The Bishop of Exeter received the following written answers on 25th April 2022:
The Lord Bishop of Exeter asked Her Majesty’s Government how many cases of avian flu were reported in the UK in the years (1) 2019, (2) 2020, (3) 2021, and (4) 2022 so far.
Lord Benyon (Con): In 2019, one case of notifiable avian influenza was confirmed in the UK, a case of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza (LPAI) H5N3 in England.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about avian influenza”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.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about support for agriculture following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine”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.
Continue reading “Bishop of Exeter asks about challenges facing farmers”The Bishop of St Albans asked the government to provide a timetable for legislation to reduce crimes affecting farmers and rural communities, during a debate on the economic viability of small farms on 9th December 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. Of course, one of the things that is really affecting the viability of small family farms is rural crime: theft of equipment, fly-tipping and, in particular, hare-coursing. As the Minister knows, we have been trying to bring forward amendments to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill, which Her Majesty’s Government are resisting. They have the enthusiastic support of the NFU, police from all around the country and Members from every side of this House, so will the Minister tell us the timetable to introduce provisions to try to deal with this very harmful crime?
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about measures to prevent rural crime”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.
Continue reading “Bishop of St Albans asks about purchasing of agricultural land for tree-planting”On 3rd November 2021, the House of Lords debated the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in committee. The Bishop of St Albans moved two amendments to the bill which would broaden the powers of the police and courts to pursue those engaged in illegal hare coursing and poaching of game:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans: My Lords, I declare my interest as president of the Rural Coalition. In moving Amendment 124, I will speak also to Amendment 128 in my name. These amendments seek to strengthen police powers to deal with illegal hare coursing and, more generally, the illegal poaching of game.
Amendment 124 would amend the Game Laws (Amendment) Act 1960 to broaden the police’s powers to remove or arrest an individual trespassing on land where there is clear intent to trespass in pursuit of game, as defined by Section 9 of the Night Poaching Act 1828 and Section 30 of the Game Act 1831. It would also allow the police to seize any vehicles or animals used for the killing or taking of game found in the possession of the trespasser, and would allow the court to order
“the offender to reimburse any expenses incurred by the police in connection with the keeping of any animal seized”.
Further, the amendment seeks to broaden the court’s ability to limit repeated violations by issuing disqualification orders for those individuals convicted under the Night Poaching Act or Game Act for having custody of a dog or dogs.
Continue reading “Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill: Bishop of St Albans moves amendments on poaching and illegal hare coursing”On 22nd April 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Luke Pollard MP (Lab, Plymouth, Sutton & Devonport): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of suspending licences for trail hunting on land owned by the Church; and if he will make a statement.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Answers”On 13th April 2021, Andrew Selous MP, representing the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from MPs:
Church of England: Farms
Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, other than in cases where a tenancy is replacing a previous tenancy let under the Agricultural Holdings Act 1986 how many tenancies have been let (a) for an initial fixed term of five years or less (b) for an initial fixed term of five years or more in each of the last five years, ending with 2020.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions”On 19th March 2021, Andrew Selous MP, on behalf of the Church Commissioners, gave the following written answers to questions from an MP:
Church of England: Farms
Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what forums are available for the church to engage with its farm tenants on ideas for farm business development and environmental management of holdings.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: Farms”On 17th March 2021, the Second Church Estates Commissioner, Andrew Selous MP, gave the following written answer to a question from an MP:
Church of England: Farms
Jim Shannon MP (DUP, Strangford): To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to lengthen the terms of farm business tenancies on its agricultural estate to encourage (a) farm business resilience and (b) improved environmental management.
Continue reading “Church Commissioners Written Questions: Farms”
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