Speeches by Moore.

“Can I just expand a little as well, just on the framework, because I will absolutely keep plugging away for the Bradford district—”

“Do you have the flexibility to change the way in which the questioning takes place, even if you are given statutory powers?”

“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…”

“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 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?…”

“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…”

“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…”

“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…”

“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.”

“Will the Minister give way?”

“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.”

“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…”

“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.”

“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…”

“That is absolutely the point: it causes huge concern to many farming businesses because they are not able to forecast what financial investment will go into the business, whether from delinked payments or any sustainable farming incentive scheme that they were hoping to enter.”

“The reality is that we cannot, because of the Government’s announcement of dramatic reductions to the delinked payments that many farming businesses relied on. The explanatory note itself states that the reductions for 2025 will result in “increased demand from farmers for the Environmental Land Management schemes”, bu…”

“I thank my hon. Friend for his intervention. That is why an impact assessment is so important if we are to consider this piece of legislation. Not only are farmers facing the collective economic impact of a dramatic reduction in delinked payments, but they are now faced with being unable to receive sustainable farming …”

“Okay, thank you, Mr Twigg. As the Committee debates this delegated legislation, I would like to take us back to why we are where we are, in the sense of being in year 5 of a seven-year transition period. This direction was positively set out by the previous Administration as we moved from the common agricultural policy…”