Contributions
1,788 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDAgriculture Sector: GrowthThe hon. Gentleman makes an important set of points about the biosecurity needed to protect our country. Over the past few weeks we have had a series of questions across the…06 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Procurement: British ProduceOver recent weeks we have announced a series of reforms delivering on the Government’s new deal for farmers, ensuring that, in line with World Trade Organisation rules and…06 Feb 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsMy near neighbour raises an important point—this is a very high-value sector. A commitment was made to designate thoroughbred horses as high-health animals as part of the border…06 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Procurement: British ProduceI am grateful to the right hon. Gentleman not only for his question, but for his interest in and attendance at DEFRA questions—we are honoured to have him here. I am very happy to…06 Feb 2025HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank the Chair of the Select Committee for his question. The issues at Dover are significant and long-running. The funding was not resolved ahead of the general election, and…06 Feb 2025HANSARDPublic Procurement: British ProduceMy hon. Friend is absolutely right; there is a real opportunity here, with £5 billion of purchasing power in the public sector, so we are looking at ways of ensuring that happens.…06 Feb 2025HANSARDBudget: Impact on FarmersI thank the hon. Member for his question, which is one that I have been asked at the Dispatch Box many times over the past few weeks. I have been to meet farmers in Cumbria, and…06 Feb 2025HANSARDCat Breeding: RegulationUnder the Animal Welfare (Licensing of Activities Involving Animals) (England) Regulations 2018, anyone in the business of breeding and selling cats as pets needs to have a valid…06 Feb 2025HANSARDCat Breeding: RegulationI thank the hon. Member for his question and for his references. The Animal Welfare Committee has provided its opinion on the welfare implications of current and emergent feline…06 Feb 2025HANSARDAgriculture Sector: GrowthI thank the hon. Gentleman for his question. The Secretary of State set out our vision to boost farmers’ profitability and sustainability in our plan for change when he spoke to…06 Feb 2025HANSARDCat Breeding: RegulationThis is an issue that has been widely discussed. Our advice is that it would be difficult to enforce in practice, but I fully recognise the distress and concern that it causes.06 Feb 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaI am grateful to the hon. Gentleman for his invitation. I have had numerous invitations. Last week, I was in Northumberland looking at rural crime, and this week I was at the…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaThe hon. Gentleman makes strong points. I think there is general awareness of, and concern about, what is going on. It is important to say to people that, if they have concerns…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaI thank the hon. Gentleman for his important question. Everything we do to stop the spread will help businesses such as the one he described. Some specific rules and regulations…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaThe hon. Lady is absolutely right: we need to be very careful about that. I can assure her that those are exactly the kinds of discussions that I am having with officials. We are…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaI thank the shadow Secretary of State for her important questions. First, I reassure her and the House that the individual in question is, in my understanding, making a full…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaI am, as ever, grateful to the hon. Gentleman for raising the issue as it impacts Northern Ireland. We have been developing a UK-wide response to this, and my officials are in…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaI thank my hon. Friend for his very important question. I can assure him that an entire apparatus is in place to ensure that all reassurance can be given to the kind of businesses…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaThe right hon. Gentleman is absolutely right. The importance of biosecurity cannot be overstressed —that is the way to tackle this. He is also right to say that amateurs and small…30 Jan 2025HANSARD Avian InfluenzaWe have indeed assessed it. Of course, it is extraordinary that that happened. In terms of what we are doing, the system is well resourced to deal with these outbreaks, and we…30 Jan 2025