Direct Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) Bill

In our manifesto, the Government set out our commitment to retain 2019 levels of support for farm...

I welcome the certainty given to farmers and food producers for 2020. What advice would the Secre...

It will be important for the estate agent in question to follow developments relating to the tran...

Further to the points raised by other Members, long-term planning is very important for farmers. ...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point about farmers’ need for certainty and continuity, whi...

I echo the concerns raised about farmers’ need for continuity, but may I ask a slightly different...

The Bill is a vital stepping stone to getting us to the transition period in 2021, when we will s...

rose—

I give way to the Chairman of the Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

I am the former Chairman at the moment. I very much welcome the Secretary of State’s statement. I...

My hon. Friend is correct to say that taking over domestic responsibility for the payments means ...

As we move towards the transition period—more will be appearing in the Agriculture Bill—we obviou...

My hon. Friend will be pleased to hear that clause 1 of the Agriculture Bill, which Parliament wi...

I welcome the £3 billion announcement from the Treasury supporting our farmers, showing again tha...

In setting out the seven-year transition period, we have recognised the concerns that my hon. Fri...

Will the Secretary of State give way?

Yes, and then I need to make progress.

I thank the Secretary of State; she is being very generous. One of the concerns that my constitue...

I hear what the hon. Lady says. Clearly, there have been difficulties in the past, but I would sa...

I come from the rural constituency of North Norfolk, where farmers form one of the most important...

My hon. Friend makes a strong point. We believe that our new system of farm support can work for ...

My right hon. Friend must surely agree that the purpose of subsidy is to ensure that British agri...

We will be looking carefully at all aspects of the scheme. This is a hugely challenging thing to ...

I feel immensely honoured and privileged to speak at the Dispatch Box in my first outing as the s...

My hon. Friend is making a good speech, and I join him in paying tribute to colleagues who are no...

I thank my hon. Friend for that comment. I was proud that our party went into the general electio...

Does the hon. Gentleman think that people need to change their diets? How can we have more Britis...

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for raising that point. We need to talk about food mile...

There are some excellent agricultural community groups in my constituency. I have visited one cal...

I thank my hon. Friend for making that point. Perhaps the Minister who winds up the debate will m...

I welcome the hon. Gentleman to his shadow Front-Bench position. Does he agree that we could do a...

I am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman for mentioning that. At the weekend, I was talking abou...

The shadow Minister was talking about the public good. Given the beautiful countryside that we ha...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman. I think that that was a remark directed more at his Front Benche...

The hon. Gentleman is making a vital point. During the Secretary of State’s initial remarks, she ...

I am not really interested in Brexit soundbites, but I am interested in Brexit detail. It might b...

We talk about welfare standards and the standards of the food we are producing, but who decides t...

I think the hon. Lady is agreeing with me, but from a different angle. I agree that our farmers w...

The shadow Minister talks about chlorinated chicken—we hear a lot about that—but would he like to...

The hon. Gentleman invites me down a cul-de-sac about water policy that I am not quite sure is wo...

It is a great pleasure to see you in the Chair, Mr Speaker. May I welcome the hon. Member for Ply...

Not only am I grateful to my hon. Friend for giving way, but I smile at him too. Does he not agre...

My hon. Friend raises a very good point, which I am leading on to. As we deal with farm payments ...

My hon. Friend is making a really important point. Does he not agree that we have to make sure we...

My hon. Friend, who was on the previous Select Committee, raises an extremely good point. Again, ...

Does my hon. Friend recognise that there must be a balance between the environmental and producti...

My hon. Friend, the new MP for Totnes, makes a good point. When considering an agricultural polic...

It is also about importing environmental damage.

My hon. Friend must have read my mind because—you will be glad to hear this, Mr Speaker—my final ...

Order. We have a second debate later, so perhaps we could work towards a time limit of 10 minutes...

Happily, Mr Speaker, my contribution is confined to the content of the Bill, so it will be quite ...

We need to bear in mind that for crofters and farmers the big uncertainty will be the autumn mark...

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend. The tariffs could have a shattering impact on many of our...

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker, for allowing me to make what is, in essence, my second...

It is a privilege to follow the hon. Member for Eddisbury (Edward Timpson). I recall the Crewe an...

This morning, the National Trust held an event downstairs. It was keen to show what it was doing ...

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point. Farmers are at the forefront of tackling climate cha...

I welcome the new shadow Secretary of State to his place. It is nice to have a fellow west countr...

The National Farmers Union has a clear idea of what it wants from the changes, and its sister org...

It is vital. My hon. Friend speaks from a position of strength. He is always in the Chamber speak...

Perhaps it would be an idea for farmers to consider new, innovative ways of looking after their s...

Absolutely. One of the issues that we discussed during the inquiry was how we could maintain bett...

It is a great pleasure to call Dave Doogan to make his maiden speech.

2.5 pm

Thank you very much, Madam Deputy Speaker. I, too, extend my welcome to the new shadow Secretary ...

Order. No clapping.

2.15 pm

It is a pleasure to follow the new hon. Member for Angus (Dave Doogan). Making a maiden speech is...

The hon. Member for South Dorset (Richard Drax) spoke about chlorinated chicken and how we put ch...

Order. I remind Members that the Bill is about payments to farmers and not much wider farming iss...

Madam Deputy Speaker, you have completely torpedoed my response because, of course, the only sect...

Having studied agricultural economics many years ago, the last time I saw a very healthy-looking ...

I absolutely agree. Another element to direct payments is that, by paying our farmers, to some ex...

I thank my fellow farmer for giving way. He mentioned that it is significant that farmers develop...

My hon. Friend makes a vital point, and it is why the Government have a seven-year tail to this p...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North Herefordshire (Bill Wiggin). I agree with a ...

My hon. Friend is making an important point. Do we not need structures that enhance joint decisio...

My hon. Friend has put it far more impeccably than I could. The important thing is having co-deci...

It is now a great pleasure to call Fay Jones to make her maiden speech.

2.35 pm

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. First, may I congratulate the hon. Member for Angus (Dave Doogan...

I congratulate my hon. Friend the Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Fay Jones) on her wonderful ...

He deserves them.

He does deserve them; my hon. Friend is right.

The Bill is narrow in scope but, as my hon. ...

The hon. Member referred to her constituency; she will well know that in Northern Ireland the agr...

I cannot promise that the Minister will visit, but I certainly agree that there is great importan...

Does my hon. Friend agree that one task of everyone in this place who supports British farming an...

I could not agree more with my hon. Friend; he is absolutely right. I have a new map for my offic...

I thank my hon. Friend for giving way. I would like to build on the comments of my hon. Friend th...

I absolutely agree with my right hon. Friend. The challenges in farming are certainly very differ...

I appreciate that the hon. Member has given way. She is making an absolutely excellent point abou...

I thank the hon. Gentleman for his intervention. He is right that, for too long, farmers have not...

Does my hon. Friend agree that the farmers of Ynys Môn are vital to our economy and to our commun...

I thank my hon. Friend for her intervention. She is indeed right that we need certainty and a mul...

As I stood up, I received a text message saying, “Wind up”. I do not think it referred to me pers...

I am grateful to my county neighbour for giving way. He is talking with his customary sense on th...

I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend and neighbour. The point of the CAP, with all its faults, ...

Certainty is absolutely paramount. When the single farm payment was introduced, I asked my dad, w...

I absolutely agree with every word my hon. Friend has just said. I have huge respect for the Mini...

I congratulate my hon. Friend the new Member for Brecon and Radnorshire (Fay Jones), who gave a w...

It is a pleasure to wind up for the Opposition on the very wide-ranging debate that we have had. ...

We have had a good and comprehensive debate, with a number of excellent maiden speeches along the...

I very much welcome what the Minister is saying, because the transitional period from 2021 to 202...

My hon. Friend makes an important point. Obviously, the transitional period is a feature of the A...