Tag: Kerry McCarthy

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, pursuant to the Answer of 13 April 2016 to Question 32962, how her Department calculated that the Climate Ready Support Service enabled hundreds of organisations to understand their climate risk and take action; and what the exact number of such organisations was.

Rory Stewart

The Environment Agency does not have exact figures for the number of organisations accessing the Climate Ready Support Service because the service worked extensively through partners and intermediaries, as well as directly with organisations.

The number given in my previous answer was calculated using statistics that the Environment Agency does have available, for example:

• Download statistics show that over 8000 businesses have used the Climate Ready Business Resilience Health Check tool online.

• The service, in partnership with Climate UK, provided training and qualifications in business resilience, including preparing for severe weather and climate change, to over 300 business advisors and small businesses (SMEs).

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-05-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment her Department has made of the effect of microplastics entering the sea on protected species in UK waters.

George Eustice

Defra has funded a project, undertaken by the University of Plymouth, to study the effects of microplastics in the marine environment. The study did not specifically cover protected species. The project studied whether chemical pollutants stick to plastic particles, whether marine organisms ingest plastic particles and pass them along the food chain, and whether the plastics themselves, or associated chemical pollutants, could cause harm to those organisms. The final report for this project is expected to be published shortly.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-07-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, whether she plans to discuss a UK ban on live exports as part of the negotiations on the UK leaving the EU.

George Eustice

The priorities for negotiating our exit from the EU will be a matter for the new Prime Minister and her Cabinet.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-10-07.

To ask the Secretary of State for Health, how many animals died during transportation to slaughterhouses in each of the last six years.

Nicola Blackwood

The new legislation Welfare at Time of Killing implemented in Wales in 2014 and in England in 2015 introduced new welfare reporting requirements. In addition, during 2015/16 the Food Standards Agency (FSA) introduced new animal welfare measures in slaughterhouses which included increased consistency of reporting of transport related breaches. Both these factors are likely to have contributed to the increased instances recorded in the previous two years.

The FSA does not record the numbers of individual animals which died as a result of transportation to slaughterhouses. The FSA records the number of instances that animals were found to be Dead on Arrival (DOA). The number of DOA instances for the last six years are set out in the following table:

2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
144	64	5	16	28	265

The FSA does not record the number of individual animals involved in a welfare breaches in slaughterhouses or during transportation. The FSA records the number of instances of breaches. The number of critical welfare breaches in slaughterhouses and transportation for the last six years are set out in the following tables:

Slaughterhouses

2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
158	132	65	113	217	234

Transportation

2010/11	2011/12	2012/13	2013/14	2014/15	2015/16
394	342	308	535	1,488	2,097

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-10.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will publish a cost to benefit analysis of the badger cull.

George Eustice

The expected benefits of the policy remain in line with those in the ‘Measures to address bovine tuberculosis in badgers’ impact assessment published in 2011.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-12-16.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what representations she has made to (a) Public Health England and (b) the Department of Health on the inclusion of (i) environmental criteria and (ii) the work of her Department’s Green Food Project in the review of the Eat Well Plate.

George Eustice

The 2012 Green Food Project was a joint initiative between Government, the food and farming industry and environmental organisations.

One piece of follow-up work to the Green Food Project was a group of stakeholders who came together in 2013 to develop principles for a healthy and sustainable diet. Public Health England and Department of Health were part of this working group. Its conclusion, ‘The Principles of Healthy and Sustainable Eating Patterns’ were published by the Global Food Security Programme in May this year. (http://www.foodsecurity.ac.uk/assets/pdfs/healthy-sustainable-eating-patterns-report.pdf)

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-19.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what steps her Department plans to take to improve biosecurity on farms.

George Eustice

A joint government and industry bovine TB biosecurity campaign was launched in November 2015 and will run for 12 months. It aims to increase the number of farmers implementing TB biosecurity measures on their farms and whilst trading cattle. The biosecurity campaign already includes a TB Hub bringing together information, advice, guidance and research material on how to prevent TB through biosecurity and risk based trading, an information bTB website allowing farmers to view information on TB breakdowns in their area on an interactive map and a Five Point Plan setting out good practice for TB biosecurity. Several further steps in the biosecurity campaign are being launched throughout 2016.

More generally, on-farm biosecurity is part of a wider landscape of measures to provide effective protection from animal and plant disease. Defra’s wider activities on biosecurity contribute to improving the resilience of the system as a whole.

The Rural Development Programme animal health projects have a focus on tackling exemplar diseases in cattle, sheep and pigs sectors through improved farm disease risk management practices. It is intended that this will have a wider benefit in improving farm biosecurity practices.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-08.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent discussions her Department has held with the cosmetics industry on the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products.

George Eustice

Defra has been working with other countries in the Oslo and Paris Convention for the Protection of the North East Atlantic (OSPAR) to secure the voluntary phasing out of micro-plastics in personal care and cosmetic products. As part of this, discussions have been held with the British Cosmetics Association, the European trade association Cosmetics Europe, and the British Plastics Federation. In response to these discussions, Cosmetics Europe has recommended that micro-beads should not be used in cosmetics. In addition, many UK cosmetics brands have publically committed to removing micro-beads from their products. Discussions between OSPAR and the industry to achieve the phase out are ongoing.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-24.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if her Department will launch a consultation on proposals for a deposit return system for single use drinks containers.

Rory Stewart

Defra analysed the costs and benefits of implementing a deposit return system (DRS) for single use drink containers as part of the 2011 Review of Waste Policy in England, and sought views in the 2012 consultation on higher packaging recycling targets.

This work showed that introducing a DRS may increase recycling and reduce litter but might impose additional costs on businesses, consumers and local authorities (which would lose revenue from recycling). However, we lack evidence to quantify these benefits and costs appropriately. The current approach has driven a significant increase in packaging waste recycling rates, from less than 47% in 2003 to nearly 65% in 2013.

Last year, the Scottish Government published a feasibility study and a call for evidence investigating the implementation of a DRS for single use drink containers in Scotland. This valuable work highlighted significant uncertainties regarding the impacts and benefits that a DRS would have, notably regarding costs, environmental quality and littering, and existing waste collection systems. The Scottish Government is doing further work on the topic and we will review any new evidence arising from this in due course. However, in the meantime, we will continue to focus on improving existing waste collection and recycling systems, and developing a new National Litter Strategy for England to help coordinate and maximise the impact of anti-litter activity by local government, industry and others.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-25.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what funding (a) her Department and (b) the Environment Agency provided for the Climate Ready Support Service in 2015-16; and what assessment her Department has made of the performance of that Service in (a) 2014-15 and (b) 2015-16.

Rory Stewart

Funding provided for the Climate Ready Support Service in 2015-16 was around £1 million. The Climate Ready Support Service Programme Board had regular overview of the performance of the Service. The majority of National Adaptation Programme actions to which the Service was contributing have now been completed.