If you have been following my work and social media for some time, you will know that I am very supportive of British agriculture. Our farmers in Stroud, the Valleys and Vale constantly impress me, not least as they are often working in difficult conditions. Whether they are faced with bad weather or a global pandemic, they keep going - committed to providing us with food, protecting our land and taking care of their animals and staff. A quick look around at our beautiful countryside and the livestock roaming in the Valleys will show you what a good job they are doing.
I want to thank our local farms and the Gloucestershire NFU for their insight and the extensive information provided as we have moved through the various stages of the Agriculture Bill. Even though I was not able to speak in the Report Stage debate (the number of MPs who can speak in the temporary virtual parliament is limited), I have followed the progress carefully.
The Bill and the amendments that were before the House (13th May 2020) focused on three important issues: stronger communities, protecting the environment and the UK’s ability to compete on the world stage.
I do not mind saying out loud that I was very torn about whether to support one of the amendments – New Clause 1 (NC1). This was widely reported as a route to protect import food standards. It was set down by Neil Parish MP, who I greatly respect too. I also know that some farmers and NFU teams were keen for the amendment to be supported.
After researching NC1 and the issues of trade, together with speaking to a range of people and listening to the debates in parliament, I came to the conclusion that the amendment, while well-intentioned, would do more harm than good for the farming industry. As a result, I decided not to back the amendment.
The strong import and export standards that we already have should of course be maintained and improved whenever necessary. The NC1 amendment however sought to determine the production processes in other countries. I can see that this could be perceived as popular as we all want high standards in other countries. However, to attempt to dictate production elsewhere is well beyond the norm of international trading arrangements. The broad nature of NC1 is certainly not something countries usually include in Free Trade Agreements.
I do not believe the EU or countries like Japan, Australia, New Zealand or Canada would accept the import terms proposed. I understand that we would not be prepared to accept those terms ourselves.
Farmers are very keen to see a deal done with the EU. You will recall that many farmers and the NFU expressed extensive concerns about a ‘no deal’ Brexit, always favouring the UK reaching a deal. It is my reading of the NC1 amendment that it would’ve jeopardised a deal with the EU.
If the UK’s trade was restricted by standards requirements that effectively stated we could not import some of the products we are already used to accessing here, it would seriously impact consumers. It would also stop our farmers from benefitting from export opportunities.
We can avoid significantly restricting current and future trade potential but still ensure our farming industry can to succeed. There are a number of new opportunities in front of us. We must maintain our import standards, overhaul labelling to encourage educated consumer choice and ensure that each individual trade deal properly provides for our food security, standards and the farming industry.
I believe that individual trade deal negotiations and parliamentary scrutiny of the same is the correct place for standards issues to be addressed, not the wide reaching Agriculture bill.
I hope the above gives you more information about my thought processes towards the Agriculture Bill amendment NC1. If you want more information about Agriculture Bill generally – which I support, please see the blog post on my website about this.
It is also worth noting that the art of virtual voting is not quite running smoothly yet in parliament. A few MPs voted the wrong way by accident (including the Chancellor!) and internet systems went down at crucial times for a few of us (my final vote of ‘Aye’ in favour of the overall Bill was not registered). The Whips and House teams are aware. The Bill still passed and my record on the various stages of the Bill to date shows my support in any event.
The Bill will now go to the House of Lords. I will watch this stage very carefully and there will be ongoing discussions between MPs like myself and DEFRA Ministers in connection with the Bill generally and to address points raised by our farming communities.
