022 13:06:09 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1311217

	registered interest
	date	21/04/2021
	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	Agriculture: Forests
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Woodland Trust State of the UK's Woods and Trees 2021, published on 14 April, what plans they have to promote agroforestry, particularly the growing of fruit and nut crops; what assessment they have made of the impact of such promotion on (1) the level of food security, (2) the quality of diets, (3) fodder crops for animals, (4) the diversion to animals of food that could be eaten by humans, and (5) the use of anthelmintics.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL15131
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 29/04/2021 answer text <p>Agroforestry has a significant role in helping the Government commitment to increase tree planting across the UK to 30,000 hectares per year by 2025, in line with the annual rate recommended by the Committee on Climate Change in 2019 to help us meet net zero. We know our mechanisms for woodland creation must be more wide reaching and bold. This requires a transformative change for government and the sector. That is why the Nature for Climate Fund announced in the March 2020 Budget provides significant funding for tree planting, including agroforestry systems. The Committee on Climate Change has also recommended agroforestry on 10% of arable and grassland by 2050 to contribute to net zero emissions targets.</p><p> </p><p>We know that agroforestry systems can play an important role in addressing some of the key issues of climate and land use change in England, through the wide range of ecosystem services it provides.</p><ul><li>Providing food, fuel, fodder, timber, shade</li><li>Regulating soil, water, air quality and sequester carbon</li><li>Improving animal health and welfare</li><li>Supporting biodiversity and habitat creation</li></ul> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 29/04/2021 11:42:05 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1644871

	registered interest
	date	14/06/2023
	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: Land Use
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether the forthcoming national land use frameworks will balance the competing demands for agriculture, development, energy, and infrastructure in a way that actively promotes the installation of solar panels on suitable brownfield land and rooftops.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL8474
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/06/2023 answer text <p>The Government considers that there is a strong need for increased solar deployment. As set out in the Energy Security Plan in March 2023, deploying rooftop solar remains a key priority for the Government. To meet our objectives for energy security and climate change, we will also need to make significant use of ground-mounted solar development mainly on brownfield, industrial and low and medium grade agricultural land. The Government encourages deployment of solar technology that delivers environmental co-benefits, with consideration for ongoing food production.</p><p> </p><p>Meeting energy security and climate change goals is urgent and of critical importance to the country, and these goals can be achieved together with maintaining food security for the UK. We recognise that, as with any new development, solar projects may impact on communities and the environment. The planning system allows all views to be taken into account when decision makers balance local impacts with national need.</p><p> </p><p>Striking the right balance between different land uses is a challenging task, which will involve trade-offs. There are many uses of our land that we need to anticipate for the future: growing food, planting trees, building homes, natural habitats, energy, land for infrastructure, and leisure and recreation. The Land Use Framework for England, to be published this year, will help to inform how we manage trade-offs and maximise co-benefits on the land, thereby supporting the delivery of multifunctional landscapes that will be dependent on the local context and national needs.</p><p> </p><p> </p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 26/06/2023 12:00:42 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1462705

	registered interest
	date	12/05/2022
	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: Pollution Control
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made towards offering 100 per cent coverage for the Catchment Sensitive Farming programme across all farms in England.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL190
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 26/05/2022 answer text <p>The expansion of Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) to 100% coverage of England was agreed in March 2021 to provide advice and support for farmers and land managers to take action for water, air and flood management priorities. Over the past 12 months CSF has expanded to cover priority areas of England (86% coverage) including the recruitment of new Natural England farm advisers, with plans in place to extend CSF coverage to 100% of England by April 2023.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 26/05/2022 16:21:38 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1230955

	registered interest
	date	02/09/2020
	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	Agriculture: Sewage
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what recent assessment they have made of (1) the impact of spreading human sewage on farmland, and (2) the adequacy of current regulation and enforcement of the use of such sewage.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL7598
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/09/2020 answer text <p>This is a devolved matter and the information provided therefore relates to England only.</p><p>Sewage sludge spread to land as fertiliser or soil improver can be a valuable source of nutrients. The recycling of sewage sludge to land remains a safe activity, provided it is carried out in accordance with the relevant regulatory controls and good practice guidance is followed.</p><p>Currently, water companies in the UK can spread sewage sludge under either the more commonly used Sludge (Use in Agriculture) Regulations (SUiAR) or the Environmental Permitting Regulations. Since the introduction of the SUiAR regulations in the 1980s, practices and treatment of sludge has changed considerably. To modernise this regime, in March 2020 the Environment Agency published a ‘Sludge Strategy’ which will review the safe use of sewage sludge. This strategy will enable better management of the environmental impacts of land spreading sludge, and modernise the regulatory framework surrounding the treatment, storage and use of sludge. Details on the strategy can be found via this link:</p><p><a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use" target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use/environment-agency-strategy-for-safe-and-sustainable-sludge-use</a></p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 16/09/2020 13:29:09 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1248034

	registered interest
	date	02/11/2020
	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	Agriculture: Water
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to improve knowledge of, (2) to implement, and (3) to enforce, their farming rules for water.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL9818
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 16/11/2020 answer text <p>Defra and the Environment Agency (EA) jointly undertook communications on the announcement of the new 'farming rules for water' and the approach to their implementation. This included promotion of the rules on gov.uk, posters, banners, summary cards and questions and answer sheets distributed to a wide range of key farming and environmental stakeholders who also raised awareness via talks, press articles and their own websites. The EA continues to promote the rules via the Farming Advice Service (FAS) newsletter.</p><p> </p><p>The EA is responsible for regulation of the rules. In the first year it took an advice led approach raising awareness of the rules with farmers and their advisers. It is now actively enforcing the rules, through advice, guidance and the possibility of both civil and criminal sanctions. The EA takes a risk-based approach to farm visits with the resources it has available for agriculture, targeting visits at the activities with high potential for pollution or where actual pollution has been reported. The EA also works with those producing materials off-farm that are spread on farmers' fields, such as anaerobic digestates and biosolids from the water industry to raise awareness of the rules and the limits on what can be spread.</p> answering member printed Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park question first answered 16/11/2020 16:14:38 answering member 4062 label Biography information for Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1518526

	registered interest
	date	26/09/2022
	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	Anaerobic Digestion: Drug Resistance
	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 risk of anaerobic digestion facilities increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL2325
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 10/10/2022 answer text <p>HM Government has not conducted specific research into the risks of anaerobic digestion facilities increasing levels of antimicrobial resistance, but it does consider that anaerobic digestion is an effective method for the disposal of animal by-products as the process destroys bacteria and is considered to be the best approach for reducing spread of bacteria to the environment. Guidance on the handling of manure and slurry to reduce antibiotic resistance can be found at <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.gov.uk%2Fguidance%2Fhandling-of-manure-and-slurry-to-reduce-antibiotic-resistance&amp;data=05%7C01%7Cpqteam%40defra.gov.uk%7C3f782bd990fe48fbbd4b08daaad941b3%7C770a245002274c6290c74e38537f1102%7C0%7C0%7C638010147333206588%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&amp;sdata=uKlkVpil6hONji3GDHnIc0wwFq%2Bp4%2Bi8t9ENWmzt9wc%3D&amp;reserved=0" target="_blank">Handling of manure and slurry to reduce antibiotic resistance - GOV.UK (www.gov.uk)</a>.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 10/10/2022 16:36:46 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle

1628686

	registered interest
	date	17/05/2023
	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	Animals: Antimicrobials
	house id	2
	legislature	25277 pref label House of Lords
	question text	To ask His Majesty's Government whether, in revising the Veterinary Medicines Regulations 2013, they intend to ensure harmonised veterinary antimicrobial stewardship with the European region, and to enable British farmers to continue to be able to export to the EU.
	tabling member printed	Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle
	uin	HL7896
	answer	answer is ministerial correction date of answer 24/05/2023 answer text <p>The UK Government is committed to reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics in animals while safeguarding animal welfare. Since 2014, the UK has reduced sales of veterinary antibiotics by 55% making the UK one of the lowest users of veterinary antibiotics across Europe, with only seven other European countries having sold less antibiotics in 2021 (Norway, Iceland, Sweden, Finland, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Latvia). We are currently revising our veterinary medicines legislation in ways which will strengthen our laws to tackle antimicrobial resistance. Our legislative proposals on AMR bear many similarities to recently updated EU legislation on veterinary medicines, while being tailored to the circumstances in the UK.</p><p> </p><p>The EU has introduced two new AMR-related requirements in law for countries trading with the EU to comply with: a prohibition on the use of antimicrobial medicinal products as growth promoters, and a prohibition on the use of certain named antimicrobial substances, which are important for human health, in animals. The UK’s current legislation already prohibits both of these types of use in food animals, and this will remain unchanged by the revision of our Veterinary Medicines Regulations; therefore, British farmers’ exports will continue to comply with these requirements.</p> answering member printed Lord Benyon question first answered 24/05/2023 16:59:31 answering member 1547 label Biography information for Lord Benyon
	tabling member	4719 label Biography information for Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle