Parliamentary Debates (Hansard)
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Thursday Volume 573 9 January 2014 No. 101 HOUSE OF COMMONS OFFICIAL REPORT PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES (HANSARD) Thursday 9 January 2014 £5·00 © Parliamentary Copyright House of Commons 2014 This publication may be reproduced under the terms of the Open Parliament licence, which is published at www.parliament.uk/site-information/copyright/. 427 9 JANUARY 2014 428 Dan Rogerson: I thank the hon. Gentleman for bringing House of Commons a cultural dimension to our proceedings so early this morning. I share his concern, and that of John Clare, for ancient woodland, and that is why the guidance is Thursday 9 January 2014 very clear. In any discussions about development, the guidance we offer to all local authorities is very clear The House met at half-past Nine o’clock that ancient woodland should be protected. Mr Speaker: Not for nothing is the hon. Gentleman PRAYERS known as culture vulture Sheerman. Mr Philip Hollobone (Kettering) (Con): Which tree [MR SPEAKER in the Chair] species does the Minister regard as most at risk from disease? Dan Rogerson: There are a number of threats, as my Oral Answers to Questions hon. Friend will know. We are of course concerned about ash, although ash dieback is a disease that takes several years to progress, and we are obviously concerned about larch as well. Across the range of species, we ENVIRONMENT, FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS maintain under review all potential threats that are not yet in this country. The Secretary of State was asked— Kerry McCarthy (Bristol East) (Lab): I want to press Tree Diseases the Minister on the issue of protecting our ancient woodlands. Today’s written ministerial statement talks 1. Sir Tony Baldry (Banbury) (Con): What steps he is about planting lots of new trees, but does he accept that taking to safeguard trees from the threat of disease. that is no replacement for the destruction of ancient [901854 trees? The quantity of new trees will not be a substitute for the diversity and quality of such woodland. The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Dan Rogerson): Dan Rogerson: The hon. Lady is absolutely right to We have made rapid progress towards implementing point out that, given the maturity of such ecosystems, three of the independent taskforce’s recommendations: ancient woodland has a whole range of things that new we have produced a prioritised plant health risk register, planting cannot hope to replicate. That is why the undertaken work on contingency planning and initiated planning guidance is absolutely clear that the hierarchy recruitment of a senior chief plant health officer. We should protect ancient woodland. have accepted the remaining taskforce recommendations, and we are working with stakeholders to develop a new Farming Industry (Red Tape) plant health strategy, to be published this spring, which will set out a new approach to biosecurity for our 2. Nigel Mills (Amber Valley) (Con): What assessment plants. he has made of the scope for cutting red tape in the farming industry. [901855] Sir Tony Baldry: Is my hon. Friend satisfied that sufficient attention is being given to import checks? Are The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for we doing sufficient to help other countries manage the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (George Eustice): risks of pests and diseases that may be transferred in We are committed to freeing farmers from red tape to plants and woods exported to the UK, and how are we help them to seize economic opportunities. We are agreeing priorities for action? reducing paperwork burdens and making guidance clearer and simpler. Farmers who play by the rules now receive Dan Rogerson: I thank my right hon. Friend for his fewer inspections. For example, 740 members of the question. We have introduced further restrictions on, Environment Agency’s pig and poultry scheme are inspected for example, the import of sweet chestnut and plane once every three years, rather than annually. I expect to trees before the 2013-14 planting season. Our negotiators make an announcement shortly on further opportunities are successfully influencing the review of the EU plant for cutting red tape as a result of the agriculture red health regime, which will maintain strict controls and tape challenge. simplify the broad range of legislation. Nigel Mills: I thank the Minister for that answer, but Mr Barry Sheerman (Huddersfield) (Lab/Co-op): The for many farmers in my constituency overly complex Minister will know that this year is the 150th anniversary livestock identification and movement controls remain of the death of one of our greatest poets of the countryside, a burden on their businesses. What plans does the John Clare. He wrote a great deal about diseased trees— Minister have to simplify this regime? there was a plague of oak disease in his lifetime—and he was certainly a great defender of the English countryside. George Eustice: My hon. Friend makes a good point. What does the Minister think John Clare would have Considerable progress has already been made on livestock thought of giving up our ancient woodland and replacing identification and the complex rules governing animal it with new growth? movements. We introduced electronic reporting for pigs 429 Oral Answers9 JANUARY 2014 Oral Answers 430 in 2011, and we will do the same for sheep from the The Secretary of State for Environment, Food and spring. We have negotiated changes to the EU sheep Rural Affairs (Mr Owen Paterson): About 5 million tagging rules for the historic flock, generating savings of properties in England are at risk of flooding. The flood up to £11 million for sheep farmers. We will also implement defences protected more than 1 million properties during the recommendations made by the farming regulation recent events. More is being spent during this spending taskforce to simplify how we define livestock holdings review period than ever before. That will better protect in England to avoid confusion around the rules, and we 165,000 houses from flooding. In the six-year period will phase out cattle tracing links and sole occupancy from 2015-16, we will invest a record £2.3 billion in authorities to further streamline the regime. capital improvement projects, which will improve the protection for a further 300,000 households. Mr David Hanson (Delyn) (Lab): Will the Minister confirm that one matter that is not red tape is the Bill Esterson: That is a remarkable answer, given that establishment of a food crime unit? Will he indicate on 9 September, the former Minister, the hon. Member when he intends to do that and how he will discuss the for Newbury (Richard Benyon), told my hon. Friend matter with the devolved Administrations, particularly the Member for Vale of Clwyd (Chris Ruane) that total that in Wales? expenditure on flood defences was projected to fall from £646 million in 2010-11 to £546 million in 2015-16. George Eustice: The right hon. Gentleman is referring Given those figures and the scale of the recent flooding, to the interim report by Professor Elliott. We will look will the Secretary of State say how flood defences such at all his recommendations and respond to the final as those in my constituency will be repaired? Will he report when it is published later this year. confirm whether he will press for additional funds for flood defence repairs? Tim Farron (Westmorland and Lonsdale) (LD): Farmers in Cumbria and elsewhere have their hands tied by excessive restrictions, such as the six-day movement Mr Paterson: I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman rule. Given that the Government agreed in full to the for his question, because it gives me the chance to tell recommendations of the Macdonald report two years the House, yet again, that the Government are spending ago, when will farmers in this country see them put into more in this spending round than was spent by the practice? previous Government and that we plan to increase the amount to a record £2.3 billion up to 2021. Thanks to the fact that we have galvanised local councils through George Eustice: It is difficult to remove the six-day the partnership funding scheme, there will be all sorts of movement rule because it was a key measure that was opportunities for his constituents to work with him and brought in to combat the spread of diseases such as foot his local council to access more funds for flood schemes. and mouth. We are clear that we want to get rid of unnecessary regulation, but we do not want to do anything that would compromise animal health or safety. Miss Anne McIntosh (Thirsk and Malton) (Con): It is I am willing to talk to the hon. Gentleman about this remarkable that the flood defences have held to the particular point. It has been raised with me by farmers. extent that they have during the battering that the However, it is not a simple matter because we do not country has taken. Will my right hon. Friend give a want to jeopardise animal health. commitment to the House that he will review the budget for repairs to existing flood defences and look favourably Dr Eilidh Whiteford (Banff and Buchan) (SNP): Wholly on schemes such as the maintenance by drainage boards disproportionate financial penalties for minor and often of the regular watercourses that protect farmland and unavoidable regulatory infringements, such as lost ear other properties? tags, have been a characteristic of the common agricultural policy in recent years. What guarantee can the Minister Mr Paterson: I thank the Chairman of the Environment, give that the new regime will distinguish between wilful Food and Rural Affairs Committee for her question.