Contributions
1,165 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanMy hon. Friend makes an important point. We are looking at a number of different disciplines within regenerative farming, including methods such as mob grazing, the use of…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanThe hon. Gentleman has a habit of starting off by suggesting that he is going to pay me a compliment, and things go downhill quite quickly thereafter. The area-based subsidy that…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanAll the studies that have been done on this issue have shown that the single most important thing that we can do to help new entrants on to the land is help those who perhaps…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanAgriculture policy is devolved, so Scottish farmers are not turning their backs on the policy that I have announced today for England. Perhaps the lack of enthusiasm is because of…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanWe think that the policy will lead to stable food prices, but also to a situation in which we change the way we reward farmers. We will reward them not just for occupying land but…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanYes. The Agriculture Act 2020 sets out clear objectives on animal health and welfare, as well as the environmental objectives. We recognise that animal health and welfare is a…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanThe Government set out in our manifesto that we would keep the budget for each part of the UK the same in cash terms for every year of this Parliament, and that is what we intend…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanMy hon. Friend makes a very important point. Under the current common agricultural policy, we have rules about the maximum width of a gateway, the minimum width of a hedge, the…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanWhen it comes to standards in trade agreements, which is one of the issues that were debated, that of course is a reserved matter, since it is a matter for those international…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanMy hon. Friend makes an important point. Indeed, the indications to date are that the Welsh Government will probably take similar approach to the one we are taking in England. It…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanWe will not be cutting the budget: we will be cutting the payments that go through the rather dysfunctional legacy basic payment scheme, and we will instead be directing that…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanI think that there will be opportunities for some of those upland and moorland areas to be able to really benefit from a new policy that is based on payment for the delivery of…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanIt is obviously a devolved policy area, so the Northern Ireland Executive and DAERA will make their own decisions. I suspect that it is likely that they will depart from the…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanMy hon. Friend makes an important point. We are absolutely committed to domestic food production and the crucial role that it plays in our food security. The Agriculture Act 2020…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanThe confusion on this stemmed from the fact that the EU budget runs on a cycle called n+3, where n is seven years, so effectively, the EU budget is across a decade. The budget…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanOur paper today outlines plans for a farming investment fund. That can include small grants to support the deployment of new agricultural technology and larger…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanI reject the hon. Gentleman’s claim that the budget is not what was promised. We promised to maintain the budget in each part of the UK in cash terms at the juncture where we…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanI can give my hon. Friend that commitment. The aim of this policy is very much to support and reward farmers for farming more sustainably, but the emphasis throughout is on…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanThe hon. Gentleman makes a very important point. We do work with the devolved Administrations on the design of future policy. There will be a co-ordinating group on future policy.…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanMy right hon. Friend makes a very important point and I can confirm that that will be possible. We made some changes to the Agriculture Bill to ensure it could support farm…30 Nov 2020