Agriculture Bill

I hope very much that we will be able to do better. The Secretary of State talks about looking af...

I can reassure the hon. Lady that our manifesto is very clear on this. We will maintain our high ...

This weekend, I was approached by a young farmer who wants to succeed his grandfather as a tenant...

I can. My right hon. Friend will know that the Bill contains provisions to introduce greater fair...

Speaking of rapacious predators, farmers and growers in my constituency and elsewhere have been v...

I will come to those later in my remarks, but as my right hon. Friend acknowledged, an important ...

Does the Secretary of State agree that the theory of productionism, which lies at the heart of th...

The Bill enables us to provide financial assistance for environmentally friendly farming practice...

Is the Secretary of State aware that providing modest support for small-scale farmers could be ex...

I would be delighted to meet my hon. Friend to discuss those important suggestions, and I would b...

I thank the Secretary of State for giving way; she is being incredibly generous with her time. I ...

Our manifesto is clear. We will stick to the commitments in our manifesto. The Prime Minister rei...

The Secretary of State knows Northern Ireland well, so she will know that the big issue facing ag...

My hon. Friend will appreciate that agriculture is a devolved matter, but the Government’s manife...

I say to my right hon. Friend that we must not get too misty-eyed about farmers. There is far too...

Through a combination of regulation and farm support payments, we are certainly doing everything ...

My right hon. Friend is being characteristically generous in giving way. I agree with her entirel...

The new scheme of farm support will include support for agri-tech to support productivity enhance...

I speak here as a patriot, and I have quite a farming community in Weaver Vale, and I and Opposit...

The hon. Member has heard my response on that. It is in the manifesto, and we will deliver on our...

No, I will not give way.

That includes improving standards of animal health and welfare, ma...

I am very grateful to the Secretary of State for the gracious and generous way in which she has g...

I am sorry to hear that Labour wants to talk down British farming. The reality is that well-manag...

I welcome the points that the Secretary of State makes about protecting our environment, because ...

I would encourage everyone to do that. We produce some of the finest food and drink in the world,...

Will the Secretary of State give way on that point?

No.

Reformed funding support for farmers and land managers will be an important part of our...

I am extremely grateful to the Secretary of State for giving way. She will appreciate that in tha...

I understand the hon. Gentleman’s point. In part, we want our grants for productivity and investm...

Will the Secretary of State accept the offer from the National Farmers Union to work with the Gov...

I am in regular touch with the National Farmers Union—indeed, I spoke to its representatives only...

Will my right hon. Friend give way?

I have to make progress because I know there is a long speakers’ list.

Clauses 21 to 26 on ...

Order. Before I call the spokesman for the Opposition, I ought to give notice that there will be ...

I beg to move,

That this House, whilst recognising that on leaving the EU the UK needs to s...

The hon. Gentleman knows I have a lot of sympathy with what he wants to end up with on those issu...

I share the hon. Gentleman’s concerns about giving certainty to our farmers, and I will come to t...

Is my hon. Friend aware of the research in the United States about hormone-impregnated meat—beef ...

I thank my hon. Friend for that intervention. There are valid questions about some of the farming...

My hon. Friend is, as always, making a well-informed speech. The concerns he is voicing are not j...

I agree entirely. Sometimes there is a temptation to believe that, just because a dodgy socialist...

I do not for one second suggest that the hon. Gentleman is in any way dodgy, but does he not real...

Perhaps the Government’s whipping arrangements are somewhat flawed tonight, but with a majority o...

I understand what the hon. Gentleman is saying, but does he accept that the farmers of the United...

The hon. Gentleman is right. British farmers do not want lower standards; they are proud of the s...

I agree with the hon. Gentleman about food imports: I want to see less food imports and more of t...

I agree with the right hon. Gentleman: it is important to back British. Indeed, if he had been pr...

I want to try to get my head around this: is the Opposition’s opposition to chlorinated chicken a...

A Member on the ministerial Bench says, “Tell us about the vegetables.” The important thing is to...

Will the Minister give way?

I am only a shadow Minister just yet, but I am glad that the right hon. Gentleman favours my ambi...

I am listening carefully to the hon. Gentleman’s arguments. The Americans use peroxyacetic acid, ...

The right hon. Gentleman is right that acetic acid is used in many cases instead of chlorine. Whe...

This goes to the heart of why Labour is supporting the reasoned amendment and does not want to al...

I thank my hon. Friend for that very good point. Farmers will be watching this discussion tonight...

I will try be quick as there are maiden speeches to be made.

I welcome the Bill, and I urge...

We should be proud of the efficiency and productivity of our farmers. In this debate about the en...

My right hon. Friend is right, and I am looking forward to seeing that in the Bill. As we leave t...

I am sure I have seen this Bill somewhere before but, as it seems that we are destined to repeat ...

It is a pleasure to call Virginia Crosbie to make her maiden speech.

7.7 pm

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker.

The Second Reading of the Agriculture Bill is particularly...

There are a lot of maiden speeches tonight, and I know that a lot of colleagues have come into th...

I congratulate the hon. Member for Ynys Môn (Virginia Crosbie) on her maiden speech. Her Welsh pr...

As a member of the Children’s Future Food Inquiry, which I co-chaired, my hon. Friend will be awa...

Yes, I think that that is very much the case. As I am fond of saying, the F in DEFRA stands for f...

Order. It is a pleasure to call Ruth Edwards to make her maiden speech.

7.23 pm

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. Like every new Member rising to give their maiden speech, I feel...

It is a pleasure to call Steven Bonnar to make his maiden speech.

7.28 pm

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for Rushcliffe (Ruth Edwards). I congratulate her on a...

It is a pleasure to call Greg Smith to give his maiden speech.

7.36 pm

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker; it is a pleasure and a privilege to follow three such eloquent a...

It is a huge honour to follow a quartet of excellent maiden speeches from Members from across the...

It is a pleasure to call Selaine Saxby to make her maiden speech.

7.51 pm

Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker, for calling me to speak in the debate on this key Bill for North...

It is an honour and a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for North Devon (Selaine Saxby), who rep...

I call Anthony Browne to give his maiden speech.

8 pm

The greatest thing about speaking in this debate on agriculture policy is that we are having it a...

I am not looking for one just yet.

My hon. Friend will be very welcome to come.

The Government are planning a new children’s h...

It is a great pleasure to follow the maiden speech of the hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (A...

Will the hon. Lady give the House guidance on what she thinks about meat eating and what sort of ...

I support the better eating campaign that suggests that overall in this country we should seek to...

I should declare an interest, as my parents are tenant beef farmers, and I refer Members to the R...

It is a pleasure to follow the hon. Member for West Dorset (Chris Loder). I congratulate him on a...

This is the first chance I have had, Mr Deputy Speaker, to pay tribute to you for being back in y...

And industrious.

And industrious too, no doubt—industrious in particular.

I declare my entry in the Register...

Does my hon. Friend agree that it is perfectly legitimate to defend our producers against anti-co...

My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. That is precisely what I am trying to get at—our farmers...

The time limit is five minutes with immediate effect. I call Tim Farron.

8.37 pm

Order. We have less than an hour before the wind-ups, and I still have 17 names on my list. If Me...

I am delighted that leaving the EU means we can take back control of our agriculture policy, and ...

I seek to underline the importance of the Bill, and the way that we transact and scrutinise it, a...

I draw Members’ attention to my declaration in the Register of Members’ Financial Interests.

Although the Bill includes some welcome provisions for the future of our farming, including suppo...

It is a pleasure to be called to speak after so many excellent maiden speeches on both sides of t...

Order. After Nadia Whittome’s contribution, I will try to get everyone else in, but I am afraid t...

Apart from Stonebridge City Farm, there are no farms in my constituency. However, like all the ot...

Will the hon. Lady give way?

No, I will not.

Why has the Secretary of State ignored the sincere requests from Labour Mem...

Order. We have just about half an hour, so Members may have three minutes each. If anyone takes a...

We have heard half a dozen maiden speeches today, all more eloquent than mine, and I congratulate...

I commend my new colleague, my hon. Friend the Member for North West Durham (Mr Holden), for taki...

I congratulate all those who have made maiden speeches, particularly my hon. Friend the Member fo...

I start by welcoming the Bill. The core tenet of the common agricultural policy—subsidising farmi...

This is an excellent Bill, and I am delighted to support it. I draw the House’s attention to my e...

As part of the all-party group on skills, I shall practise the skill of squeezing an eight-minute...

Order. Sorry, but we must move on.

9.27 pm

It is a pleasure to be able to welcome this groundbreaking Bill. Now that we are outside the EU, ...

I wholeheartedly support the Bill, both in principle and in detail, but farmers in my constituenc...

I welcome the Bill, which is a fine transition between the EU and the UK and a real opportunity f...

I know from farmers in my constituency that there is an appetite to see a UK agriculture sector t...

This will be less of a speech and more of some slightly connected bullet points. I welcome this B...

There we have it—an Agriculture Bill that is not really about food or public good; without public...

It is a real pleasure to close this debate. This is the second time that I have taken this Bill—o...

Will my hon. Friend give way?

I will not give way as I want to cover as many of the issues raised by hon. Members as possible.<...

Thank you, Mr Deputy Speaker. It is a great honour to share this debate with so many Members maki...