Tag: agriculture

Bishop of St Albans asks about agricultural workers

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 26th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to address the shortfall of workers in the agricultural sector.

Lord Benyon (Con): Defra continues to work closely with industry and other Government departments to understand labour supply and demand, including both permanent and seasonal workforce requirements, and to ensure there is a long-term strategy for the food and farming workforce.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about support for agriculture following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine

The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answer on 5th April 2022:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact of (1) inflationary, and (2) supply chain, pressures on British farming exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine; and what consideration they have given to pausing the phasing out of direct payments to farmers for two years to enable them to adjust to these changes in the market.

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Bishop of Exeter asks about challenges facing farmers

On 3rd March 2022, the Bishop of Exeter tabled a question on the government’s assessment of statements on challenges to farming raised by the National Farmers’ Union:

The Lord Bishop of Exeter: To ask Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the remarks by Minette Batters, president of the National Farmers’ Union, on 23 February, about the challenges facing farming.

Lord Benyon (Con): My Lords, I declare my farming interests as set out in the register. Defra continues to actively engage with the farming industry to deliver the changes we are implementing to support a strong and thriving agricultural sector, including measures to support productivity, raise standards and deliver environmental public goods. The NFU president raised many interesting and wide-ranging points during her keynote conference speech on 22 February, and we welcome them as a constructive contribution to the ongoing debate on the future of our agricultural industry.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about purchasing of agricultural land for tree-planting

The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answer on 3rd December 2021:

The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have, if any, (1) to investigate the purchase of agricultural farmland by multinational companies for the purpose of planting trees to offset carbon emissions, and (2) to prevent agricultural farm land being purchased for such purposes.

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Church Commissioner Questions -worship, choral singing, bereavement support, marriage, rewilding, tree planting, net zero targets, regenerative agriculture, Westminster Abbey

On 17th June 2021 MPs put questions to Andrew Selous MP, Second Church Estates Commissioner. Text of the oral and written answers is below.

Oral Questions


Martin Vickers (Cleethorpes) (Con): Whether the Church of England plans to support online and in-person communal worship as covid-19 restrictions are lifted. (901321)


The Second Church Estates Commissioner (Andrew Selous): The Church of England is strongly encouraging churches to support both in-person and online communal worship, and training has been given to thousands of clergy to enable this. It is up to local churches to decide how best to do this.

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Bishop of St Albans calls for greater recognition of the importance of rural economies and agriculture to food security

The Bishop of St Albans spoke in a debate on a recent Food, Poverty, Health and the Environment Committee report on 10th June 2021, highlighting the intersection between food security, health outcomes, and overall inequality, and the importance of agriculture and rural economies in levelling-up food production :

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I warmly welcome the former Archbishop of York, the noble and right reverend Lord, Lord Sentamu, on behalf of these Benches and the whole House. It is a great privilege to follow him in today’s debate, on his return to the House, and I am sure that his wisdom, compassion, and insight, will be valuable as we move forward in this new parliamentary session.

Hungry for Change outlines the challenges in health and production underlying our food system. Like others, I pay tribute to Marcus Rashford for his campaign last summer in extending the national voucher scheme. I also wish him and the entire English football team good fortune for their opening Euro 2021 match against Croatia this Sunday.

Food poverty remains a serious issue here in the UK, one which has been exacerbated by the economic hardships endured by low-income individuals during the Covid crisis. The Department for Work and Pensions HBAI statistics for 2020 identify 5 million people, including 1.7 million children, as experiencing food insecurity, and half of them had very low food security. 

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Church Commissioners Questions: Land

On 12th March 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Church of England: Land

Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the church is taking to encourage (a) regenerative agriculture, (b) more treeplanting and (c) good stewardship of hedgerows across its rural estates.

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Church Commissioners Written Questions: Church Owned Land

On 27th January 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:

Church Commissioners: Land

Kerry McCarthy MP (Lab, Bristol East): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of the area of Church Commissioner-owned land tenancies, under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986, that will come up for renewal in the next (a) five years and (b) 10 years.

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Bishop of St Albans asks about Agriculture Transition Plan

On 8th December the Bishop of St Albans responded to a Government statement on its Agriculture Transition Plan:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans [V]: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition and pay tribute to the Minister, who has worked so hard on getting this through.
In the ELMS policy discussion document, Her Majesty’s Government recognised the bureaucratic burden that the CAP had placed on farmers and administrators. We were optimistic that the rollout of rural broadband would help a great deal, although the comprehensive spending review seems to have drawn back, and many people in rural areas are deeply concerned about how these new processes will be worked through.
Can the Minister outline the plans for the ELMS application process and how it is intended to reduce bureaucratic constraints? Can he assure the agricultural community that there will be adequate helplines staffed by those who have been fully trained in these new processes?

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Church Commissioner Questions: public worship, tree planting, Christmas services, gender-based violence, Living in Love and Faith, cathedral services, Christian persecution, community support, consistory court appeals

On 26th November MPs put questions to the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, on public worship, tree planting, Christmas services, gender-based violence, Living in Love and Faith, cathedral services, Christian persecution, community support and consistory court appeals. A transcript is below:

Church Commissioners

The hon. Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners was asked—

Covid-19 Lockdown: Public Worship

Sir Edward Leigh (Gainsborough) (Con): What representations the Church of England has made to the Government on the importance of public worship during periods of covid-19 lockdown. [909344] Continue reading “Church Commissioner Questions: public worship, tree planting, Christmas services, gender-based violence, Living in Love and Faith, cathedral services, Christian persecution, community support, consistory court appeals”