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Topical Questions | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

My hon. Friend makes an important point. Associated British Foods is one of the great British-owned food companies. It is a world leader in sugar and it has driven competitiveness and investment in the industry. I believe that the sugar industry in this country has a great future.

Topical Questions | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

My hon. Friend will be aware that the UK has taken a leading role in the work on antibiotic resistance, which we have pushed on to the agenda of the OECD, the G7 and the G20. We can adopt processes to reduce our reliance on antibiotics—for example, through the acidification of water in the pig sector. We can always do better, but some of these critical antibiotics have a role in agriculture, too.

Topical Questions | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

As my hon. Friend will know, we already have in place an agri-tech strategy worth £160 million, which has supported more than 100 different projects to support science and technology transfer in food and farming. In addition, we have food information networks to try to create clusters of innovation in the food sector.

Topical Questions | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

My hon. Friend makes an important point about an issue I championed while I was responsible for this part of the portfolio. The Government have recently published proposals for improving the laws on the breeding and selling of dogs, among which are proposals that anyone breeding and selling three litters in a 12-month period will need a licence and that no puppies will be sold under the age of eight weeks.

Leaving the EU: Fisheries | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

I do not accept what the hon. Lady says. The truth is that we have guaranteed payments up until 2020. We have ensured that the budget is still there, and we have made it clear that, well in advance of that date, we will be able to give farmers throughout the UK a very clear picture of what future support arrangements will look like.

Leaving the EU: Fisheries | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

I specifically discussed proposals along those lines with NFU Scotland at the beginning of this year. A consensus is emerging that there needs to be some kind of UK framework, within which we obviously want to ensure that the devolved Administrations can pursue the policies that are right for them. We will work closely with all the devolved Administrations to ensure that, after we leave the European Union, policy works for Scotland and other parts of the UK.

Leaving the EU: Fisheries | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

I reassure Scottish National party Members that I regularly promote Scottish salmon, most recently in the Gulf this week. Scottish salmon is one of our major exports, alongside Scottish whisky, and we champion it at every opportunity.

Leaving the EU: Fisheries | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

They have in common the fact that they are policies that originate in the EU. Leaving the EU obviously gives us an opportunity to review some of those things, but we already have a derogation so that farmers who grow winter crops are able to trim their hedges a little earlier. Certain species are very vulnerable—particularly the yellowhammer, which breeds late—and we want to protect them.

Leaving the EU: Fisheries | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

As the hon. Gentleman will know, I have consistently made it clear that leaving the EU means that we will take back control of our exclusive economic zone—the area out to 200 nautical miles or the median line—and that will allow us to look afresh at mutual access agreements and shares of the total allowable catch in shared waters.

Leaving the EU: Fisheries | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

There is already a degree of self-management of the fishing regime by producer organisations in the fishing industry through our system of trading quotas and markets in both the leasing and exchanging of quotas among producer organisations. However, leaving the EU does create the opportunity to consider how we manage our fisheries and to look at the approach taken by other countries.

Leaving the EU: Food Prices | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

I simply say to the hon. Lady that the Department is doing a vast amount of analysis and research to inform future policy. We received a specific parliamentary question about whether we have commissioned direct scientific research on the effects of leaving the European Union, and she is right that we have not, but we do not need to. All our environmental policies are regularly evaluated for their strengths and weaknesses.

Leaving the EU: Food Prices | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

As I said earlier, we closely monitor the amount of money that people spend on food, which has remained remarkably stable at around 16.5% for the past decade. We continue to keep the issue under review. I simply point out to Labour Members that the greatest spike in food prices took place in 2008 on Labour’s watch. Food prices have been falling since 2014.

Leaving the EU: Food Prices | Oral Answers to Questions - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Commons debates

Thu, 02/03/2017 - 00:00

My right hon. Friend makes an important point. We have some preferential trade agreements in place with some developing countries, particularly to buy sugar from the Caribbean. We want to maintain and secure such arrangements so that we can support developing countries.

Angling Trust | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

Wed, 01/03/2017 - 00:00

The Environment Agency has worked closely with the Angling Trust to develop the Angling Alert system, enabling important messages about illegal fishing and fisheries enforcement to be shared with registered anglers. The system and its costs are organised through the National Angling Strategic Service, which is provided by the Angling Trust for the Environment Agency. All work associated with the Angling Alert system is funded by rod licence income.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Vaccination | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

Tue, 28/02/2017 - 00:00

BCG (the attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis used worldwide to vaccinate people against TB) remains the only viable option at present for vaccination of cattle against TB.

The Animal and Plant Health Agency (formerly Animal Health and Veterinary Laboratory Agency) has shown a protective effect of BCG in cattle and developed delivery regimes for cattle. However, a DIVA test to differentiate vaccinated from infected animals must also be developed, as vaccination with BCG can interfere with the diagnostic tests routinely used to identify TB-infected cattle. APHA has developed such a test and further studies are ongoing to determine whether this will be suitable for use in the field. Once this has been determined, cattle vaccine field trials could be taken forward.

Badgers: Vaccination | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

Tue, 28/02/2017 - 00:00

Since 2009 Defra has spent £15 million on oral badger vaccine development, using BCG (the attenuated strain of Mycobacterium bovis used worldwide to vaccinate people against TB). The Animal and Plant Health Agency has identified palatable bait and practical field deployment strategies. The immunity conferred by oral vaccination of badgers with BCG tends to be more variable than that resulting from the injectable formulation of the vaccine. Therefore, current studies are focusing on producing a safe, effective and affordable vaccine which provides consistent protection when eaten by badgers.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Government Contracts | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

Tue, 28/02/2017 - 00:00

The information requested is as follows:

There were no pro bono costs.

Year

Number of Contracts

Contract Value (£)

2010-2011

761

160,249,080

2011-2012

690

160,919,299

2012-2013

926

175,991,301

2013-2014

679

227,028,543

2014-2015

645

207,764,115

2015-2016

419

127,572,806

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Brexit | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

Tue, 28/02/2017 - 00:00

We, and other Departments, are working closely with the Department for Exiting the European Union on all aspects of exiting the European Union. This is to build a detailed understanding of how withdrawal will affect domestic policies and to coordinate policy work across Government.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Pay | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

Tue, 28/02/2017 - 00:00

The Civil Service is committed to being a place where everyone can thrive, regardless of background, with the aim of becoming the most inclusive employer in the UK.

Whilst it is encouraging to see a positive trajectory in terms of diversity representation in the Civil Service, we recognise that there is more to do. That is why in March 2016 the Government published its refreshed Talent Action Plan for the Civil Service, identifying actions to support our staff, increase diverstity in the Civil Service and deliver the best possible public services.

Common Fisheries Policy | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

Mon, 27/02/2017 - 00:00

We are currently analysing all EU fisheries legislation. No decision has yet been made on which elements of EU legislation governing the Common Fisheries Policy will be replaced after the UK leaves the EU.