Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the Tory-led Government’s plans to sell off England’s forests, commented: 

“Today’s consultation is little more than warm words and window dressing. 

“The Tory-led Government's plan to sell off England's forests is an act of environmental ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, wrote to Conservative and Lib Dem MPs with woodlands in their constituencies calling on them to reject plans to sell off England’s forests. In the letter she said:

“Our public forests and woodlands are a precious part of our national heritage ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, said in response to the first Parliamentary debate on Conservative-led Government’s plans to sell off England’s public forests:

“The countryside is walking, cycling and riding against the Conservative-led Government’s plans to privatise England’s forests. Opposition to these plans ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to reports that the Tory-led government has abandoned plans to dispose of National Nature Reserves, said:

"This is an inevitable u-turn by the Conservative-led Government. These nature reserves are of national importance and should be managed for the benefit of the ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to today’s announcement by the Government on funding cuts for flood defence projects said: 

“The Tory-led Government are taking a reckless gamble with people’s homes and businesses by cutting the flood defence budget by 27% in cash terms. We ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, commenting on reports, that the Government has put forest sales on hold, said: 

"This is a panic measure by a Government which has been spooked by the huge public outcry 

"This partial U-turn will not be enough to silence the protests 

"This ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the latest OECD figures on rising food prices said: 

“The Tory-led Government is failing to get a grip with the impact of rising food prices on family budgets.  At a time of rising living costs and squeezed family incomes the ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, today announced details of Labour’s review of the future challenges facing rural Britain.

The Tory-led Government’s recent attempt to sell-off England’s public forests led to renewed interest in the countryside with over half a million people signing a petition ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the announcement of the Government’s panel on the future of England’s forests, commented: 

“The trees are not out of the woods yet and the Tory-led Government still intends to sell 100,000 acres of England’s forests over ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, commenting on the Government’s plans to change refuse laws, said:   

“The Tory-led Government are all over the place on waste and recycling. 

“Despite announcing a major waste review last summer we are still waiting for them to publish anything. The reality ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Defra Secretary, said on the Tory-led Government’s failure to ban wild animals in circuses:
 
“After pressure from Labour the Tory-led Government has panicked and rushed out yet another consultation on wild animals in circuses. This just adds more delay for Defra ministers to ...

Mary Creagh, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to today’s Urgent Question in the House of Commons on the Government’s refusal to ban the use of wild animals in circuses, said:

“Defra Ministers are using a non-existent Austrian court case as political cover for their failure to ban ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to comments by the Ramblers Association that Government cuts to jobs at the Forestry Commission are undermining the work of the independent forest panel said:

“It is ironic that in the same week the chair of the independent panel suggested expanding ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to today’s drought announcement said:

“People are concerned about the country’s water situation and its impact on food production. Families are already feeling the squeeze from rising food prices, which hit a two year high last month. The driest ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the start of the Government’s badger cull, said:

“The Government's divisive badger cull will cost more than it saves and will spread bovine TB in the short term as badgers are disturbed by shooting. We need a science-led ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the announcement on flood insurance, said:

“People in areas of high flood risk are being hit now with higher insurance premiums and excesses because incompetent Ministers have failed over the last three years to get a deal with the insurance ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow DEFRA Secretary, said:

“Owen Paterson talks about Vitamin deficiency overseas, yet he is considering removing vitamins from the UK's bread.  That's no way to convince the public that he has their best interests at heart.

“On GM, we must not ignore the ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, following the vote in the House of Commons on the badger cull, said:

“It is disappointing that the Tory-led Government will now press ahead with a badger cull despite their own official advice that it will cost more than it saves and ...

Labour has announced it will table an Opposition Day debate on the Government's plans for a badger cull next Wednesday (5 June 2013).

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, said:

“The Tory-led Government are pressing ahead with the free shooting of badgers despite leading scientists warning against ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the Church Action Poverty and Oxfam report on food poverty, said:

“This incompetent Tory-led Government needs to wake up to the human cost of their failed economic policies and change course now.

“The UK is the seventh richest country in ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment, Food, and Rural Affairs Secretary, said in response to Tory Minister Richard Benyon lecturing families on throwing away food:

“Mums struggling to feed their families don't need lectures on wrapping cheese from a Tory Government which has created a cost of living ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to figures released by the Trussell Trust on a large increase in the number of people turning to food banks, said:

“The UK is the seventh richest country in the world yet under David Cameron’s leadership, we are facing a ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment and Rural Affairs Secretary, said ahead of today’s House of Commons Opposition Day debate on the Agricultural Wages Board:

“The Tories and their Lib Dem friends should be ashamed of their decision to scrap the Agricultural Wages Board. And perhaps they are ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the discovery of bute in one brand of corned beef, said:

"It is deeply worrying that bute, a drug banned from the human food chain, has been discovered in one brand of corned beef.  This product was withdrawn from sale ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to Defra’s announcement that the badger cull will go ahead this summer, said:

“The Government is pressing ahead with a badger cull despite scientists warning against this “untested and risky approach”.
 
“As incompetent Defra Ministers stagger from one crisis to ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, said:

“The Government must ensure that catering firms speed up their tests and tell the public what they are testing, so that we know just how far this horse meat scandal has spread through our communities. It is deeply worrying that it ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, has today written to Owen Paterson to ask what steps have been taken to ensure that food procured by the public sector is free from horse meat.

Mary Creagh MP said:

“The public must have absolute confidence in the food being served ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, said:

“It's totally unacceptable that the results of Government tests for horsemeat won’t be known until April. We need to know how far this scandal has spread into the catering, independent retail, and restaurant sectors. Ministers are swift to blame ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the FSA’s latest bute test results, said:

“People will be shocked that the UK continued exporting contaminated horse meat nearly three weeks after Labour first warned Ministers about bute.

“Ministers’ catastrophic complacency allowed at least six bute contaminated horses ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, today called for European-wide testing of meat products:

“With every passing day this scandal seems to get wider. 

“I raised the problem of bute contaminated horsemeat being released into the food chain with Defra Ministers last month yet up until two days ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to reports on horse meat in schools and hospitals, said:

“It is unacceptable that the Government has taken four weeks to issue guidance to schools and hospitals on the horsemeat scandal.

“It is unrealistic to expect head teachers, hospital and prison ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, has contacted the police to pass on information that she has received concerning UK mainland companies who are potentially involved in the illegal horsemeat trade. She has also written to the Environment Secretary.

Mary Creagh MP, said:

“I have written to the ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the Government’s announcement on flooding, said:
 
“Flooding is the biggest threat the UK faces from climate change, yet the Government will spend less on flood defences next year than Labour invested in 2008. Every £1 invested in flood defences ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to the latest reports on the horse meat scandal, said:
 
“The Irish Government has called in the police and fraud experts to investigate the horse meat fraud, yet complacent British Ministers have not and are asleep on the job. The latest ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, has written to Owen Paterson today calling for urgent action to be taken over the horse meat scandal.
 
In her letter she raises concerns about what steps DEFRA is taking to provide advice to customers of Freeza Meats such as catering companies ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, commenting on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Select Committee report on the draft Water Bill said:
 
“The Government have cut funding for flood defence schemes and failed to tackle rising water bills. The report highlights the lack of government action on ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary today challenged the Government over allegations that horse meat produced in the UK containing drugs dangerous to humans may have entered the food chain.

Mary Creagh, told the House of Commons:

"I am in receipt of evidence showing that several horses slaughtered ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs, commenting on the Food Standards Agency inquiry into horse meat found in beef products, said:

“Customers must have confidence that the food they buy is correctly labelled, legal and safe. Trading standards and meat inspection ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Secretary of State for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, commenting on reports that horse meat has been detected in some beef burgers, said:

"Consumers will be rightly concerned by this news. People should be able to go into the supermarket and be confident ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, commenting on the extra £120 million for flood funding announced by Danny Alexander today, said:

"This year's floods have shown how shortsighted the Government was to cut investment in flood defences by £95 million a year, leaving homes and businesses unprotected ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's shadow environment secretary, commenting following today's oral statement on flooding, said:

"Flood-hit communities are growing more and more anxious over the availability and affordability of flood insurance once Labour’s deal with the insurance industry expires next June.

“The risk of flooding is the ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's shadow environment secretary, commenting on the severe flooding affecting various parts of the country, said:

"Everyone's thoughts tonight will be with those hit by this latest severe flooding. I want to salute the fantastic work of all the emergency services and of local people ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, said:

"The Government promised a deal on flood insurance by July 2012 but their incompetence and delay is costing homeowners money, as premiums and excesses rise.

"Ministers are leaving it to the eleventh hour and this creates a real risk that people ...

Government's ash dieback delay

Parliamentary Answer today reveals Ministers first told of ash dieback in April

Ash imports were not banned until 29 October

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, commenting on the latest information on ash dieback disease in the UK, said:

“Ministers were told about ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to today’s warning by the Environment Agency and Met Office that more flooding is due over the winter months, said:   

"Flood risk is the biggest threat we face from climate change, yet this incompetent Tory-led Government has cut investment in ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to reports that a ban on Ash tree imports will be introduced on Monday said:

"After the forest sell off fiasco the Government have been asleep on the job with ash dieback. They discovered the disease in a tree nursery in ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, commenting on this afternoon's House of Commons debate on the badger cull, said:

“Defra ministers are continuing to insist this unnecessary cull will go ahead despite the science. The costs to farmers and taxpayers will continue to rise if ministers continue ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to reports that the Government has delayed the badger cull, said:

"The Government's handling of the badger cull has been incompetent and shambolic.

"Labour has warned the Government for two years that a cull was bad for farmers, bad for ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour's Shadow DEFRA Secretary, responding to the Government's latest confusion over the badger cull, said:

"This last minute wobble over the badger cull has all the signs of another Government shambles.

"Labour has always said the badger cull was bad for taxpayers, bad for farmers ...

Mary Creagh MP, Labour’s Shadow Environment Secretary, responding to newspaper reports of experts criticising the Government’s badger cull, said: 

“This is not a science-led cull, it is a shot in the dark. The Tory-led Government is pressing ahead with the cull despite their own official advice that it ...