Food Security

Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb Excerpts

Tuesday 26th March 2024 Lords Chamber

[Lord Douglas-Miller (Con)]

I thank the noble Baroness for her question. This month the Environment Secretary appointed Will Quince MP as an independent adviser to support our ongoing work to improve food procurement in the public sector. His review will look at how we can increase the impact and reach of the existing government buying standards for food and catering services and promote our high standards in places such as residential care, hospitals and schools.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

My Lords—

[Noble Lords]

The Bishop.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

Really?

--- Later in debate ---

[Lord Douglas-Miller (Con)]

I thank the right reverend Prelate for his question. Defra has a large outreach programme with its constituent members, particularly its farming community. We monitor a lot of this work most of the time. Through ELMS we can assess the impact we are having on improving the environment.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

My Lords—

[Lord Winston (Lab)]

My Lords, what assessment have the Government made, since the introduction of the precision breeding Bill, of the risk to the environment of releasing into it genetically modified plants?

[Lord Douglas-Miller (Con)]

The noble Lord raises a serious question on a serious subject. The Government are in the process of assessing this impact, and I hope to write to him shortly with the answer to his question.

[Baroness Jones of Moulsecoomb (GP)]

My Lords—for the third time—can the Minister answer the question from the noble Baroness, Lady Bakewell: at the Farm to Fork event, will there be people from the environmental lobby who are well-informed about how to preserve nature?

[Lord Douglas-Miller (Con)]

Perhaps we could invite the noble Baroness to attend; that might solve the problem completely.