Select Committee on Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Written Evidence


Memorandum submitted by the Home-Grown Cereals Authority (Appendix 4)

  1.  The Home-Grown Cereals Authority wishes to give written evidence to the Environment Food and Rural Affairs Committee on Chapter 2 of the Bill, Power to Reform Agricultural etc Bodies.

THE REVIEW OF LEVY BODIES

  2.  HGCA welcomes the proposal by Defra to review its sponsored agricultural and horticultural levy bodies. We believe that this review will provide an opportunity to bring the support which the levy bodies give to the industry into line with the needs of growers and processors as they are today, following the great changes which have taken place since the levy bodies were first established.

THE DRAFT BILL

  3.  The draft Bill seems to us to make good provision to put into effect whatever changes to the levy board structure Ministers may decide upon following the review. While any Section 49 or 50 Order that is made to set up a new Board or Boards will require careful drafting, the Bill and its schedules provide good signposting for the draftsman to follow in addition to giving Ministers the necessary powers to implement the measures. It will be particularly important to have a well structured consultation process across the industry if and when structural changes to the current levy bodies are proposed to ensure that all the stakeholders buy into any new structure.

  4.  One small area which may need strengthening in the draft Bill is the definition of Agriculture in Section 50 (4). While the mainstream arable crops (cereals, oilseeds, potatoes, sugar beet, peas and beans) are not mentioned by name (although dairy farming another clear part of agriculture is listed specifically), it might be assumed that no one would ever form the view that they are not part of agriculture. However, someone might make a case that biomass crops or other plants grown for energy production were not agricultural crops, particularly where tree species were being grown for the purpose. There may also be an increase in the area of novel crops grown for pharmaceutical or other high value industrial purposes during the life of the Act. The Bill should include a "catch all" phrase to make it clear that the Act, when it becomes one, applies to all crops grown on a commercial or field scale.

  5.  The HGCA does not wish to make comment on any other part of the draft Bill.

Home-Grown Cereals Authority

February 2005





 
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