Speeches by Moore.

“On a point of order, Mr Twigg. Before I start my speech, I would like to go back to the comments that I made earlier. With the motion now having been moved, I seek your guidance on how we can consider these regulations without any financial impact assessment having been undertaken.”

“Further to that point of order, Mr Twigg. Can utilisation of the rules of this House bring a closure motion before the Committee. If we do not have before us the information needed to consider properly this legislation’s impact on many farming businesses, is a mechanism available to me to move a closure motion, so that…”

“On a point of order, Mr Twigg. I seek your guidance. The Minister has just said that no economic impact assessment has been carried out on the draft legislation that we are considering. He noted that previous impact assessments were done under the Agriculture Act passed in a previous Parliament, but that was a signific…”

“I just want to make it clear that we did not indicate dropping the delinked payments at the speed at which the Government are doing it—in the fifth year of the seven years of transition. That is the clear difference and the reason why we are debating this piece of legislation today.”

“That is my point. This weekend I will visit farmers in Northumberland, who have contacted me to make the point that some of our cross-border farming operations will have access to very different subsidy schemes and environmental payment schemes north of the border and south of the border. Has the Minister has considere…”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“That is why this debate is so important. I come back to the point that a financial assessment is crucial, because farming is like no other industry. An arable farmer relies on the cash coming into the business when they sell their crop. They are able to sell that crop only once it has been harvested. They may sell it o…”

“My right hon. Friend makes a very serious point, and I will develop my thinking on that later in my speech. If the Secretary of State has visited very few farms—just a handful—since the general election, how could he and the Government have come to the conclusion that there is no need for a financial impact assessment?…”

“Further to that point of order, Mr Twigg. I seek clarity on whether I can move a closure motion. I am seeking your guidance on that.”

“That is the crux of the issue. I am sure that all Members have been contacted by many of those in the environmental lobby who are deeply concerned that closing the SFI applications is having a detrimental impact not only on our many farming businesses, but on the environmental benefit for which the SFI schemes are desi…”

“I absolutely agree. That takes me back to a point I made to the farming Minister at DEFRA questions just last week. I told him that many farming businesses are deeply concerned about the collective impacts of the wider budgetary changes, and he said that I need to get out more and speak to more farming businesses. Just…”

“My hon. Friend is absolutely right. I was at the Yorkshire agricultural machinery show just a month or so ago, and I spoke to many farming businesses and many people associated with them, including machinery dealers and feed merchants. Many of them are saying to me that already their order books have dramatically reduc…”

“My hon. Friend makes an excellent point. The Government’s narrative is that food security is national security, but those are just warm words because they are not followed up at all by any policy setting an attractive agenda for our farming community. Indeed, every Government announcement seems to negatively impact it.”

“It comes back to both points that have been made, and perhaps the Minister will pick them up in his response. There is no absolute clarity about the deadlines or timelines for new announcements that will come forward to replace the sustainable farming incentive extended offer, which opened to all applicants only in Nov…”

“You might both want to comment on this. What do you feel will be the cost implications of changing the identification process?”

“I am keen to delve into the work of the commission. On the back of the strategy that was launched in January, what interactions or discussions have you had with the Home Office or the Government? Is there any indication of their response, in terms of going forward?”

“I want to get an understanding of how you feel cross-Government working is happening, on the basis of the Act coming in. Maybe I could start with you, Emma. How effective has cross-Government working been since the Act came into force, in your opinion?”

“Kathy, would you like to add anything?”

“Or beyond that, to issues such as social implications, but start with finance.”

“As you say, the strategy is rightly ambitious. I know you have had that interaction with the Home Office, but from the discussions that you have had so far, has it given any indication of reaching those ambitious goals that you have rightly set in the strategy?”