Influencing Policy

Hello all: in case you would like to read an update on the progress of the Agriculture Bill through Parliament courtesy of the Landworkers Alliance

Thanks for sharing this - I'm focussed on empowering and increasing local food resilience and land equality. Will send on to my Conservative MP - though utterly pointless... and good to share via the Landworkers' Alliance too on social.

Report stage on Wednesday Nickie. It's the stage before Third Reading but important because it's when amendments can be made as I understand it.

Thanks Paul. Good letter. I’ll send something to Michelle Donelan and encourage other local environmental groups to do the same. Is Wednesday the full debate? I was under the impression it had been delayed...

Great letter Paul and very informative. I have already sent a more general one to my MP. I am a bit concerned that this will not be a proper parliamentary debate and no profound enough measures will go through. Are you optimistic?

This Wednesday Parliament votes on a vital Agriculture Bill. Here's a letter I just wrote to my local MP adapting a template thanks to the Land Workers Alliance - in case you'd like to join this campaign!

Dear Wera Hobhouse MP,

Tuesday 12th May 2020

I am a Director of the National Forest Gardening Scheme. As one of your constituents in Bath, I support the environmental and social public goods currently outlined in the Agriculture Bill, but I believe that the Bill should do more to protect and support our supply of healthy, home grown food such as grown in forest gardens, agroecology practiced at community and back garden scale.

It is entirely possible to produce more of the food we need through nature-friendly, agroecological farming. To achieve this, we need to:

- protect our farmers from being undercut by low standard trade imports

- support a transition to agroecological farming with R&D, training, and financial incentives

I therefore urge you to vote for Amendment NC2  (on trade) and Amendments 18 & 19 (on agroecology) to the Agriculture Bill in the House of Commons debate scheduled for Wednesday May 13th and fully support the inclusion of equivalent agroecology amendments in the schedules for Wales and N. Ireland and the Scottish Agriculture Bill. 

There are a number of amendments on trade being brought forward on Wednesday which seek to achieve this outcome that I support- if NC2 is not favoured please consider NC1 or NC6 to ensure the Bill is properly amended to secure the UK’s standards. 

I am also supportive of Amendment 26 which references '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' 


Further information on the Amendments:

Amendment NC2 on “International trade agreements: agricultural and food products” only allows imports that have been produced to relevant domestic standards. The Bill lacks any formal requirement to uphold British farming production standards as we negotiate trade deals and in our general trade policy. It should ensure that agricultural imports are produced to at least equivalent environmental, animal welfare, and food safety standards as those required of producers in the UK. 

Imported food produced to lower standards undercuts prices for UK farmers producing to high standards. As direct payments are reduced many farm businesses will be economically vulnerable. They need fair prices to survive and produce the high welfare food we need. We don't want to loose our farmers when we need them most!

This trade amendment will be essential to implementation of the promised Food Strategy which should set clear targets for reducing the UK's reliance on imports whilst delivering environmental and social public goods.

Agroecology Amendments bring together food production and the environment.

Agroecological farming is regenerative of biodiversity, soils, and the environment. It can produce comparable yields at lower cost, with greater profitability for farmers while providing us with healthy, UK grown food. 

Agroecology is necessary to ensure we are responsible for our own food security at the same time as looking after the environment. A win-win for everyone!

The UN FAO provides the following definition of agroecology:

‘Agroecology is based on applying ecological concepts and principles to optimize interactions between plants, animals, humans and the environment while taking into consideration the social aspects that need to be addressed for a sustainable and fair food system. By building synergies, agroecology can support food production and food security and nutrition while restoring the ecosystem services and biodiversity that are essential for sustainable agriculture. Agroecology can play an important role in building resilience and adapting to climate change.’

The Government’s response to date is that you could support agroecology under the current powers, but we need something explicit and bold, fully recognising the importance and benefits of agroecology to UK farming.

I want a dedicated and ambitious programme of support for an agroecological transition to maintain our national food security in the face of the public health, climate, and nature emergencies we face!

You can watch multi-award-winning writer and broadcaster, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall explain why this is so important here: 

 https://landworkersalliance.org.uk/hugh-fearnley-whittingstall-mp-ag-bill/

Yours sincerely,

Paul Pivcevic