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11 Feb 2009 : Column 2026W—continued
Fisheries: Western Sahara
Mr. Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 13 January 2009, Official Report, column 548W, on Western Sahara: fisheries, what plans there are for UK-registered fishing vessels to fish in waters of the Western Sahara in the next 12 months. [255452]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The UK has two vessels operating in Moroccan waters under the EU/Morocco Fisheries Agreement. They have fished in the waters of Western Sahara in previous years and it is likely that they will do so again during the course of 2009.
Food
Mr. Roger Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what proportion of the food consumed in the UK in each of the last three years was (a) produced domestically and (b) imported; [254074]
(2) what proportion of the (a) fruit and (b) vegetables sold by domestic retailers was produced in the UK in each of the last three years. [254075]
Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given to the hon. Member for Westmorland and Lonsdale (Tim Farron) on 26 January 2009, Official Report, column 47W.
Food: Waste Disposal
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what national targets his Department has for the reduction of levels of food waste; and if he will make a statement. [253621]
Jane Kennedy: The Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) have not only achieved their aim to reduce household food waste by 100,000 tonnes by March 2008, but exceeded it by 10,000 tonnes. Since then the campaign ‘Love Food Hate Waste’ has helped consumers save a further 27,000 tonnes. WRAP, and their partners across the entire grocery sector, have also recently agreed to a new target to reduce UK household food waste by a further 155,000 tonnes by 2010.
DEFRA is also working closely with the food industry to improve its environmental impact through the Food Industry Sustainability Strategy (FISS). The FISS targets a reduction in the food industry’s own waste of 15-20 per cent. by 2010.
Incinerators: EC Law
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he expects the EU Waste Incineration Directive to be fully implemented in the UK. [254410]
Jane Kennedy: The Waste Incineration Directive (2000/76/EC) was implemented through regulations and directions made in 2002.
Joint Waste Authorities
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether joint waste authorities will be limited companies in their own right. [252385]
Jane Kennedy: Joint waste authorities will be statutory bodies, established by Order of the Secretary of State.
Land Use
Mr. Garnier: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his policy is on (a) proposals to increase the amount of land currently farmed for crops being set aside and (b) proposals for the location of such land within (i) farm holdings and (ii) individual fields. [253808]
Jane Kennedy: Our policy is to encourage farmers to produce for the market whilst at the same time reducing negative impact on the environment.
We expect to be in a position to consult on possible measures mitigating against the impact of the loss of set-aside, including options for farmers, later in the year.
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the set-aside mitigation measures in cross-compliance on the farming industry. [253945]
Jane Kennedy: The Secretary of State asked Sir Don Curry to bring together stakeholders to consider the impact of the loss of set-aside including investigating mitigation. Sir Don reported in July and subsequently we have been considering the details of how mitigation might be put into practice. We expect to be in a position to consult on possible mitigation measures later in the year along with a consultation stage impact assessment which I will arrange to be laid in the Library of the House.
Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme
Mrs. Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment has been made of the effect of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme on local authority provision of trade waste collections. [252620]
Jane Kennedy: No formal assessment has been made of the effect of LATS on local authorities’ provision of trade waste collections.
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment he has made of the effect of the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme on levels of (a) collection and (b) disposal of trade waste; for what reasons the scheme does not apply to private contractors operating on landfill sites; and if he will make a statement. [254987]
Jane Kennedy: No formal assessment has been made of the effect of LATS on local authorities’ provision of trade waste collection and disposal.
The Landfill Directive sets targets for the diversion from landfill of biodegradable municipal waste. The main purpose of the LATS is to fulfil these requirements. The focus of the scheme is on local authorities rather then private contractors, primarily waste disposal authorities, as they are responsible for the disposal of municipal waste.
Litter
Mr. Pickles: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs with reference to the answer of 24 November 2008, Official Report, columns 848W, on littering: young offenders, if he will place in the Library a copy of the Environment Agency’s enforcement and prosecution policy and functional guidance. [252204]
Jane Kennedy: A copy of the Environment Agency’s enforcement and prosecution policy and functional guidance will be placed in the Library of the House.
Pigmeat
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions he has had with food retailers on the labelling of pork products with information on the countries of origin and rearing of the pigs concerned. [255360]
Jane Kennedy: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State and I met with representatives of supermarkets and the British Retail Consortium last month to discuss how origin labelling for meat and meat products could be improved so that consumers could make an informed choice when buying these products.
Pollution: Greater London
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when he or Ministers from his Department last met the Mayor of London to discuss air quality and the western extension of the congestion charging zone. [255491]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The Minister for Sustainable Development and Energy Innovation, Lord Hunt, met the Mayor of London on 22 January 2009. At this meeting they discussed air quality in London and arrangements to work together to improve air quality.
Mr. Davey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs which stretches of London’s roads are expected to breach EU air quality legislation on particulate matter in 2011; and if he will make a statement. [255492]
Huw Irranca-Davies: The consultation documents published on 29 January on the UK’s draft notification to the European Commission on the additional time available to meet the limit value for particulate matter in certain areas, explain that existing measures, and those in development, are expected to ensure compliance with the limit values for particulate matter across all of Greater London by 2011. Copies of the consultation documents can be found on the DEFRA website:
The Government and the Mayor of London are committed to working together to ensure the UK will meet the limit values for particulate matter by 2011.
Recycling
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the use of recycling credits as a means of assisting local authorities to reach their targets on recycling; and if he will extend the scheme to include trade and other industrial waste. [254986]
Jane Kennedy: No such assessment has been made. There are no plans to extend the scheme to include trade and other industrial waste.
Renewable Energy: Public Consultation
Miss McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what public consultation he has undertaken on energy from waste options. [254404]
Jane Kennedy: The Government undertook a public consultation on the review of England's waste strategy, which examined energy from waste options, on 14 February 2006. The consultation closed on 9 May 2006 and its findings informed the Government's revised waste strategy document, ‘Waste Strategy for England 2007’.
Sea Level
Annette Brooke: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what his most recent estimate is of the rise in sea level around the UK between 2009 and 2020. [256154]
Huw Irranca-Davies [holding answer 10 February 2009]: The most recent projections of sea level rise around the UK for 2020 come from a 2006 update to the UK Climate Impacts Programme UKCIP02 climate change scenarios published in 2002. These figures give sea level rise projections for the 2020s of 0-19 cm (relative to the 1961-90 average) depending on region and emissions scenario. The information can be viewed at:
www.ukcip.org.uk/index.php?option=com_content&;task=view&id=87&Itemid=300.
Updated sea level rise figures will be available from the upcoming UK Climate Projections (UKCP09) due for release in spring 2009.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ Flood Management Programme has also published guidance (in 2006) on climate change impacts for decision making and adaptation purposes in flood and coastal erosion risk management. This guidance can be accessed at:
Sheep: Electronic Tagging
Mr. Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (1) what recent assessment he has made of the cost to farmers of compliance with the new measures for electronic identification of sheep; [253946]
(2) what assessment he has made of the effect of the new measures for electronic identification of sheep on the sustainability of the farming industry; and if he will make a statement. [253947]
Jane Kennedy: A regulatory impact assessment has been produced for England, a copy of which is available on the DEFRA website. An updated version to take account of changes to Council Regulation 21/2004 that were negotiated over the summer and more detailed implementation options will accompany the consultation that is planned for the spring.
Electronic identification of sheep is an EU requirement, but the administration and implementation of it is an issue for devolved administrations.
Slaughterhouses: Regulation
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans he has to discuss the regulation of the slaughter of farm animals with his EU counterparts. [255536]
Jane Kennedy: There are no plans to discuss the proposed regulation on the welfare of animals at the time of killing with EU Ministerial counterparts. Detailed discussions involving the UK and all other member states are currently taking place in a series of Council working group meetings. These provide an opportunity for the UK to comment and to discuss issues with other member states. The proposal will also be discussed at the Council of Ministers once an agreed text has been finalised.
Mr. Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if he will take steps to ensure that the derogation on the ritual slaughter of farm animals for human consumption will continue in any revision of EU Directive 93/119. [255537]
Jane Kennedy: The Government would prefer to see all animals stunned before they are killed. However we do recognise the rights of religious communities to eat meat killed in accordance with their religious beliefs.
The European Commission has published a proposal for a regulation on the welfare of animals at the time of killing. If agreed, this will be directly applicable in every member state and will replace EU Directive 93/119 and all national legislation implementing it. The current Commission proposal includes a derogation allowing animals to be killed in accordance with religious rites without prior stunning. However the proposal gives individual member states the right to decide not to apply that derogation if they so wish.
We believe it is important to ensure member states retain the ability to determine this issue. We will therefore be seeking to ensure member state discretion on this point is retained in the final regulation. We will pursue this point in ongoing negotiations and when the proposal is discussed in Council.
Supermarkets
Tim Farron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times officials from his Department have met representatives from (a) Tesco, (b) Sainsbury's, (c) Morrisons and (d) Asda to discuss the introduction of a supermarket Ombudsman in the last 24 months. [254568]
Jane Kennedy [holding answer 5 February 2009]: The Competition Commission is seeking undertakings from the grocery retailers covered by the new groceries supply code of practice to establish an ombudsman to monitor and enforce compliance.
The creation of an ombudsman currently remains with the CC. No formal recommendation has been made to the Government.
Until the proposal has been returned to the Government it is not appropriate for officials to comment on it, and accordingly, DEFRA officials have not discussed it.
On the understanding that DEFRA could not comment, a representative of Sainsbury's has given a presentation to DEFRA officials on its view of the proposals. On the same basis other interested parties from outside the four large supermarkets have also provided DEFRA with their views on the proposal.
Waste and Resources Action Programme: Finance
Mr. Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding his Department provided for the Waste and Resources Action Programme in each of the last nine years. [253622]
Jane Kennedy: DEFRA’S funding to WRAP in each of the last nine years was as follows:
| Amount of funding (£ million) | |
| (1) No accounts were drawn up for the year 2000-01. First Accounts were drawn up for the period from WRAP’S incorporation on 1 December 2000 to 31 March 2002. (2) This is the latest budget for the current financial year. | |
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