Your questions answered
Below are the most popular questions and answers on current hot topics to the public, last updated on 14 July 2008.
- Why is Defra saying no to a badger cull and what is being done to control the spread of TB?
- Why is there a proposal in the draft Marine bill to allow the public to walk around the English coast for the first time?
- Why isn’t the Government providing more funding for bee health particularly at a time when the health of our honey bees is under threat from the Varroa mite and other pests and diseases?
- What is the Government doing to help individuals take action to tackle climate change?
- What are you doing to tackle fuel poverty?
Why is Defra saying no to a badger cull and what is being done to control the spread of TB?
The Secretary of State based his decision not to issue any licences to farmers to cull badgers for preventing bovine TB on a wide range of evidence. This included discussions with farming, veterinary, wildlife and conservation groups, the conclusions of the Independent Scientific Group on Cattle TB (ISG), and the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee (EFRA) report. Delivering an effective large area cull in practice would be a difficult and costly operation and need to be sustained for a number of years. Public opposition to culling could increase the challenge of effective delivery. We therefore cannot be certain any cull would be effective, and a badly delivered cull would make the situation worse.
We will instead be putting our efforts into strengthening our programme of research to develop cattle and badger vaccines and plan for their deployment. £20 million will be invested over the next three years in developing usable cattle and badger vaccines.
Cattle-based measures are critical to tackling this disease. The current cattle control measures which form part of the government’s TB control policy include the routine cattle testing programme, pre-movement testing for cattle moving from high risk herds, a zero tolerance regime for overdue tests and targeted use of the gamma interferon test. We are also encouraging good husbandry practice and actively pursuing the future use of vaccination of cattle or wildlife. For further information on bovine TB please visit: www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/
Why is there a proposal in the draft Marine bill to allow the public to walk around the English coast for the first time?
The coast is very popular with people for beach activities and other types of recreation and there is evidence that walking is the single most popular activity along the coast. However, research shows that 30% of the English coast has no access. And, even though there is access to the remaining 70% of the coastline, there are gaps in the existing network of footpaths. In some places, access can be very constrained; for instance there may be a trail right against the cliff edge, which does not provide a good experience for walkers or the freedom to explore away from the path. Coastal erosion is also a problem in some places, and people do not always have secure access to the beach. Even where access does exist, there is a huge variation in the standards of management.
We recognise that increased public access could potentially have an impact on sensitive wildlife such as breeding or roosting waterfowl and waders. Under the proposals in the draft Marine Bill, Natural England will have powers to decide on any exclusions or restrictions on access, if these are necessary to conserve valuable flora, fauna, historical, archaeological or geological features. Restrictions might include a requirement to keep dogs on leads, or limiting the type of recreational activity such as rock climbing or picnicking during bird breeding seasons.
For further information on the Marine Bill please visit www.defra.gov.uk/marine/legislation/index.htm
Why isn’t the Government providing more funding for bee health particularly at a time when the health of our honey bees is under threat from the Varroa mite and other pests and diseases?
Funding for Defra’s bee health programme is £1.3 million each year and this has remained at the same level for the last five years. We are spending a further £192,000 on bee health research and development, which is about the same as previous years. Bee health also benefits from broader research projects; for example, work to examine the impact of pesticides on pollinators, or biodiversity studies.
Decisions on the priorities for future activities and the levels of funding to support them need to be based on a clear bee health strategy. We are developing a long-term strategy with stakeholders, which will set out the objectives and priorities for the bee health programme over the next 10 years. We intend to publish the strategy this summer.
Varroa is now endemic throughout the UK. It remains a serious problem for beekeepers, but management of the mite has now become a routine part of good bee husbandry. In recent years, mite resistance to certain varroacides has become a problem. However, beekeepers need to adapt the control measures they apply if resistance is a factor, and use authorised treatments in conjunction with other controls during the year – ideally as part of an Integrated approach to pest management. A comprehensive advisory leaflet on this issue is available from the National Bee Unit. Experience shows that this advice works.
What is the Government doing to help individuals take action to tackle climate change?
Over 40% of CO2 emissions come from the heat and power we use in our homes, and from our day-to-day domestic transport. There is an unprecedented willingness to take action among members of the public, and the Government is working hard to inform people of the climate change threat and how we can together overcome it.
Defra is providing £30 million in grant funding to the Energy Saving Trust to help it promote carbon abatement in the household sector. This is enabling millions of people every year to take energy saving action based on the Trust’s free advice service. The Trust also runs the Act On CO2 carbon calculator, which offers people assessments of their own carbon footprint and ways to decrease it.
www.energysavingtrust.org.uk
The Energy Saving Trust is also introducing a Green Homes Service. This will offer a home health check – essentially a green MOT for homes – with advice on energy saving, water saving, waste reduction, recycling and green travel options. Defra is providing extra funding to support this. See Hilary Benn's announcement here:
www.defra.gov.uk/news/2007/071119a.htm
More information on our package of policies to tackle climate change is available on our climate change pages:
www.defra.gov.uk/environment/climatechange/index.htm
What are you doing to tackle fuel poverty?
The Warm Front Scheme is designed to support the most vulnerable fuel poor households. Qualifying households are now eligible for the installation of a central heating system, and we have extended the provision of Benefit Entitlement Checks to help boost household income.
For more information please visit: www.warmfront.co.uk/
The Energy Retail Association launched the Home Heat Helpline in October 2005 (0800 33 66 99). This provides vulnerable customers with a central point of information about energy efficiency measures and tariff advice across the different energy suppliers.
The Department of Health's “Keep Warm, Keep Well” campaign also provides advice about the health dangers of cold housing. It suggests practical sources of help and advice to protect vulnerable householders.
Page last modified: 14 July 2008
Page published: 23 June 2008