Natural Environment and Rural Communities Bill

In speaking to my Amendment No. 132, I should first like to apologise to the House because, in my enthusiasm last week, I forgot to repeat my interests—for the purposes of this Committee, they are as a farmer, landowner, rural businessman and chair of the Somerset Strategic Partnership. Amendment No. 132 is merely a mechanism to draw attention to the need to have acceptable common standards established by the JNCC, as proposed by the Bill. We have nothing against the clause but would like to be reassured on the rigour by which those standards are judged by the JNCC. They must be based on published, acceptable, scientific data. They should be based on sound peer-reviewed science. Furthermore, it would be preferable if they could be tested for practicality with some form of on-the-ground consultation. For instance, to take a fairly obvious example, there is no point promoting standards of management of heather moorland that undermines grouse shooting, when it is the shooting management that creates the habitat in the first place—that is the raison d’etre of the habitat; no shooting, no habitat. I should be grateful for some reassurance from the Minister on that point.