Baroness O'Cathain
Main Page: Baroness O'Cathain (Conservative - Life peer)Agriculture: Dairy Industry
Baroness O'Cathain Excerpts
Baroness O'Cathain
To ask Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have for the dairy industry.
Lord De Mauley
Our goal is a competitive, profitable dairy sector that produces for the market. It should meet consumer needs while protecting and enhancing the environment it depends on to safeguard future production. We are reinvigorating the Dairy Supply Chain Forum, which my honourable friend Jim Paice chairs, to identify and tackle the issues affecting the industry’s health. We are developing the milk road map and involving ourselves closely in the EU High Level Group for dairy.
Baroness O'Cathain
My Lords, I thank my noble friend very much indeed for that positive reply to my Question. Does he agree that, despite the vicissitudes of the past 13 years, the dairy industry has shown remarkable resilience and been extremely innovative in its products? In view of the statement made by the Secretary of State in this week’s issue of Country Life that:
“The growing world population means that food security is becoming a very serious issue”,
and that she is,
“determined to help British agriculture to increase production”,
does he further agree that it would be a very good idea if the department and the dairy industry got together to work out a long-term strategy for the industry so that, if we do have food shortages, it will be able to cope?
Lord De Mauley
My Lords, the industry is a significant part of British agriculture and is, as my noble friend said, resilient and innovative. Our main strategic thrusts, which cover several objectives, including food security, are active participation in the EU High Level Group for dairy and the Food 2030 strategy. In addition, we are introducing an ombudsman into the OFT to enforce the groceries and supply code of practice, to curb abuses of power and to establish a task force on regulation to identify ways of reducing regulatory burdens on farmers.