Tag: Kerry McCarthy

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, pursuant to her Written Ministerial Statement of 17 December 2015, Bovine TB, HC 45409, when her Department plans to introduce statutory post-movement TB testing for cattle entering the low-risk area.

George Eustice

The legislation that will introduce statutory post-movement TB testing for cattle entering the low-risk area is expected to come into force on the next common commencement date, 6 April 2016.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-03-14.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what assessment she has made of the proportion of rivers, lakes, coastal and ground waters in the UK that (a) are compliant with the EU Water Framework Directive and (b) will be so compliant by 2020; and when she expects all UK waters to achieve good status.

Rory Stewart

The principle environmental objective of the Water Framework Directive (WFD) is to protect and enhance all bodies of surface and groundwater so as to prevent deterioration, with the aim of achieving good status for all water bodies by December 2015. The WFD provides exemptions which allow the deadline to be extended to 2021 or 2027 and, in some cases, a less stringent objective to be set, for reasons of disproportionate cost or technical feasibility.

Implementation of the WFD in the UK is a devolved matter. In England, 19% of water bodies are currently good status or better, 22% are predicted to achieve good status or better by 2021, and 75% of all water bodies have an objective of good or better status.

The breakdown by water category is detailed in the table below.

	% water bodies at good or better now	% water bodies predicted to be achieve good by 2021	% water bodies with an objective of good or better
Rivers	17		20		74
Lakes	16		19		80
Coastal	44		48		71
Transitional (estuarine)	21		25		58
Groundwater	42		48		72
All waters	19		22		75

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-11.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, if she will make it her policy to maintain the statutory status of all the farm animal welfare codes.

George Eustice

The Government intends to retain statutory farm animal welfare codes.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-04-29.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, how her Department’s 25-year food and farming plan will contribute to delivering the Government’s emissions reduction plan.

George Eustice

The Food and Farming Plan will explore the role of technology in reducing emissions through improved feed efficiency, among other issues. It will also set out how we will work with industry to deliver emissions reductions across the rest of the food chain, including supporting the Courtauld 2025 objective of reducing food and drink emissions by 20% between 2015 and 2025.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-05-26.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what the Government’s policy is on (a) European Commission and Parliament proposals to reduce the routine overuse of antibiotics in farming and (b) proposals for (i) an EU-wide ban on the routine use of antibiotics in groups of food-producing animals where no disease has been diagnosed in any of the animals and (ii) restrictions on metaphylactic use.

George Eustice

The objective of the review of EU legislation on veterinary medicines and medicated feeds includes tackling the threat of antibiotic resistance. The government supports measures that will provide a framework for reducing the use of antibiotics in livestock, including restrictions on preventative use.

When one or more animals have been exposed to a bacterial disease threat and could be sub-clinically infected, the metaphylactic use of antibiotics may be essential to maintain health and welfare.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-09-02.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, for what reason the Government did not meet the deadline for implementing the Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards; who the Government consulted on its decision to delay that implementation; and whether the Government requested permission from the EU to extend that deadline.

Dr Thérèse Coffey

The Agreement on International Humane Trapping Standards (AIHTS) applies to a limited number of species in the UK (stoat, badger, otter, beaver and pine marten).

Of these, the stoat is the only species for which lethal traps are used in the UK. Defra has been working with trap testing facilities to test the humaneness of spring trap designs that can replace traps currently in use. Testing to date has not identified a suitable alternative design that meets AIHTS standards.

Defra aims to implement the AIHTS as soon as is practically possible, but to use a permitted transition provision to allow delayed implementation of the agreement for stoats whilst a suitable compliant design is identified.

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

To ask the Attorney General, how many people were (a) prosecuted for and (b) convicted of offences under the Hunting Act 2004 in 2015; and if he will make a statement.

Robert Buckland

The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) does not maintain a central record of the number of people who have been charged with, and prosecuted for, offences brought by way of the Hunting Act 2004. This information could only be obtained by examining CPS case files, which would incur disproportionate cost.

Although it is not possible to identify the number of people charged with particular offences, records are held showing the overall number of offences in which a prosecution commenced in the magistrates’ courts. The table below shows the number of offences, rather than defendants, charged by way of the Hunting Act 2004 during 2015. A single defendant may be charged with more than one offence.

2015
Hunting Act 2004	88
Data Source: CPS Case Management Information System

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The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2015-11-13.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what discussions she has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on funding for the 25 year plan on biodiversity; and what estimate she has made of the costs of implementing that plan.

Rory Stewart

Defra is working closely with Treasury and others on the development of the 25 year Environment Plan. A high level framework for the Plan will be published early next year and the detailed content of the plan will be developed over the course of 2016, including an estimate of implementation costs.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-01-18.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what recent assessment she has made of the effects of the Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 on the (a) Animal and Plant Health Agency, (b) Drinking Water Inspectorate, (c) Fish Health Inspectorate, Cefas, (d) Rural Payments Agency and (e) Veterinary Medicines Directorate.

George Eustice

The Small Business, Enterprise and Employment Act 2015 creates a legal obligation on the Government of the day to publish a business impact target, covering the economic impact of new regulation on business and civil society organisations.

The Business Impact Target currently applies to legislation and regulatory activity undertaken by UK Ministers, including the activities of non-statutory regulators who exercise regulatory functions for or on behalf of UK Ministers. The Act also sets out reporting requirements to Parliament in relation to any qualifying regulatory provisions introduced by these bodies.

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Kerry McCarthy on 2016-02-22.

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, when she plans to bring forward proposals to ban the use of wild animals in circuses.

George Eustice

A ban on the use of wild animals in travelling circuses is a manifesto commitment and will be introduced as soon as parliamentary time allows. In the interim, the welfare of any wild animals still being used by travelling circuses in England is protected by the Welfare of Wild Animals in Travelling Circuses (England) Regulations 2012. During the 2015 circus touring season, 18 wild animals were licensed by Defra under the Regulations for use by two circuses.