Commons Bill [Lords]

It is very difficult to say what farming activity should take place in areas where it is no longer economically viable. It may be attractive to have an entity such as English Nature enter into management agreements in areas such as the hon. Gentleman mentioned. In the Stiperstones area, the graziers used to get what I would call proper payment from DEFRA’s predecessor, the Ministry for Agriculture, Fisheries and Food. However, the payment that they receive now is about to make grazing in the area uneconomic, even though it is part of environmental support and so deserves reward. My final point has to do with clause 31 and the management of common land, which I am not convinced is always best determined by a bureaucratic entity. Commoners in the Stiperstones area tell me that the land management practised by English Nature means that opportunities for grazing have fallen significantly over recent years, with the result that the land can no longer support the number of animals for which rights have existed for many decades. In part, that is a result of the management agreement entered into by English Nature, which does not consider grazing to be a priority. It has a different objective, and wants to create environmental attractions for walkers and those who pursue other leisure activities. That gives rise to a conflict: whose rights should prevail? My fear is that small graziers, whose voice is relatively small, will be steamrollered by the bureaucrats. I hope that the registration process and the relevant management agreements will allow appeals to be mounted. So far, however, I have seen no evidence that such mechanisms will be included. In conclusion, our agricultural sector, and the livestock industry in particular, faces difficult times. Our common lands cover large areas of some constituencies, and we must not set up a management system that weakens the possibility of a viable livestock industry in those areas. Any such system should encourage that industry.