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27 Oct 2008 : Column 616W—continued
| UK production (in weight or volume) as a percentage of total new supply for use in the UK | |||||||
| Liquid milk | Butter | Cheese | Cream -fresh, frozen, sterilized | Condensed milk | Milk powders | Fish( 1) | |
| (1) Landings are given in terms of landed weight equivalent (i.e. head on, gutted for most species). Landings include transhipments of mackerel and exclude salmon and trout. Excludes fish products. (2) Provisional. Source: DEFRA HMRC, MFA. | |||||||
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to increase national self-sufficiency in food production. [228075]
Jane Kennedy: The UK is currently 60 per cent. self-sufficient in all foods, and over 74 per cent. self-sufficient in foods that can be produced in this country.
In July, the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit published a study entitled “Food Matters: Towards a Strategy for the 21st Century”, which identified a number of areas of food policy requiring further examination by the Government. DEFRA is taking forward the report's recommendation on the need for a sustainable vision to guide future food policy in conjunction with the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency.
The Government are also consulting on their discussion document, “Ensuring the UK's Food Security in a Changing World”, to ensure that all of our food supply chains, from whatever source, are resilient and robust in the face of challenges to our food security in the future.
Food: Imports
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to ensure that imported food meets the (a) quality, (b) hygiene, (c) safety and (d) animal welfare standards required from food producers in England. [228142]
Jane Kennedy: Imports of products of animal origin from countries outside the EU must be checked at approved border inspection posts (BIPs), where they undergo veterinary checks before they are allowed to enter the EU.
Such products can only be imported from countries which are on the approved third country import list for that product. The products must be from establishments approved to export to the EU.
The European Commission’s Food and Veterinary Office is responsible for carrying out inspections of countries and the establishments that are approved to export to the EU, to ensure that they comply with EU hygiene requirements.
The World Trade Organisation rules do not allow us to ban imports on the grounds of the welfare standards applying in third countries.
Fruit: Schools
Mr. Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the EU proposals for free fruit provision in schools; and if he will make a statement. [226767]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 14 October 2008]: On 8 July 2008 the European Commission published a proposal providing for the introduction of a voluntary EU-wide school fruit scheme for the supply into schools of fruit (including bananas) and vegetables. The proposals are principally for the provision of €90 million of European funds for the purchase of the fruit and vegetables themselves, allocated to member states on the basis of their population of school children aged between six and 10 years. A member state which chose to take part in the scheme would be required to provide co-finance and to submit a national strategy. EC funding cannot be used to replace existing national funding.
The proposals for the scheme are currently being finalised in Brussels, with the intention that an agreement should be reached by the end of this year. As the proposals develop, they are being assessed and considered by officials and Ministers across Government and also with the devolved Administrations and external stakeholders.
Madders Report
Mr. Goodwill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps he plans to take in response to the Madders Report on animal movements. [227936]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 17 October 2008]: The following Madders recommendations have been implemented:
abolition of temporary calf passport
the issue of cattle passports to late applicants, where parentage of the calf can be proved by DNA testing
revised guidance issued to ensure that cattle arriving at an abattoir with a valid passport with one correct ear tag (and evidence that a second tag had been applied) are accepted as properly identified.
British Cattle Movement Service have written to ear tag manufacturers seeking assurance that standards have been maintained.
Bill Madders (and Iain Anderson in the review and lessons learned exercise following the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2007) recommended changes to the way in which DEFRA records the locations to and from which livestock are moved. Work is currently under way to establish the most effective means of doing this. I expect a consultation exercise to follow the conclusion of this work.
Madders also recommended greater use of isolation facilities to allow farmers more flexibility to avoid standstills imposed by movements of livestock on to their holdings. I have accepted this recommendation and expect to consult on implementing it in due course.
Pollution: Digswell
Mr. Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will arrange for the Environment Agency to test the pumping station at Digswell in Hertfordshire for bromate contamination. [228549]
Jane Kennedy: The Digswell pumping station is a water supply borehole operated by Three Valleys Water plc. The Environment Agency will co-operate with Three Valleys Water plc to take samples of both raw (before treatment) and treated (as put into public supply) water from the borehole.
Powers of Entry
Mr. Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many powers of entry have been (a) introduced and (b) abolished by legislation by his Department since 1997. [228041]
Huw Irranca-Davies: I refer the right hon. and learned Member to the reply given to him on 22 October 2008, Official Report, columns 451-52W.
Recycling: East Sussex
Mr. Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much waste was recycled by each local authority in East Sussex in the latest period for which figures are available. [229993]
Jane Kennedy: The following table shows the amount of household waste sent to be recycled or composted by each authority in East Sussex county council in financial years 2006-07 and 2007-08.
| Household waste sent for recycling and composting | ||
| T onnes | ||
| Authority | 2006-07 | 2007-08 |
| Source: WasteDataFlow, Best Value Performance Indicators | ||
Rights of Way
Gordon Banks: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what functions the National Rights of Way Casework Team had at its establishment; what additional functions it has been given since its establishment; and how many people have been assigned to the team in respect of these additional functions. [229704]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 23 October 2008]: The functions undertaken by the National Rights of Way Casework Team from its establishment, and still to date, are direction requests (representations) and Schedule 14 Appeals, under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, and Orders which the Secretary of State may decide to make under Section 247 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 for stopping up or diversion of rights of way in relation to proposed planning development.
There are no additional people assigned to the functions of the Rights of Way team, although one person who is engaged part time in this work is also engaged in other national transport casework which is now undertaken by the Government office for the north east.
Waste Disposal: Schools
Mr. Peter Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many schools have registered exempt low risk waste operations; and if he will make a statement. [230904]
Jane Kennedy: The Environment Agency currently has 913 schools registered for exempt waste activities. Of these, 460 are for the storage of recyclables and 302 are for composting.
Waste Management
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the timetable for creation of regional waste strategy boards is; what their budgets are; what their powers are; how their membership will be comprised; and how many have been established to date. [230331]
Jane Kennedy: There is no statutory requirement for regional waste boards, no funding allocated for them, and no timetable for their formation.
A statutory board has been established in London. The Government have set out its membership and constitution in the London Waste and Recycling Board Order 2008. This legislation does not apply to any other English region.
There are no other boards established at present. However, the south east and the north east are considering how they might set up structures to provide strategic overview of waste material use and recovery, and what resources may be required to achieve them. These would be purely advisory and have no statutory powers.
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