Agriculture Bill

In the course of his remarks, will my right hon. Friend reassure me that the Bill will be a vehic...

My right hon. Friend makes an incredibly important point. Earlier this year, I had the opportunit...

In April this year, the Secretary of State said that food production is “ultimately about health”...

It is crucial that we all recognise that food production in this country is critical to the impro...

The Secretary of State was just speaking about the commons, and many of the farmers on the common...

The Times is a great newspaper of record, but I did not recognise today’s report. Sheep do have t...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

I will give way first to my hon. Friend the Member for Hertford and Stortford (Mr Prisk) and then...

My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State is right to highlight the important role of farmers. ...

This Government have emphasised that we will ensure that the high environmental and animal welfar...

My right hon. Friend is being generous in giving way. I congratulate him on his opening remarks. ...

Food security is vital. Throughout the history of the United Kingdom, food security has depended ...

Does the Secretary of State not accept that, as we approach Brexit, there are concerns about food...

I absolutely take on board the hon. Gentleman’s points, but we have some of the most productive, ...

Is it not true that the high standards we have in this country and some of the niche products we ...

My hon. Friend makes the case brilliantly. Members of the House will be familiar with the work of...

I am happy to give way to my hon. Friend the Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Chris Davies), th...

Order. The approach the Secretary of State is taking is most engaging, but it is not necessary fo...

I am most grateful to you, Mr Speaker, as I think you have just given me an earlier slot than my ...

My right hon. Friend makes a good point. Traceability and knowing the provenance of our food are ...

Why does schedule 3 give too wide- ranging powers to Welsh Ministers to offer financial support t...

I am grateful to my right hon. Friend for making two important points. First, at the beginning of...

I call Chris Davies.

Thank you, Mr Speaker. I preferred the way my right hon. Friend was conducting matters, as I woul...

I do not know whether I am Karajan, Furtwängler or Mahler, but one thing I do know is how vital i...

The chief medical officer, Dame Sally Davies, has described antimicrobial resistance as a “catast...

The Chair of the Select Committee on Health and Social Care makes an absolutely important point. ...

May I go back to the point made by my right hon. Friend the Member for Wokingham (John Redwood) a...

The powers in Wales are different, but we have powers for improving productivity and providing fa...

Will the Secretary of State use the new system of farm support to discourage the intensive farmin...

At the heart of everything we wish to do is making sure that we have an ethical approach and that...

I shall seek to make some progress, because I know that more than 30 Government Members and some ...

The approach my right hon. Friend has adopted of building the big tent coalition in support of th...

My hon. Friend is right about that. When I was visiting an agricultural show recently—that is one...

Will the Secretary of State spell out what assurances he can actually give on food standards and ...

I absolutely agree with the hon. Gentleman that consumers are increasingly demanding, and rightly...

The Secretary of State is well aware that the UK Government withheld £160 million of convergence ...

I mentioned earlier that an enjoyable part of my job is visiting agricultural shows, where I have...

I am enjoying the speech—not all of it, but most of it—but I hope that the Secretary of State wil...

I appreciate the vital importance of supermarkets and other retailers. The powers that we are tak...

I am glad that the Secretary of State has turned his attention to the food supply chain. He will ...

I am always interested in what we can learn from France. We want to make sure that food and drink...

rose—

I am very happy to give way to—ah—the hon. Member for High Peak (Ruth George).

I congratulate the Secretary of State on his reading ability. He has mentioned animal welfare. Va...

It is important that we have a network of abattoirs that enables, wherever possible, sustainable ...

In the timeline that was published this morning, it says that higher animal welfare standards wil...

Absolutely. I recognise that I have been on my feet, although taking questions, for 27 minutes no...

rose—

I must give way to the hon. Gentleman.

I can assure the right hon. Gentleman that he would be very welcome to come and visit us at the B...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his point. I would be delighted to visit the Black Isle show and a...

rose—

rose—

I am happy to give way, but this will probably be the last pair that I give way to.

I am extremely grateful to my right hon. Friend. I warmly support this Bill because it incentivis...

I know how important the environment and animal welfare issues are to my hon. Friend, as he has t...

I am seduced by the vision of the future of British agriculture painted by the Secretary of State...

I am delighted to have been able to seduce my hon. Friend. What is striking in the seduction is t...

My right hon. Friend was talking about public goods—an approach that I welcome. May I bring him t...

Absolutely; the consumption of more fruit and vegetables is critical to improving public health. ...

It will be very obvious from the number of people now on their feet that there is a huge demand f...

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

“t...

My hon. Friend is making a marvellous speech. She will be aware of the warning from the UN Interg...

My hon. Friend makes an extremely important point. The report was deeply shocking and the Bill mu...

My hon. Friend is making a very powerful speech. I had hoped to intervene on the Secretary of Sta...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. There are also many upland farmers in my constituency, a...

The hon. Lady is making a very sensible point, specifically regarding basic payments for farmers....

Well, I think that more powers are provided in this Bill for some Welsh Ministers than for Englis...

Will the hon. Lady explain why the Welsh Government appear to be supporting this Bill and the Eur...

As I have said, we believe that greater powers are provided for Welsh Ministers than English Mini...

Does the hon. Lady agree that the Bill needs to have a net zero emissions target for the agricult...

The hon. Lady makes a good point. It is critical that we begin looking across all industries to s...

Will the hon. Lady explain how much, according to her calculations, it will cost to achieve net z...

I do not believe that I made that commitment, so it is not something on which I have done calcula...

Why did we lose so much market share and end up importing so much food under the CAP?

That is a good question, but one to which I do not have a detailed answer—I apologise to the righ...

The answer lies simply in the tastes of the consumer. We like oranges—we like food that grows abr...

Clearly, we cannot grow everything that consumers would like to purchase in this country, but we ...

I think the answer will be yes, but does the hon. Lady agree that it will be a hallmark of succes...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point.

I would like to think about health, because th...

Given the shadow Minister’s concern about these issues—green Brexit, food, food waste and all tho...

The hon. Lady may recall that the Leader of the Opposition discussed the environment and issues c...

Does my hon. Friend agree that, given their excellent relationships with farmers and landscape ma...

I thank my hon. Friend for her contribution. I have discussed that with the Lake District nationa...

An important point was made about the number of forms that farmers have to fill in to access fund...

I thank the right hon. Gentleman for that important contribution. It is disappointing that the di...

This is a historic moment, as we last had an agriculture Bill in this House in 1947, since when t...

Before my hon. Friend moves on, I share his ambition in those respects, but does he agree that as...

I welcome my right hon. Friend’s intervention. He is right that that can be dealt with in seconda...

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way again. The question of how the Select Committee wi...

I will take on board my right hon. Friend’s wisdom, and we will look at that as we go through the...

Does the hon. Gentleman, who chairs the Committee on which I serve, agree that there is a real da...

The hon. Gentleman makes a good point. We have to ensure that applying for grants is simple enoug...

Does my hon. Friend agree that post Brexit there will be a real opportunity to buy “British first...

My right hon. Friend and constituency neighbour makes a really good point. We must redouble our e...

It is a pleasure to see so many members of the armed services here to observe the debate—I hope t...

The hon. Lady, my colleague, will of course be aware that during the recess the British Governmen...

I thank my friend the hon. Member for that intervention. I will be coming to that point shortly.<...

Of course, once we leave the EU we will be able to settle our own schedule of tariffs, including ...

I am not sure what the right hon. Gentleman is speaking about, because we will also have tariffs ...

During the recess a constituent of mine was in a care home and saw a poster that said:

“Rat...

I certainly hope that we will not get to that situation, because it is an alarming thought. I tha...

The hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith, that famous farming constituency, is making a powe...

I appreciate the hon. Gentleman’s intervention, although I do not really appreciate the snide rem...

The hon. Lady has spent a lot of time criticising this Government’s legislation. I would like to ...

I am rather surprised that the hon. Gentleman has not yet read our very sensible proposal for sta...

I am slightly surprised by the hon. Lady’s criticisms of DEFRA. I understood that agricultural po...

Which is of course the very point we are making. I thought that everyone would welcome the opinio...

The hon. Lady speaks about briefings. Does she agree with the National Farmers Union Scotland, wh...

I note the selective quote from the hon. Gentleman. The NFUS also said that any such schedule sho...

On a point of order, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is very important that we hear from the SNP, becaus...

I appreciate the point made by the hon. Gentleman, but the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Le...

Thanks for that, Madam Deputy Speaker. It is always a delight to hear just how warmly we are welc...

Why is it that the Welsh Administration are capable of providing a schedule to the Bill for Welsh...

I am afraid that, unlike Welsh Labour Government Ministers, our Ministers are prepared to stand u...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Edinburgh North and Leith (Deidre Brock). I am gla...

This is a Bill that I hoped we would never have to discuss. No Russian cyber-attack could ever do...

When I was a Minister at DEFRA, I was quite shocked at the attitude of some people—even those who...

I completely agree with the right hon. Gentleman. The importance of recognising that our landscap...

One issue regarding the fact that frameworks across the UK no longer need to be agreed but can be...

Indeed, and we need to understand that the fact that this has been part of our payment landscape,...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will make progress. If we combine that failure to recognise the impact of phasing out payments ...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I am sorry, but I will not. The NFU and environmental groups alike want a long-term funding solut...

I draw attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. Having spent a life...

Does the hon. Lady recognise that the same issue exists within the United Kingdom, in that the la...

The hon. Lady makes a good point, but the new Bill will allow us to tailor our approach to suit e...

The real risk to Scottish farmers is the fact that the SNP Scottish Government have failed to opt...

Our Scottish Conservative colleagues provide strong representation for farmers. Farming is very i...

The hon. Lady is a true soil evangelist, but the Government have already signed up to a target in...

The hon. Lady raises an important point. As she knows, I am passionate about this issue. We need ...

Order. After the next speech, the time limit will be reduced to seven minutes, but that does not ...

Now we come to the easiest part of the United Kingdom to resolve when it comes to agri-food. I da...

As the granddaughter of a Fermanagh cattle farmer, I agree with the hon. Gentleman wholeheartedly...

I thank the hon. Lady for her intervention, but the Prime Minister has said that we have to get t...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Upper Bann (David Simpson), and it is always a gre...

If the hon. Gentleman would bother to consult the NFU Scotland, he would find that its primary co...

I do not agree with the hon. Lady and it is clear that other Conservative Members also disagree.<...

In fact the briefing states very clearly that the biggest concern that the NFUS has is the politi...

I would go further: I would be interested to know if DEFRA would consider ring-fencing the agricu...

Does the hon. Gentleman not share my concern that DEFRA here in London has been listening to, and...

I do not share the hon. Lady’s concern. My constituency lies on the border, and there are of cour...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is intensely regrettable that the current Mayor of London has n...

I fully agree with my right hon. Friend. It is important that we plant trees in this country, whe...

No matter what our views on Brexit are, there is near-universal consensus that the common agricul...

I start by drawing the House’s attention to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Intere...

While we may welcome payments that enable farmers to exit farming, does the hon. Gentleman agree ...

I accept that fair point, but my reading is that land belonging to those who take their retiremen...

Does my hon. Friend share my concern that financiers from the City, rather than new entrants, may...

My hon. Friend makes a good point, but is that not more about our tax system than this Agricultur...

Order. Many Members want to speak, so can we try to shave some time off speeches? If Members do n...

I am grateful to you for calling me so early in the debate, Mr Deputy Speaker. MP4 will forever b...

I will give way to the hon. Member for Dumfries and Galloway (Mr Jack), as I have not heard from ...

The hon. Gentleman speaks in apocalyptic tones. Can he explain why the Scottish Government do not...

I am grateful to the hon. Gentleman, because I was just coming on to that. I thought that he woul...

How many farmers did the hon. Gentleman speak to in his constituency prior to writing his speech?...

Order. I must say to hon. Members that interventions are meant to be short, not speeches. I am ve...

I am sincerely grateful to the hon. Lady because the other key point we have been hearing from Co...

Can the hon. Gentleman explain why there are more Scottish Conservative MPs in this debate than S...

I will just finish my point given that it is about the Secretary of State, and then, if I have ti...

On a point of order, Mr Deputy Speaker. I believe that the hon. Member for Perth and North Perths...

It is open to any Member to check. Let us crash on now. David Warburton has six minutes.

3....

Some months ago, in this House, I reminded the Prime Minister of the fact that my constituency co...

My hon. Friend will know, because his constituency neighbours mine, that Arla, one of the biggest...

My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I have also spoken to Arla and I understand that there are co...

Will my hon. Friend also draw attention to clause 25, which deals with the outrage that dares not...

I add my voice to that of my right hon. Friend in hoping that Ministers are fully aware of the mi...

Order. I will have to bring the time limit down to five minutes; I did ask Members to help, but t...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Somerton and Frome (David Warburton). I agree that...

I am grateful for the opportunity to speak in this debate. May I begin by endorsing what the Secr...

Agriculture’s economic contribution to rural areas has already been emphasised this afternoon. It...

I am sure that my hon. Friend agrees that it is not enough for Ministers to wax lyrical about far...

I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention, with which I wholeheartedly agree.

On that poi...

Will the hon. Gentleman give way?

I will not as time is against me.

What role will the devolved Governments play in the proce...

I have met some farmers and local NFU branch representatives in my constituency—yes, the meeting ...

The Bill gives the UK a huge opportunity to revitalise the countryside in a way that meets the ne...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Cardiff North (Anna McMorrin). I draw the House’s ...

I am very pleased to have the opportunity to speak in this debate, because my constituency includ...

I very much look forward to supporting the Bill later this evening. It is important and long over...

Over the past 50 years, through the intensification of agriculture, we have lost much of our natu...

There has been a big decline in our self-sufficiency as food producers during the 46 years in whi...

It is a pleasure to follow the right hon. Member for Wokingham (John Redwood), who outlined his v...

I call Richard Drax.

4.48 pm

Heavens! You caught me by surprise there, Mr Deputy Speaker. I was not ready for that at all. Any...

The United Nations estimates that over 8 million people in the United Kingdom suffer food insecur...

I refer the House to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

As a rural N...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

I will not. Timber absorbs carbon dioxide as it grows and then holds that carbon a second time as...

Were the Minister in his place, I would remind him that many of us have been attending agricultur...

I refer hon. Members to my entry in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests. I welcome the B...

It is a pleasure to follow the thoughtful speeches of the right hon. Member for Newbury (Richard ...

When the last Agriculture Bill went through this place in 1947, we were genuinely concerned about...

I should like to begin by putting on record my thanks to all those who have worked incredibly har...

This Bill is about how we continue farming after Brexit and the CAP, and farmers in my constituen...

It is a great pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for St Ives (Derek Thomas). He started...

Given that I represent many of my hon. Friend’s relatives who work in fruit picking in the Vale o...

I will always give way to the representative of my many relations who grow soft fruit and vegetab...

I welcome—patiently—the Bill, which puts in place the necessary changes as we leave the EU. I am ...

Specifically on the payments point, the hon. Gentleman may not have seen the press release today,...

There is the contrast: the Welsh Administration are trying to work for their farmers and the Scot...

Does my hon. Friend think that, once the Bill has gone through its parliamentary stages, the Scot...

I truly hope that if SNP MPs are listening to the industry, they will introduce a schedule to the...

Let us move from north of the border to North Devon, where, I can assure you, Madam Deputy Speake...

My hon. Friend is my constituency neighbour, and the interesting thing about many parts of Devon,...

That is absolutely the case and that pasture is vital. I think that 51% of the farmed area of Dev...

I am a farmer’s wife and I represent Sleaford and North Hykeham, a beautiful area of rural Lincol...

I have listened to much of the debate, and have heard a great many contributions from Members on ...

Order. To accommodate all Members wishing to speak, after the next speech I will reduce the time ...

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker; I will give you that fiver later.

The outcome of the refer...

It is a pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for North Dorset (Simon Hoare). The concerns...

I am delighted to speak in the debate, and I broadly welcome the Bill. The sheer number of Member...

I am grateful to the right hon. Lady for concluding her outstanding oration.

6.12 pm

Several right hon. and hon. Members have mentioned that this is the first time in over 40 years t...

I welcome the introduction of the Bill by the UK Government, as do many farmers in my constituenc...

Does the hon. Gentleman realise that until very recently Scotland was the only part of the UK tha...

That shows the gross misunderstanding here. I am not saying anything against that; I am saying th...

It is a great pleasure to follow my hon. Friend the Member for Ochil and South Perthshire (Luke G...

It is a great pleasure to follow the fantastic speech of my hon. Friend the Member for Witney (Ro...

No Government want any Bill to become a Christmas tree on which Back Benchers hang their hobby-ho...

I welcome and support Second Reading of this important Bill. As someone who comes from a long lin...

It is a great pleasure to be the last to bring in the harvest of contributions on the Bill.