Extract from Lords debate
on Discontinuing Seasonal Changes of Time (EUC
Report)
(Lab):...I have
read the select committee report a couple of times. The reasons for
the change are entirely spurious. I do not accept either the
proportionality argument or the argument for the internal market,
given what I know about the EU. Obviously, we are talking about the
report. I must make it clear that I support the move to permanent
summer time in principle. I have no argument with that. There is
overwhelming evidence for it: energy savings, fewer accidents, less
crime, more leisure and sports and more tourism. Even
the NFU in Scotland supports it, although
the NFU for England and Wales is neutral.
Techniques and everything else have changed since it was done
earlier...
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Extract
from Delegated Legislation Committee consideration of
the Cattle Compensation (England) (Amendment) Order
2018
Dr (Stroud)
(Lab/Co-op):...In the NFU’s consultation response—I will not labour
the point, because many of the NFU’s concerns replicate points I have made—it
was concerned about how the process will operate with the
veterinary risk assessment that will be completed by the APHA. If
DEFRA does not have sufficient confidence in the process and
relationships with the state veterinary service are not always as
good as they might be out on the farm, how can we be say
definitively that the farmer will not be the main loser? Farmers
are losing money, but they are also, dare I say it, losing
confidence in the process. DEFRA continually emphases its
commitment to industry sustainability, and yet the order could
place businesses under severe financial constraint. It would be
interesting to know what the Minister intends to do to build
confidence in the fairness of the process.
I have two more points from the NFU. It said that DEFRA should allow cattle
keepers the option to pay the slaughterhouse in advance to clear
the process. I made that point, but the NFU is clear that there needs to be a
direct mechanism with slaughterhouses, rather than the current
retrospective process. Finally, the NFU said that there is a need to consider
that most cattle that go for slaughter because of TB are not at
the stage of production or conditioning that is normal for
finished animals. They may not have spent any time on dry pasture
or bedding to help to clean them. The order will further penalise
a cattle keeper who is already losing the production potential of
an animal that is taken early...
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