As with other House of Commons Select Committees, the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee completed its formation recently with a new membership following the General Election, under the chairmanship of Liberal Democrat MP Alistair Carmichael (Orkney and Shetland). An early item of business was to consult interested parties on what should be its priorities for this Parliament. On behalf of our members and supporters, the Alliance has submitted a response.
The survey began by asking about major unresolved challenges within the sector. We took the opportunity to introduce our response by referring to the Rural Charter, our manifesto issued ahead of the election that set out our priorities for the new government and Parliament. These touch on respect for rural communities, tackling crime, promoting food and farming, valuing wildlife management, trail hunting, shooting and fishing, and delivering a connected countryside.
The survey went on to ask about early priorities. We suggested that the Committee work to establish an evidence base on the impact of the Budget’s changes to Agricultural Property Relief, given the tension that exists between Treasury figures and those of external experts and, if reports are to be believed, Defra itself. We also suggested a review of legislation and enforcement affecting fly-tipping and the recent Equipment Theft Act, monitoring its impact on preventing thefts of agricultural machinery.
It then asked respondents to take a broader view of the policy landscape and suggest longer-term or emerging issues into which the Committee might usefully inquire. We raised what we perceive to be an absence of proper co-ordination across government of policy affecting rural communities. This is a point we believe will resonate with Mr Carmichael, as it was discussed in some detail during our event at the Liberal Democrat Party Conference in September, where he spoke as a member of our panel. We also called for consideration of the particular impacts on rural communities of decarbonisation policies, exemplified by the electrification of road transport and the growth of large-scale solar farms on formerly productive agricultural land.
Other questions touched on how the Committee could best gather evidence. We suggested that its subject area makes it especially well-positioned to undertake site visits and learn from respondents’ own experiences of sharing information and concerns with policymakers, both positive and negative.
Our full response to the survey can be found below. We look forward to maintaining a strong, productive working relationship with the Committee as this Parliament continues.