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House of Commons

Thursday 5 March 2020

Public Bill Committee Proceedings

Agriculture Bill

[First to Twelfth Sittings]

Glossary

This document shows the fate of each clause, schedule, amendment and new clause.

The following terms are used:

Agreed to: agreed without a vote.

Agreed to on division: agreed following a vote.

Negatived: rejected without a vote.

Negatived on division: rejected following a vote.

Not called: debated in a group of amendments, but not put to a decision.

Not moved: not debated or put to a decision.

Question proposed: debate underway but not concluded.

Withdrawn after debate: moved and debated but then withdrawn, so not put to a decision.

Not selected: not chosen for debate by the Chair.

First and Second Sittings

George Eustice

Agreed to

That—

(1)  

the Committee shall (in addition to its first meeting at 9.25 am on Tuesday 11

February) meet—

(a)  

at 2.00 pm on Tuesday 11 February; 

(b)  

at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 13 February;

(c)  

at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 25 February;

(d)  

at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 27 February;

(e)  

at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 3 March;

(f)  

at 11.30 am and 2.00 pm on Thursday 5 March;

(g)  

at 9.25 am and 2.00 pm on Tuesday 10 March;

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 5 March 2020            

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Agriculture Bill, continued

(2)  

the Committee shall hear oral evidence in accordance with the following

Table:

TABLE

(3)  

proceedings on consideration of the Bill in Committee shall be taken in the

following order: Clauses 1 to 28; Schedule 1; Clause 29; Schedule 2; Clauses

30 to 34; Schedule 3; Clause 35; Schedule 4; Clauses 36 to 43; Schedule 5;

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 5 March 2020            

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Agriculture Bill, continued

Clauses 44 and 45; Schedule 6; Clauses 46 to 49; Schedule 7; Clauses 50 to

54; new Clauses; new Schedules; remaining proceedings on the Bill;

(4)  

the proceedings shall (so far as not previously concluded) be brought to a

conclusion at 5.00 pm on Tuesday 10 March.

George Eustice

That, subject to the discretion of the Chair, any written evidence received by the

Committee shall be reported to the House for publication.

Agreed to

George Eustice

That, at this and any subsequent meeting at which oral evidence is to be heard, the

Committee shall sit in private until the witnesses are admitted.

Agreed to

The following witnesses gave oral evidence:

Martin Lines, Chair, Nature Friendly Farming Network; Ffinlo Costain, Farmwel; Caroline

Drummond MBE, Chief Executive, LEAF; and Jack Ward, Chief Executive, British Growers

Association

Thomas Lancaster, Principal Policy Officer, Agriculture, RSPB; David Bowles, Head of Public

Affairs, RSPCA; Christopher Price, CEO, Rare Breeds Survival Trust; John Cross, Chair,

Traceability Design User Group; and Simon Hall, Managing Director, Livestock Information Ltd

Ivor Ferguson, President, Ulster Farmers’ Union; and Norman Fulton, Deputy Secretary (Food

and Farming Group), DAERA

Nick von Westenholz, Director of EU Exit and International Trade, NFU; and David Goodwin,

Agriculture Chairman, National Federation of Young Farmers’ Clubs

Richard Self, Agriculture Manager, Cooperatives UK

Graeme Willis, Policy and Technical Expert, Campaign to Protect Rural England; Jim Egan,

Technical Adviser, Kings Crops; and Jake Fiennes, General Manager (Conservation), Holkham

Estate

Judicaelle Hammond, Director of Policy, Country Land and Business Association; and George

Dunn, CEO, Tenant Farmers Association

Third and Fourth Sittings

The following witnesses gave oral evidence:

Dr Nick Fenwick, Head of Policy, Farmers Union of Wales; John Davies, President, and Huw

Thomas, Political Adviser, National Farmers Union Cymru; Tim Render, Welsh Government

Gareth Morgan, Head of Policy, Farming and Land Use, Soil Association

Jonnie Hall, Director of Policy, NFU Scotland; Alan Clarke, Chief Executive, Quality Meat

Scotland; and George Burgess, Deputy Director, Trade Policy, Food & Drink, Scottish

Government

George Monbiot

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 5 March 2020            

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Agriculture Bill, continued

Professor Bill Keevil, Professor of Environmental Healthcare within School of Biological

Sciences, University of Southampton

Diana Holland, Assistant General Secretary (responsible for Food, Drink and Agriculture),

UNITE; Jyoti Fernandes, Campaigns and Policy Co-ordinator, Landworkers Alliance

Vicki Hird, Campaign Co-ordinator, Food and Farming Policy, Sustain; James West, Senior

Policy Manager, and Dr Nick Palmer, Head, Compassion in World Farming

Sue Davies MBE, Head of Consumer Protection and Food Policy, Which?

Fifth and Sixth Sittings

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Negatived on division  1

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  6,  leave out “may” and insert “must”

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Negatived on division  2

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  8,  at end insert—

“(aa)    

supporting agriculture and horticulture businesses in enabling public

access to healthy food that is farmed in an environmentally sustainable

way, including food produced through whole farm agroecological

systems”

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Negatived on division  34

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  12,  at end insert—

“(ca)    

improving public health;”

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Negatived on division  6

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  13,  after “(d)” insert “limiting greenhouse gas emissions

from agriculture or horticulture or encouraging activities that reduce such emissions or

remove greenhouse gas from the atmosphere, or otherwise”

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 5 March 2020            

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Agriculture Bill, continued

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Negatived on division  40

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  17,  at end insert “, including measures to improve the

standard of accommodation for farrowing sows”

Kerry McCarthy

Not called  11

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  24,  at end insert—

“(k)    

establishing, maintaining and expanding agroecological farming

systems, including organic farming.”

Kerry McCarthy

Negatived on division  12

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  28,  after “activity” insert “, provided that such assistance

does not contradict or undermine the purposes in section 1(1).”

Kerry McCarthy

Negatived on division  14

Clause  1,  page  2,  line  32,  leave out subsection (4) and insert—

“(4)    

In framing any financial assistance scheme, the Secretary of State must have

regard to—

(a)    

the need to encourage the production of food by producers in England

and its production by them in an environmentally sustainable way; and

(b)    

the need to ensure that all farms and horticulture units, including those

smaller than five hectares, can access financial assistance.”

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Not called  3

Clause  1,  page  3,  line  6,  at end insert ““environmentally sustainable way” means in

a way which employs factors and practices that contribute to the quality of environment

on a long-term basis and avoids the depletion of natural resources”

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Not called  35

Clause  1,  page  3,  line  12,  at end insert—

““improving public health” includes—

(a)    

increasing the availability, affordability, diversity, quality and

marketing of fruit, vegetables and pulses,

(b)    

reducing farm antibiotic and related veterinary product use, and

antibiotic resistance in harmful micro-organisms, through

improved animal health and welfare,

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 5 March 2020            

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Agriculture Bill, continued

(c)    

providing support for farmers to diversify out of domestic

production of foods where there may be reduced demand due to

public concerns over issues such as health, environment, and

animal welfare, and

(d)    

reducing harm from use of chemicals on farms, and reducing

pesticide residues in food;”

Mr Robert Goodwill

Withdrawn after debate  8

Clause  1,  page  3,  line  13,  after “kept” insert “or managed”

Kerry McCarthy

Negatived on division  13

Clause  1,  page  3,  line  17,  at end insert ““protecting or improving the quality of

soil” includes the restoration of blanket bog and other peatland habitats.”

Victoria Prentis

Agreed to  15

Clause  1,  page  3,  line  21,  at end insert “made by the Secretary of State”

Clause, as amended, Agreed to.

Seventh and Eighth Sittings

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Withdrawn after debate  63

Clause  2,  page  3,  line  25,  at end insert—

“(1A)    

The Secretary of State must by regulations make provision for establishing any

financial assistance scheme and setting out how it will be designed and how it will

operate.

(1B)    

No motion may be made in either House of Parliament for the approval of any

regulations under subsection (1A) unless—

(a)    

a draft of those regulations has been submitted for scrutiny by any select

committee of either House of Parliament which, in the opinion of the

Secretary of State, has a remit which includes responsibility for scrutiny

of financial assistance under section 1, and

(b)    

any such committee has expressed a view on the draft regulations.”

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Negatived on division  36

Clause  2,  page  3,  line  27,  at end insert—

Public Bill Committee Proceedings: 5 March 2020            

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Agriculture Bill, continued

“(2A)    

Financial assistance may not be given to any person who is not compliant with

standards set out in regulations made by the Secretary of State under section

[Duty and regulations governing agricultural and horticultural activity].”

Daniel Zeichner

Luke Pollard

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Withdrawn after debate  48

Clause  2,  page  3,  line  30,  at end insert—

“(3A)    

Financial assistance allocated to a scheme in a particular year but not spent within

that year may be carried over to a future year for spending on one or more

schemes.”

Victoria Prentis

Agreed to  16

Clause  2,  page  3,  line  31,  leave out from “to” to end of line 32 and insert “the maker

or operator of a third party scheme in connection with expenditure involved in

establishing or operating the scheme (including the provision of financial support)”

Luke Pollard

Daniel Zeichner

Ruth Jones

Dr Alan Whitehead

Thangam Debbonaire

Withdrawn after debate  4

Clause  2,  page  3,  line  32,  at end insert—

“(4A)    

Financial assistance under subsection (1)(1)(f) for protecting or improving the

health or welfare of livestock shall only be given to a person who satisfies the

Secretary of State that they—

(a)    

achieve, or have undertaken to achieve, standards of animal welfare

which exceed the minimum requirements laid down by legislation

governing welfare of livestock,

(b)    

raise animals in such a way that enables them to carry out their natural

behaviours,

(c)    

do not subject livestock to any prohibited procedure (within the meaning

of section 5 of the Animal Welfare Act 2006),

(d)    

do not kill livestock in any place other than in a slaughterhouse unless—

(i)    

a veterinary surgeon has certified that this is necessary due to the

animal’s poor health, and

(ii)    

the method of killing is humane, and

(e)    

do not, after IP completion day, export animals for slaughter or fattening

unless—

(i)    

the livestock is exported from Northern Ireland to the Republic

of Ireland, and

(ii)    

it is made a requirement of sale that the livestock shall not be re-

exported by the buyer.”