Evidence indicates that dogs play an insignificant role in the persistence and spread of bovine TB in Great Britain, including transmission of the disease to cattle herds.

An independent study published in 2013 to identify and assess the impacts and risks associated with sky lanterns suggested that the risks to animals or damage to the environment by sky lanterns were relatively minor, and reported that voluntary action and initiatives have been shown to be effective.

Any action we take must be proportionate to the level of risk. An outright ban would be disproportionate in the circumstances, so across government, we have been taking forward a series of non-regulatory measures aimed at minimising the risks associated with sky lanterns and driving up safety standards. Local Authorities are also using existing powers to restrict or regulate the use of lanterns on council-owned land.

To date, 421 carcasses of badgers culled by controlled shooting in 2013 – 2016 have undergone post-mortem examination. Of these, 25 were found to have evidence of more than one hit.

Culled carcasses undergoing post-mortem examination have not been routinely tested for TB as the RBCT established that approximately one-third of badgers in areas of high incidence of TB in cattle were infected.

Defra has considered the report, ‘The welfare of wild animals in travelling circuses’, commissioned by the Welsh Government. It remains the position of the Department that there is insufficient evidence to justify a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses on welfare grounds. The Government intends to introduce primary legislation to effect a ban on ethical grounds.

EU Exit will fundamentally affect everything we do. This is my top priority, and underpins all of our work. Within this, we want to be the first generation to leave the natural environment of England in a better state than we found it; and we want to be a world leading food, farming and fishing nation: to grow more, sell more, and export more food around the world.

The Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 was amended in 2014 specifically to include a separate penalty of up to 3 years imprisonment for a dog attack on an assistance dog. This is, however, within the overall single offence of allowing a dog to be dangerously out of control. Dog attacks on assistance dogs are therefore not recorded separately. As part of their campaign to change the law Guide Dogs UK reported in June 2013 that there were around ten such attacks a month.

Nine people have been killed by dogs on private property in England and Wales since the change in the law in May 2014 to extend the scope of the Dangerous Dogs Act 1991 to all places.

The Office of National Statistics publishes annual data on injuries by dogs, but this does not distinguish between public and private property.

The Government takes the illegal importation of puppies seriously and does put in place deterrents to the illegal import of puppies into the United Kingdom Control Zone at Coquelles. The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) is responsible for ensuring there are effective controls to prevent illegal movements into the Control Zone. APHA require approved carriers, in the case of Coquelles, Eurotunnel, to check 100% of animals travelling under the Pet Travel Scheme for compliance before they are permitted to enter the Control Zone. There is a formal agreement in place which details how Eurotunnel must carry out this function.

APHA has always carried out periodic inspections in the Control Zone to ensure that the carrier company’s checks are effective. Our approach to these pet animal checks and compliance monitoring has not changed. In addition APHA has also worked with carriers on specific intelligence led operations to identify and seize illegally imported puppies. APHA works with all carriers approved to transport pet animals and is currently in discussion on proposals to strengthen the effectiveness of the checks they are required to carry out.

Since 1 January 2016, 1,729 claimants have received payments of around £50 million which were made outside the Basic Payment Scheme 2015 window which runs between 1 December 2015 and 30 June 2016.

CAP Basic Payment Scheme (BPS) payments for England are set in Euros and then converted into sterling. The exchange rate used is an average of the European Central Bank exchange rates set in September each year. There are no monthly variances. The rates used for BPS payments in 2015 and 2016 are:

BPS exchange rate for 2015 was €1 = £0.73129.

BPS exchange rate for 2016 is €1 = £0.85228.

The 2016 basic payment is expected to be around 19% higher than in 2015 for all farm types, reflecting the weaker exchange rate when payment rates in sterling were determined at the end of September 2016.

Information by Westminster Constituency or English region on the number of children aged over five receiving subsidised milk under the scheme is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost.

We are working closely with representatives of local authorities, the pet industry and animal welfare organisations on developing competency standards for animal licensing inspectors as part of the review of local authority animal licensing schemes. The work is at an early stage and will complement the development of new regulations following last month’s publication of Defra’s Next Steps document on animal licensing.

An estimate of the total bass catch for 2017 at EU level as a result of the management measures agreed for this year can only be made by the European Commission, as it holds the relevant catch and by-catch data at Member State level.

The information requested is in the below table. The figures were sourced from the UN Comtrade Website

Falklands fish exports (GBP) To the EU (28)

2011

£95,505,052

2012

£106,320,512

2013

£89,833,453

2014

£90,405,793

2015

£92,916,305

Natural England, as the licensing authority, monitors the culls to assess compliance with licence conditions and Best Practice Guides. If, as part of this, Natural England identifies a compliance issue then Natural England may request that a carcass is subject to a post-mortem examination by exception. This was done on one occasion in 2016.

Additionally, during 2013 to 2015, the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) carried out post-mortem examinations of badger carcasses that were dispatched by controlled shooting. Carcasses were selected for examination at random. Further details on monitoring and post-mortem examinations are published on GOV.UK

Following the announcement on 24 February of a more targeted approach, most egg producers in England can now let their birds outside, provided they meet the additional biosecurity measures that we have put in place. Producers in the higher risk areas can market their eggs as free-range if they come from birds which meet all the other requirements for free-range and are allowed into fully-fenced areas which are fully covered by netting. A number of retailers have said that they remain committed to their free range egg producers and will continue to support them during this time. On this basis, we do not anticipate any significant disruption to sales. We will continue to monitor market developments in conjunction with the industry.

Pursuant to the answer of 6 March 2017 to question 65555, the number of Senior Civil Servants that were employed by Defra as at 31 December 2016 was 77.

The Government continues to undertake a range of analyses to inform the UK’s position for the upcoming EU exit negotiations. We are determined to get the best possible deal for the UK in our negotiations to leave the EU, which allows frictionless trade in goods and services and the opportunity to reach new agreements with countries around the world.

Our horticultural sector produces a wide range of excellent, healthy products. The sector continues to innovate and use new technologies which have enabled it to take advantage of market opportunities both at home and overseas. The Government is keen to work with the horticulture sector to build on this success and help it flourish.

The Government has no plans to limit the currently authorised uses of glyphosate. Like all pesticides, glyphosate is subject to restrictions to ensure that its use will not harm people or have unacceptable effects on the environment. UK experts agree with the recent assessment of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that the use of glyphosate does not raise safety concerns.