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The perfect excuse to eat cake this May

Cornwall Hospice Care: What's On: - Tue, 14/03/2017 - 20:14
This year the 6th of May lands on a weekend so we've gone one step further and are launching the Great Cornish Cake Bake Big Weekend. Judy Lawton is our Community Fundraiser, “Cake is at the heart of our fundraising efforts with coffee mornings and cream teas a staple of the annual events list, so we thought why not develop the theme and go for an all-out celebration. Three years ago we declared May 6th our annual Great Cornish Cake Bake Day and so far the bakers and cake eaters of Cornwall have helped us raise nearly £16,000.” The concept is simple, host an event at which you sell cake. “It can be a coffee morning, a slice of cake sale in the office or a guess the weight of the cake competition at school” says Judy, “you choose and we can help too. You can make it a community gathering like they did at Illogan near Redruth where the organiser told me afterwards that everyone welcomed getting together for something other than a wedd...
Categories: West Cornwall News

Food Labelling | Westminster Hall debates

I begin by congratulating my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer (Julian Sturdy) on securing this very important debate. He is known for campaigning on these issues and, as he said, as a straight-talking Yorkshireman. In fact, I shall be visiting Yorkshire this Thursday and look forward to lots of straight talking about the future of agriculture policy.

This is a very important issue. UK consumers spend £200 billion on food, drink and catering services each year. Consumer confidence is key to the integrity of the supply chain, and that is more important in food than in anything else. As my hon. Friend pointed out, existing regulations are largely set out in the food information for consumers regulation, which dates from December 2014. It sets out in quite a bit of detail mandatory labelling requirements for the name of the food, the list of ingredients, ingredients causing potential allergy or intolerance, the quantity of specific ingredients or groups of ingredients, net quantity of the product, the use-by date, any special storage conditions, the name and address of the food business operator, the country of origin, instructions for use where required, alcoholic strength and nutrition declarations. That is a fairly comprehensive set of regulations. The UK helped to shape those regulations at UK level, but when we leave the EU we will take our position again on Codex, which is the UN body that tries to set standards internationally and is increasingly influential in this area.

On leaving the EU, there will be an opportunity to do things differently, to improve things and to introduce clearer labelling in some areas. However, it is also important that we have continuity; we do not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater. That is why in the first instance the great repeal Bill will put all our existing regulations pertaining to food labelling and all other aspects on a legal footing in UK domestic law. There will then be opportunities over time to revisit things.

While I appreciate that this was not a major focus for my hon. Friend, we are looking at whether we can have some kind of mutual recognition of existing protected food names. That will be important for European countries seeking recognition in the UK as well. We are looking at whether we could use trademark regulations to develop brands in other areas.

My hon. Friend the Member for Tiverton and Honiton (Neil Parish) mentioned Angus beef. There is another issue with Angus beef, which is that it is not always—or indeed, rarely—from a pedigree Angus animal; it is usually from one crossed with a dairy animal. We will have the opportunity, through trademark regulations and other intellectual property law, to develop brands for pedigree native beef breeds, for instance, which we are looking at.

I want to talk predominantly about country of origin labelling, which was the focus of my hon. Friend the Member for York Outer. As he pointed out, since April 2015 country of origin labelling has been required for fresh and frozen meat from pigs, sheep, goats and poultry. It has been required for fresh beef since 2003 and for certain fish products since 2000. As my hon. Friend knows, we have campaigned for the extension of mandatory country of origin labelling to cover some dairy products. The European Commission has always resisted that, arguing that it is too complex for processed products. Our view is that it might not be possible for all dairy products but would certainly be possible for some, such as butter and cheese, where it is relatively easy to identify country of origin. Once we leave the EU, there will be an opportunity to look at strengthening mandatory labelling in that area, if that were the view of the Government of the day.

My hon. Friend mentioned the fact that beef sometimes is not born, raised and slaughtered in the country of origin. My recollection of the regulations—I can double-check this—is that in the case of beef, for the label to state country of origin as UK the animal must be born, reared and slaughtered in the UK. For other meats, the animal must be reared and slaughtered in the UK. It is possible to say “slaughtered in the UK” if the animal is not born and reared here. The regulations cover this issue to some extent for fresh meat.

My hon. Friend also raised important issues about processed meats, which are more complex. A composite product such as a pizza might have vegetables on it from different parts of the country and might use flour from one country, meat from another or, indeed, meat from two countries. It is harder to put country of origin labelling on all processed meats.

There has been a growing tendency for other foods to be labelled voluntarily with their country of origin. For example, the vast majority of lightly processed meat products, such as bacon and sausages, already have country of origin labelling as part of a voluntary scheme, but it gets harder with some of the more complex products. I am always open to strengthening transparency for consumers. If there is a way of going further, beyond the issues we have highlighted previously in the case of dairy, we can look at that.

My hon. Friend mentioned method of production labelling. There are some very good voluntary schemes, such as the RSPCA Assured scheme, which recognises high standards of animal welfare, as well as the British Lion eggs and Red Tractor schemes. We are keen to encourage those further.

I want to touch on a couple of other points. My hon. Friend the Member for North Swindon (Justin Tomlinson) raised the issue of slightly dubious farm name brands used by supermarkets. That is a difficult area. While those cannot mislead, there are cases where, for instance, a brand celebrates a product of a particular standard. I have heard some people complain about the Duchy Organic label because the products are not always produced on Duchy farms; in fact, they rarely are. It nevertheless is an important organic standard that has recognition. This is a difficult area. Labels are not allowed to mislead people, but I accept that some labelling is in a slightly grey area.

My hon. Friend the Member for Taunton Deane (Rebecca Pow) talked about online shopping. We are discussing that with the National Farmers Union; it may be one way we can avoid voluntary principles. We have had a very good debate, and I will take on board these points.

Question put and agreed to.

Sitting suspended.

Badgers | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

No direct comparison between the effectiveness of cage trapping and controlled shooting has been made. A combination of cage trapping and controlled shooting is the most efficient approach to obtain the required 70% population reduction to ensure disease control benefits.

The numbers of badgers removed by cage trapping and controlled shooting in the cull areas in 2016 was published in December 2016.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

In August 2016 the Government published its badger control costs for 2013 -2015. These can be found on the GOV.UK website under Bovine TB Government badger control costs 2015.

The costs for the 2016 badger control operations are still to be finalised and will be published later this year.

Slaughterhouses: Animal Welfare | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

I refer the hon. Member to the reply given on 20 January 2017, PQ UIN 59926

Zoos: Animal Welfare | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

The Zoo Licensing Act 1981 sets out comprehensive licensing and inspection requirements for zoos. Responsibility for administering these requirements rests with local authorities, which undertake annual inspections to ensure that zoos have sufficient levels of animal welfare.

Defra supports this by setting out minimum standards that zoos are expected to meet, via the Secretary of State’s Standards of Modern Zoo Practice, and by maintaining a list of qualified zoo licensing inspectors who undertake periodical inspections of zoos for local authorities. These inspectors are competent to inspect animals in zoos and to advise on their management and on their welfare. Where there are concerns, local authorities have powers to impose conditions and to take further action where necessary.

Defra has also established a Zoos Expert Committee, which provides UK Ministers with independent technical advice, with a focus on the role of zoos in conservation, education and scientific research and on the operation and implementation of the zoo licensing system in the UK

Bovine Tuberculosis: Dogs | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

Sky Lanterns | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

Bovine Tuberculosis: Disease Control | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

Circuses: Animal Welfare | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers


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.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs: Policy | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

Assistance Dogs | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

Dangerous Dogs: Private Property | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers


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.

Dogs: Imports | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers


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.


Record entries recorded for Cornwall Hospice Care’s half marathon ‘Run Falmouth’

Cornwall Hospice Care: What's On: - Mon, 13/03/2017 - 16:30
The annual event was held in breezy but dry conditions and saw a host of affiliated and non-affiliated runners take on the demanding course. Starting below Pendennis Castle, the event follows a rural route out to Mawnan Smith and back to a finish line outside the Falmouth Hotel. Making seemingly light work of the half marathon was winner Andrew Martin who’s a member of the Mile High athletics club based in Penryn. First woman home was Amy Sole of the Cornwall Athletics Club who covered the distance in a time of 1.27.05. Rowan Blewett was the Race Organiser for Cornwall Hospice Care, “it was such a relief to see the weather clear up in time for the race, and even the sun managed to put in an appearance by late morning. We‘ve been delighted by the record entry this year, which of course means a healthy sum will have been raised to help fund the specialist care we provide to patients in Cornwall with life limiting illnesses and to their families. We hope the final...
Categories: West Cornwall News

Former POW Patrick Linehan from Hayle recalls bombings and living...

The Cornishman Hayle RSS feed - Mon, 13/03/2017 - 09:46
A man thought to be the oldest remaining soldier from the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry has recalled his time spent in a Second World War prisoner of war camp ahead of his 98th birthday. Patrick Linehan, of Prospect Place in Hayle, will celebrate his birthday on St Patrick's Day, having been born in East London in 1919. Patrick initially joined the Devonshire Regiment and in January 1940 transferred to the Duke of Cornwall's Light Infantry at Bodmin. Unlucky Pat was bombed by the...

Former POW Patrick Linehan from Hayle recalls bombings and living...

Categories: Hayle News

Agriculture: Subsidies | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

Agriculture: Subsidies | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

School Milk: East Midlands | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

Pets: Sales | Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs | Written Answers

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.

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