Leaving the EU: the Rural Economy

On trade, two thirds of Scottish exports go to the rest of the UK and only 15% go to other EU cou...

I do not understand why Government Members do not get this. It is as though they think that if we...

Order. I cannot let the hon. Gentleman get away with saying “you.” I know what he meant, but mayb...

Apologies, Madam Deputy Speaker. I am getting rather over-excited, but I will always be passionat...

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way; he is being generous. On the subject of trade, does he agr...

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point, as always. If we look at the numbers, we see that 68% of...

I beg to move an amendment, to leave out from “House” to the end of the Question and add:

“...

I would like to believe the promises the Government are making, but, of course, the Government ha...

I do recognise the hon. Gentleman’s point, and it is something I continue to look closely at in m...

My right hon. Friend will be aware that one of the difficulties the agricultural sector faces und...

I share my hon. Friend’s concerns. This is something we have improved on greatly through voluntar...

Will my right hon. Friend also make it a priority to publish proposals for a British fishing indu...

My right hon. Friend makes a good point about the potential for all UK fishing. I hope that our p...

Today, the Prime Minister made a passing reference to Spanish fishermen and their interests when ...

I can assure the hon. Lady that, as she will appreciate, we are not entering into any negotiation...

Clearly, in relation to the environment, there are decisions that may still properly be made at a...

There is a lengthy answer to that but also a much shorter one, which is that the opportunities th...

I will give way once they have listened to me for a moment.

Leaving the EU will allow us to...

The Secretary of State mentions planning and careful thinking going forward to 2020, but what pla...

My hon. Friend the Minister of State met the National Farmers Union of Scotland yesterday, as I d...

Order. Hon. Members ought to have the courtesy to listen to the Secretary of State.

Scotland has a rich and varied agricultural heritage, including the grain-producing lowlands in t...

My right hon. Friend is making an important point. Does she believe, as I do, that the huge oppor...

My hon. Friend is exactly right. Reconnecting with nature and the outdoors is incredibly good for...

The Secretary of State is making a very powerful point. Does she agree that there are huge opport...

My hon. Friend is quite right. The UK is the scene of incredibly successful renewable energy sche...

Order. Before I call the Opposition spokesman, it will be obvious that a great many Members wish ...

If I may, before I begin, as this is my first opportunity to do so, I would like to pay my person...

Does the hon. Lady agree that there are grave concerns about early pest and disease intelligence ...

The hon. Lady is absolutely right. It is our co-operation across Europe that has built the resili...

Does my hon. Friend share my disappointment that, apart from a passing reference to the word “agr...

I thank my hon. Friend for that point, and I have certainly scoured the speech to try to find the...

Does the hon. Lady share my concern about the staggering fact that the Government have not incorp...

Order. Interventions have been far too long. It is simply not fair for the hon. Gentleman to take...

We see yet again the lack of certainty being given, so a valid point has been made.

Let me ...

Order. I already have to reduce the speaking time limit, before I have even imposed it. The time ...

It is very nice to follow the hon. Member for York Central (Rachael Maskell). I believe that she ...

I am desperately disappointed that the Prime Minister signalled today that she intends to pull th...

It was my privilege, in opposition and in government, to work with Sir Jim Paice. He and I might ...

Does my hon. Friend agree that support will still be needed for hill farmers in places such as Wa...

My hon. Friend makes a good point, and I will talk about that precise issue.

I would like t...

I want to speak about the Environment Audit Committee’s report, “The Future of the Natural Enviro...

Does my hon. Friend share my concern that, when the Environment Secretary gave evidence to the Co...

My hon. Friend is right. Our Committee discovered that copying EU legislation into UK law will no...

I received a letter from a local farmer last year. He had been informed that he could no longer g...

Like every part of Scotland, my constituency voted to remain in the European Union. More than 60%...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the rural economy in Scotland is able to support our fantastic

I absolutely agree, and I think that provenance and purity are essential, and a great part of wha...

There is an active and interesting debate going on about farming and agriculture in our rural com...

As the Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, I am well aware of the likely impact on ...

It is a pleasure to make a contribution to this debate. As somebody who grew up in a horticultura...

Coming from the mainly rural constituency of Fermanagh and South Tyrone in Northern Ireland, I kn...

It is a pleasure to contribute to this important debate. It is clear from my perspective that our...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will happily give way—

Order. It is the end of the hon. Gentleman’s three minutes.

5.19 pm

Now we know that it is to be the hardest of hard Brexits, in what will perhaps be remembered as t...

Looking at the statistics of the referendum, it is evident that a vast number of rural areas vote...

Diolch yn fawr iawn. The Government amendment mentions continuity and certainty to 2020. That is ...

I have said many times in this House that my constituency voted more than any other to leave the ...

I thank the hon. Member for Berwickshire, Roxburgh and Selkirk (Calum Kerr) for affording us this...

Order.

5.35 pm

As we have heard, British food and farming are central to our national identity and a key part of...

Is my hon. Friend, like me, very pleased to hear the Secretary of State for Brexit’s announcement...

My answer to that is short and simple: absolutely yes.

Agricultural support is being mainta...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I am going to continue because we are short of time.

One of the issues that local farmers h...

Order. After the next speaker, there will be a limit of two minutes. I ask Members to bear it in ...

We all know and understand clearly my EU stance: I have been firmly out, out, out, as were my con...

Mine is a truly bucolic rural constituency, with quaint market towns, the beautifully old-fashion...

I was born and brought up on a farm where we had Ayrshire cows. They were fine—the greatest expor...

I have sat through the whole debate and heard all the contributions, and it is very odd that nobo...

I have the luck to represent a very beautiful constituency, but it is incumbent on all of us to r...

I declare an interest as an active crofter.

I congratulate all my hon. Friends who have spo...

This has been an interesting debate, and I am grateful for all the contributions from right hon. ...

On a point of order, Mr Speaker. I inadvertently omitted to refer hon. Members to my entry in the...

I am very grateful to the hon. Gentleman, both for his good grace and for his pithiness in commun...