Contributions
571 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDDartmoor PoniesI wish to update the House on the decisive action that we are taking to secure the long-term future of Dartmoor’s iconic pony populations through a package of new protections and…16 Jul 2026HANSARDZane Gbangbola InquiryToday I am announcing the appointment of Dr Sandie Okoro OBE as chair of the independent, non-statutory inquiry into the circumstances surrounding the death of Zane Gbangbola.…13 Jul 2026HANSARDFarm Business SustainabilityMy hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth South (Stephen Morgan), the new farming and food Minister, and I published our new farming road map, which is the first ever long-term…09 Jul 2026HANSARDFarm Business SustainabilityMy hon. Friend is right to raise this issue. We are engaging with the National Farmers’ Union on this; we know it is a great concern for farmers. We have asked the Agriculture and…09 Jul 2026HANSARDFarm Business SustainabilityI pay tribute to the work my hon. Friend does representing her local farmers, and I hope the Liskeard show goes well later this week. The Farming and Food Partnership Board, which…09 Jul 2026HANSARDFarm Business SustainabilityI could not agree more. I absolutely pay tribute to the right hon. Gentleman’s local young farmers’ club. As he knows, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs…09 Jul 2026HANSARDFarm Business SustainabilityI reassure the hon. Lady that those farmers whose agreements are coming to an end towards the end of this year or early next year—there are obviously thousands—will be able to…09 Jul 2026HANSARDDartmoor PoniesDartmoor ponies are a vital part of our landscape and history. As the Environment Secretary, I have a duty to protect our native species, which obviously include Dartmoor ponies.…09 Jul 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI thank my hon. Friend for raising this issue. We have worked in close partnership with farmers and stakeholders to shape the new SFI. I can reassure my hon. Friend, and Members…09 Jul 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsThat is some brass neck, given that the whole issue of the Dartmoor ponies was created under the right hon. Lady’s Government. They rejected several of the Fursdon review…09 Jul 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe right hon. Lady lectures us about regulators. We have a tighter grip on our arms-length bodies than the Conservatives did when they were in Government. I issued strategic…09 Jul 2026HANSARDFarm Business SustainabilityI would take our record over the hon. Gentleman’s record any time. The Conservatives could not even be bothered to spend the farming budget when they were in power. They sold…09 Jul 2026HANSARDDartmoor PoniesI pay tribute to my hon. Friend for his work on this important issue. I know there is a lot of concern in his local area and beyond about Dartmoor ponies, but I reassure him that…09 Jul 2026HANSARDDartmoor PoniesI agree. Given that the Conservatives created this mess by rejecting some of the Fursdon recommendations, it is a bit rich of them to have a go at the current Government, as we…09 Jul 2026HANSARDAgri-tech SectorInnovation and productivity go hand in hand, and the Government are backing British agri-tech with real investment. Innovation is central to our farming road map, and I recently…09 Jul 2026HANSARDAgri-tech SectorMy hon. Friend is right to say that the Government absolutely recognise the potential of agri-tech as a high-growth sector. That is why it is included in the Government’s…09 Jul 2026HANSARDAgri-tech SectorI could not agree more with the right hon. Gentleman that the centre is a UK national asset. I or the Minister of State, my hon. Friend the Member for Portsmouth South (Stephen…09 Jul 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsSince our last oral questions, we have recently published England’s first long-term farming road map, as I mentioned earlier, and we have opened the first application window for…09 Jul 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI can reassure my hon. Friend of that. He will have seen that I wrote to Ofwat setting out my early concerns that the creditors’ current proposal does not do enough to protect…09 Jul 2026HANSARDTopical QuestionsI can reassure the hon. Gentleman that it is a priority for the Government. I visited the University of Surrey’s veterinary medicine school yesterday, and we have been engaging…09 Jul 2026