Contributions
1,459 recent contributions in Hansard
HANSARDBovine TuberculosisMy Lords, the noble Lord kindly briefed me on the issues at Gatcombe. However, the Government have already developed a five-point plan with industry: restrict contact between…29 Jan 2020HANSARDBovine TuberculosisMy Lords, the Downs peer- reviewed scientific paper of 2019 showed a 66% reduction in TB herd incidence rates in the Gloucestershire cull area and a 37% reduction in the Somerset…29 Jan 2020HANSARDBovine TuberculosisMy noble friend is right: no country has achieved bovine TB-free status without having cattle controls and culling infected wildlife species. The Republic of Ireland, New Zealand,…29 Jan 2020HANSARDBovine TuberculosisMy Lords, the noble Lord is right. The annual Defra budget for TB eradication in England is £100 million a year. We are investing in TB R&D because we know that we do not know…29 Jan 2020HANSARDBovine TuberculosisThe culls are taking place in areas where there is a high-risk zone. Badger vaccinations have been taking place in edge areas; this is why I talked about the range. We are…29 Jan 2020HANSARDDirect Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) BillMy Lords, in many respects this has been a preliminary to our deliberations on the Agriculture Bill; I fully expected that. I will first address in particular the noble Baroness,…29 Jan 2020HANSARDDirect Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) BillThat the Bill be now read a second time.29 Jan 2020HANSARDDirect Payments to Farmers (Legislative Continuity) BillMy Lords, I should at this juncture declare my farming interests as set out in the register. The Bill before your Lordships is concerned with government spending and not changes…29 Jan 2020HANSARDBovine TuberculosisMy Lords, I declare my farming interests as set out in the register. Bovine TB remains one of our greatest animal health threats, causing devastation and distress for hard-working…29 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionMy Lords, I declare my farming interests, as set out in the register. The Agriculture Bill includes powers to give financial assistance to farmers based on public money for public…27 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionMy Lords, we are committed to UK standards not being watered down in trade negotiations with other countries. I should say that treaties cannot change domestic law. Any changes to…27 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionI hope I can answer that by saying that there are already differences between the earlier Agriculture Bill and the one that has been introduced. That is because of scrutiny in the…27 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionMy Lords, we are extremely concerned about the long journeys that live animals are undertaking, which is why we are considering these matters very carefully. We understand that…27 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionMy Lords, without being pedantic, Clause 1 is about the Secretary of State’s powers to give financial assistance. It sets out 10 items of public good for which there is public…27 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionMy Lords, Clause 17 provides a duty to report to Parliament on food security. This country clearly has a high degree of food security and we rely on a supply of healthy and…27 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionMy Lords, systems are already in place to ensure that in all potential crises and disasters. It is clearly a key factor, whether it involves medicine, food or veterinary medicine.…27 Jan 2020HANSARDAgriculture Bill: Food ProductionWe take this very seriously. I know from my own experience the stresses and strains of the agricultural sector and, indeed, the dangers. I absolutely understand that and that is…27 Jan 2020HANSARDTrade Policy: Environmental AspectsOn transport statistics, again, this is an area where we all need to change the way we do things. We need to concentrate on ensuring that there is greater infrastructure, research…23 Jan 2020HANSARDTrade Policy: Environmental AspectsThe noble Lord hits on an important part of what we need to do. We are working on this; I have already had discussions with the Department for Transport, and I will continue to do…23 Jan 2020HANSARDTrade Policy: Environmental AspectsWe will obviously want to retain all our environmental standards—our food safety and other standards—both in our own production and in that coming via imports, because we want to…23 Jan 2020