Contributions
1,165 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) BillThere will be transparency in the sense that any authorised product will be listed. No marketing authorisation will be granted for the sale of any food unless it has been properly…15 Jun 2022HANSARD Genetic Technology (Precision Breeding) BillThe Bill defines this quite tightly and lists what classes of animals are to be included. On some of these very specific technical issues, I am sure that hon. Members who have…15 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyMy right hon. Friend raises an important point. He has been a long-standing champion for the hedgehog, as many Members will know, and he has previously raised with me the issue of…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyMy hon. Friend raises some important points. We are watching the situation closely on fertiliser supply. Our current assessment is that production at the Billingham plant, which…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyI very much enjoyed meeting growers from my hon. Friend’s constituency with its wonderful fenland and high-grade horticultural land. We do indeed keep a close eye on the…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyI think the hon. Lady is wrong on food prices for this reason: EU-produced food can still enter the UK completely tariff-free, and at the moment we are not even requiring export…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyMy hon. Friend does indeed represent an important part of our country for horticulture—in fact, I spent a summer working on an apple orchard at Bransford in her constituency. On…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyMy hon. Friend highlights an important issue and I can assure him that we are not kicking it into the long grass. The soft drinks levy was indeed a tremendous success, but only…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyWe have to be mindful of some of the unintended consequences if we load too many of these things on to the universal credit system. As Members will know, one of the principles…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyWe are monitoring the situation, but the hon. Gentleman will be aware that there are some commercially sensitive issues around that. He talks about the potential sale of the site…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyAs the hon. Lady will know, the Government committed to keeping the budget that we spend on agriculture the same in cash terms for every year of this Parliament. That is exactly…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyWe have judged that we do not need any new legislative powers to implement all the things we have set out to do in the strategy. However, we have been very clear that the Food…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyThe money is already available, and we have already had a number of rounds. Indeed, earlier this year, when we opened a round of the farming investment fund for equipment on…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyAs I explained earlier, the Chancellor has unveiled a package of measures to help those on the lowest incomes deal with the sharp increase in energy costs. We also have a range of…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyThe hon. Lady raises an important point. During the pandemic, when there were concerns about global supply chains, we looked in great detail, with the Department of Health, at…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyOn the latter point, I am happy to meet my hon. Friend to discuss some of the issues that fishermen in his constituency have raised with him. Over the last six months the price of…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyAgriculture policy is indeed devolved but we have created the UK agricultural partnership. Its last meeting took place in Northern Ireland and I heard about some of the Northern…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyAs I said, we have a range of policies in place, including the holiday activities and food programme and the work we do through FareShare. We also have the household support fund,…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyToday I have published the Government’s first ever food strategy, outlining our plan to transform our food system to ensure it is fit for the future. The Government food strategy…13 Jun 2022HANSARDGovernment Food StrategyFirst, may I take this opportunity —my first at the Dispatch Box—to welcome my right hon. Friend to his new post on the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee. He was a…13 Jun 2022