Contributions
1,165 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARD 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 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 PlanMy hon. Friend makes a very important point. We are looking at this matter. We believe that removing the area-based subsidies, could allow some adjustment in land rents to reduce…30 Nov 2020HANSARD Agricultural Transition PlanIt is the case that some of those lands that are in more marginal areas, where it is less productive, will see more opportunities to access local nature recovery, and in some…30 Nov 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsThe Government believe that the Hunting Act is sufficient. Where there are breaches, it should be enforced. It is for individual landowners to choose, as they always have done,…26 Nov 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsI do not accept the point that the hon. Lady makes. We have recently banned plastic stirrers, plastic straws and plastic cotton buds. We are considering other bans on single-use…26 Nov 2020HANSARDTopical QuestionsYes.26 Nov 2020